‘Castle’ property back on the market
No current buyers found, SVBPI grant-funded project looking for 'alternate sites'
The “Castle” property in Lucerne is back on the market after the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians released their hold on the property back to its owner (the Malibu-based Earthways Foundation) about a month and a half ago. Owner Andrew Beath is still shopping around for a potential buyer according to a real estate company listing and marketing for the iconic 68,000 square-foot property.
New SVBPI Tribal Administrator Alondra Herrera confirmed Thursday that in the wake of a proposal to use the property for a $5.2 million grant program from the California Business Consumer Services and Housing Agency for a 65 housing unit youth homeless facility earlier this year received pushback from some of the area residents, and as a result of internal transition within the tribal administration, SVBPI still hasn’t currently moved forward with the project and is “trying to figure out” the best way to address the matter.
Herrera said that tribal administration is looking for alternative sites to the castle and acknowledged the possibility that the proposed program may not be specifically at the Lucerne location at 3700 Country Club Drive. She added the tribe remains in the talking stages after Thomas Jordan, former administrator who was spearheading the grant project last year stepped down.
One issue of contention with the grant application which Jordan signed off on in June 2022 and which he received criticism for during the process of selling the idea to residents, was wording in the application which identified the LCOE as a primary partner for the project. Other agencies
were also mentioned as secondary and tertiary partners including Lake County Tribal Health, North Coast Opportunities, the Lucerne Senior Center and Hospice Services of Lake County, among a plethora of others.
Ana Santana, Lake County Office of Education’s Healthy Start Program Director, found herself along with Jordan, whom she worked with on the grant application, on the hot seat during a special meeting of the LCOE last December where she was questioned by members of the LCOE board regarding her decision to circumvent the traditional process utilized for grant approval.
Brock Falkenberg, Superintendent of schools in Lake County, subsequently said at a public forum in January that when he learned that LCOE had been listed as a partner, it came as a surprise to him. When asked if the fact the grant application not going through proper channels would affect any potential partnerships with the project, he said at the
time, “We will fulfill our legal obligation as the CDE (California Department of Education) homeless liaison throughout the county.” Santana did not respond to calls at press time in regards to how the sale of the Castle would affect the program of whether it would spell the death knell for LCOE’s participation in the project.
Property tax dispute with County of Lake
As previously reported by the Record-Bee, Beath had been embroiled in a
property tax dispute with the County of Lake over taxes owed on the parcel and 68,000-square-foot building, a dispute which has been resolved according to Timothy Toye, whose real estate company has been listing the property for approximately a year.
Toye said the property is currently fully operational as an educational facility, but added that the castle’s 68 bedrooms need to be renovated and that other work needed at the facility includes electrical and plumbing and other needed repairs if it is intended to be used as a boutique hotel.
Mireya Turner, Lake County Community Development director was present at the community forum hosted by the county in Lucerne in January to answer questions about the county’s permitting process. According to information shared publicly by Shawn Davis, chairman of the SVBPI, earlier this year, with the implementation of the Shoreline Communities Area Plan, there would be ample job opportunities in the service sector perfect for entry-level work performed by disadvantaged youth.
According to County Assistant Planner Max Stockton, the property is currently zoned for commercial use and would require a major use permit application by whoever buys the property. Article 15 of the Lake County zoning ordinance spells out regulations for a planned development commercial district.
However, Herrera added that if the SVBPI decides not to move forward with the project, the $5.2 million would be returned to the state, as grant funding comes earmarked with specific conditions attached.