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DESCRIPTION:Fairfax builder clashes with council, would-be neighbors over green 
 home\nRob Rogers\nIJ Article Launched: 10/15/2007 12:41:27 AM PDT\n\nShane 
 Deal says the home he wants to build on Frustuck Avenue in Fairfax will be 
 eco-friendly. The Town Council and neighbors argue the design obstructs 
 views. They accuse Deal of exaggerating the home's 'green' benefits. (IJ 
 photo/Jeff Vendsel)\nAS FAR as builder Shane Deal is concerned, the house 
 he's proposing to build on Fairfax's Frustuck Avenue is an opportunity to 
 make his hometown a little greener.\n\n"It will meet the platinum standards 
 for green building, with solar water heating, photovoltaic cells on the 
 roof, fly ash concrete, low-VOC nontoxic paint and formaldehyde-free 
 insulation," Deal said. "It's designed to blend harmoniously into the 
 hillside. And since the amount of remodeling we do is the most un-green 
 part of the industry, it's designed to be maintenance-free, and to stand 
 the test of time."\n\nDeal's would-be neighbors disagree.\n\nThey say the 
 3,794-square-foot house and garage he originally proposed would be twice 
 the size of other homes in the neighborhood,\nBuilding Green\nShould local 
 government encourage "green" residential building?\n Yes\n No\nblocking 
 views of Mount Tamalpais. And they've accused the builder of "greenwashing" 
 - exaggerating the environmental benefits of the home to camouflage its 
 problems.\n\n"If you don't build the house, you haven't hurt the 
 environment," said Niccolo Caldararo, a former Town Council member who 
 lives two houses down from the vacant lot where Deal proposes to build. "He 
 may be using recycled materials, but just the fact that he's building the 
 house means he's still using energy. And the house 
 will\nAdvertisement\nrequire twice as much energy to heat it than any house 
 in the area. How can you call it green?"\n\nCaldararo has appealed the 
 Planning Commission's approval of Deal's design, and the Town Council will 
 weigh in on Wednesday.\n\nOpponents of the project say Deal is one of many 
 speculators building large houses in small neighborhoods to sell them for a 
 profit.\n\n"The man is a spec builder," Caldararo said. "He's going to sell 
 it once he can maximize the capital gains on it, after living in it for two 
 years or so. He's exploiting the situation, taking value away from the rest 
 of the homeowners. I see that as depreciating the environment."\n\nBut 
 Deal, a member of the Fairfax Design Review Board, says he and his wife 
 plan to live in the new home. He adds that he has never sold a home in the 
 United States and insists he's doing everything he can to help his 
 hometown.\n\n"I buy materials from Fairfax. I use as many consultants from 
 Fairfax as I can," said Deal, who lives on Fairfax's Bell Avenue. "I like 
 to support my community and make use of people within the 
 community."\n\nThe Planning Commission approved Deal's project by a 3-2 
 vote July 19. Chairwoman Pam Meigs, who voted against the project, said she 
 remained concerned about its size.\n\n"I voted 'no' on the project because 
 I felt the scale, the size and the scope of the project were out of 
 character for the neighborhood," Meigs said. "The house was looming over 
 the neighbors."\n\nMembers of Sustainable Fairfax, a local environmental 
 group, have expressed similar concerns, arguing that even the "greenest" 
 house could pose problems for the environment.\n\n"We appreciate the 
 investment and incentive to follow the tenets of LEED (Leadership in Energy 
 and Environmental Design) such as renewable energy, recycled and locally 
 sourced green building materials," said Executive Director Pam 
 Hartwell-Herrero. "However, homes with large square footage are not in 
 keeping with the character of Fairfax."\n\nThe builder disputes the idea 
 that his proposed home is too big for the neighborhood.\n\n"Most new homes 
 to be built are around the same square footage as ours," Deal said. "That's 
 what a modern family home is these days."\n\nDeal said he has done his best 
 to comply with neighborhood requests, proposing a turnout for fire engines 
 on the property and working with an arborist to protect as many of its 
 venerable oak trees as possible. He has also agreed to reduce the size of 
 his home to 2,830 square feet.\n\nHe said he was stunned when the Town 
 Council first reviewed the project on Sept. 19 and none of the council 
 members brought copies of his plans to the meeting.\n\n"The members had 
 made up their minds before I had a chance to address them," Deal said. 
 "They wanted to turn me down but were having trouble coming up with a legal 
 reason. The town is going to end up wasting money in a 
 courtroom."\n\nCouncilman David Weinsoff disputed that assertion. "It's not 
 unusual not to have the full scope of material in front of us," Weinsoff 
 said. "I don't think Mr. Deal and his team were fully aware of the 
 comprehensiveness of the community's concerns. We provided him with the 
 opportunity to make revisions or put together a more comprehensive 
 statement to bring back to us."\n\nDeal said he believes he'll be able to 
 make his case on Wednesday.\n\n"For all the talk in Fairfax of building 
 green, there's not a huge amount of action behind people's words," Deal 
 said. "We're trying to publicize that green is the way to go. You'd think 
 that would be the ultimate message people in town would like to see, that 
 at the end of the day we want to build more 
 sustainably."\n\n---\n\nMeeting\n\nRead more Fairfax stories at the IJ's 
 Fairfax page.\n\nContact Rob Rogers via e-mail at rrogers@marinij.com 
 \n\nadd put up \n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/17/18454392.php
SUMMARY:Fairfax City Council Meet{twice the size of other homes-plan's for green home appealed}
LOCATION:end of meeting a guess \nThe Fairfax Town Council will hear an appeal of 
 plans to build at 183 Frustuck Ave. during a 7:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday at 
 the Fairfax Women's Club at 46 Park Road. For more information, \n
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/17/18454392.php
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