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Dear Mr. Lucas, We wanted to write to you because we are your neighbors in Marin. When my husband and I first heard of your plans two years ago to try and build a production studio with ancillary resources for learning in Marin, we were excited. With both of us working in the creative field and having an entire family that loves Star Wars, it seemed to us to be a huge advantage for the community of Marin to have a creative force nearby in the neighborhood. It only takes a few vocal neighbors to undermine a great project. In the wake of opposition that followed, last year you put out another proposal in which you said you'd fully fund 224 units of affordable living on your land. They'd be offered to teachers and civil servants and other members of our community that have been priced out of the housing market. I'll save any further explanation and direct anyone else reading this that wants more information HERE. Anyway, I'm writing to say we sympathize and see what you are trying to do. And I wanted to share our plight because I thought you might find the same similarities I did in our stories. We live in an unincorporated neck of the woods called Homestead Valley. Homestead valley has only 1200 homes. Only very few of those homes are located in Camp Tamalpais, and as our resident Mill Valley historian Chuck Oldenberg writes, "Residents climb as many as 200 steps to enjoy life in a canyon surrounded by redwoods, bay trees and ferns." Everyday while walking our dog through the trails of our neighborhood, we can easily imagine ourselves in the forests of Endor. I mentioned we were Star Wars fans, right? We live in an old logging cabin from the 1890's. We've held onto the house with some difficulty, and were committed to maintaining some of the original magic in this forest for our boys, and for other kids in the neighborhood. We started building a tree-fort for them two years ago. It was nearing completion in August, just in time for the rainy season. For reasons unknown to us, a neighbor anonymously called the Marin Planning Commission. An inspector who was sad to have been called for a tree-fort, solemnly wrote us a red-tag on August 28, as my two boys watched over their oatmeal. Initially we were dumbfounded with how to continue, but with further thought we realized we needed to figure out a way to meet their challenge. Because of our lofty ambitions of making a tree-fort with a roof-pitch higher than 15 feet (i.e., the floor is 6 Ft off the ground), this unexpected hurdle necessitates we now work with a structural engineer. And also pay a fine for not initially obtaining a permit. My husband compares our tree-fort project to your film THX-1138. It is a labor of love. We're with you on your plans George. We'd be honored if you can take a look at ours. More information can be found HERE. Consider buying a $35 dollar t-shirt, or perhaps joining us for a screening with some of your biggest fans in the tree-fort. We support you in your mission in Marin 100%. Join us? Oh, and did I mention we are Star Wars fans? Please see the following photographic evidence. Solidarity, and may the force be with you. The Winn Family (Julia, Mark, Liam, Laszlo and Bash) #savethewinntreefort .
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