George Lucas Strikes Back at NIMBY Neighbors After Studio is Thwarted
Filmmaker George Lucas has abruptly given up a fight with his snobby neighbors after years-long plans to build a new studio in Marin, California failed to come together under pressure from residents.
According to a statement released last week by Lucasfilm, the Star Wars mastermind had grand plans for a studio for the neighborhood to break up the monotony of just subdivisions. Via to Movies.com, Lucas had planned a large studio on grounds he owns featuring “300,000 square foot, state-of-the-art movie studio complete with day care center, restaurant, gym and a 200-car garage, as well as “the promise of bringing $300 million worth of economic activity” to Marin.
But residents have not been welcoming, and instead put up a fight at every turn, finally prompting Lucas to walk away from his studio dream, per to the statement. But while the filmmaker no longer intends to go forward with the studio plans, he does have other ideas for the land:
“We plan to sell the Grady property expecting that the land will revert back to its original use for residential housing. We hope we will be able to find a developer who will be interested in low income housing since it is scarce in Marin. If everyone feels that housing is less impactfulon the land, then we are hoping that people who need it the most will benefit.”
After expressing sadness at giving up the plans, the statement decries a “level of bitterness and anger expressed by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced [them] that, even if [they] were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, [they] would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with [their] neighbors.”
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Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.
