Novato residents locked in fight over median island that was turned into natural environment
Neighbors in a Novato housing development are locked in a fight over a median island they say is unsightly and presents a fire danger. But the creator of the island said it is simply a natural environment and is digging in her heels to protect it.
Alameda del Prado is the street that leads into the Pacheco Valle neighborhood. There, the landscaping is orderly, with plants arranged in neat rows. But back on the street, there is an island of randomness, on which Macia Basalla feels very much alone.
"This is part of the monarch habitat. The milkweed right now is cut back, but it gets up to 3 feet, so it covers all this here," said Basalla.
When she first adopted the street median in 2009, it was completely barren, hard-packed dirt. Over the last 14 years, Basalla transformed it into a natural oasis of flowering plants and trees, meant to be a habitat for all kinds of pollinating insects.
That includes the beautiful monarch butterfly, which she said just started showing up about three years ago. There's just one problem.
"They don't look at it as an improvement to their neighborhood. They look at it as an eyesore," said Basalla.
"A lot of people are unhappy that it has no design," said Kay White, a member of the Friends of Pacheco Valle. "So, we're trying to have an attractive entrance to the valley. And that's the first major island that you see, and it's in an erratic growth stage. And always is and always will be."
The homeowners' group would like to see the median landscaping changed. But along with aesthetic concerns, White said there are worries about the tall, dry grasses that exist in the summer presenting a fire hazard in case a mass evacuation is called for. There are also plans to reduce or eliminate the oleander bushes that line the other medians.
"We're working to reduce the flammable vegetation in the middle of all the six islands," White said. "Except that Marcia Basalla has custody of one of those islands."
The fire department has sent conflicting messages, sending fire prevention recommendations to the homeowners saying, "The pollinator/native landscaped median sections would be renovated with an attractive and easily maintained landscape that demonstrates firewise characteristics."
But Basalla has a letter from the same fire official saying, "Plant away!" and acknowledging that, "Fire risk for ADP (Avenue Del Prado) as an evacuation route has been significantly reduced by work accomplished by Novato Fire and Ms. Basalla."
"First they wanted me out of here because of the appearance," said Basalla. "Then it was the fire hazard. Then that didn't work, so then they went back to the appearance and then the fire hazard again."
The homeowners think Basalla is just being stubborn.
"She declined three different other places that she can grow her wildflowers," said White. "And we feel that that's not very reasonable or considerate, considering that we need to have a clear exit route out of this neighborhood."
But Basalla has spent years tending her garden every weekend and it's come to mean a lot to her.
"I am dead serious. Besides working a full time job, this is my mission. And that's why I'm so adamant about these sites," she said. "It makes me feel terrible, and I've lost a lot of sleep worrying about this, worrying about critters losing their homes. Because that's what would happen."
The homeowners convinced the city to turn the other five medians over to them for management. But, at this point, the one island that Basalla officially adopted remains under her control.
Both sides said they are willing to compromise, but so far, no one has found that common ground. The city, which owns the median, seems reluctant to declare a winner, having to choose between fire safety and nature conservation.
So, Basalla remains on her island, preferring the randomness of nature over the designs of man.
