FORT BRAGG, CA., 3/5/25 — A joint meeting of the Fort Bragg City Council, Planning Commission and Skunk Train representatives brought out a lot of opinions on, and some excitement about, development of the former Georgia-Pacific mill site.
The Mill Site Visioning Workshop, held on Feb. 25, began with an open house showing maps and artistic renderings for the 400 acres along the Fort Bragg headlands. The site has been the subject of litigation and controversy ever since Georgia-Pacific closed its lumber mill in 2002. The mill closing left Fort Bragg, then a company town, without its major employer and an ongoing environmental mess on what would otherwise be prime coastal land. Mendocino Railway, aka the Skunk Train, acquired the property and the environmental clean-up obligations in 2021, leading to another set of lawsuits between the Skunk Train and the city over who is in charge.
In November of 2024 the City Council and the Skunk Train agreed to pause the litigation and explore a collaborative solution. The tentative plans presented last week, which include a conference center, housing, a dining hall, residential housing, an electric trolley route, and open space, are the result of closed-door negotiations between the two sides in an effort to end the litigation and move forward.
Mayor Jason Godeke stressed that both sides were trying “to explore a process of formal agreements and planning toward a resolution of the litigation” and looking for a way to “develop the mill site in a way that serves the community.” He pointed to the city’s development of the Fort Bragg coastal trail along a portion of the site as a “terrific example of development . . . that has fundamentally changed the way our town looks, feels and functions for locals and visitors alike.”
Most of the meeting was then devoted to public comment, while the City Council sat mostly mum.
Support and opposition
Some of those comments, often given without the speakers identifying themselves, showed that the history of the site is still raw. A clinical psychologist criticized plan documents that appeared to put the Skunk Train on the same level as the city, arguing that a private company should not be so venerated. A former Los Angeles woman used the explosive growth in her hometown as a warning against overdevelopment. Former Fort Bragg City Council member Jessica Morsell-Haye said that that the city had been holding workshops and seeking a development agreement on the site for years and wondered why things were now “going back to square one.”
On the flip side, many long-term residents (with 20 years in the community being on the low end) and younger people alike spoke with enthusiasm about proposed low-impact recreational uses of the site by pedestrians, bicyclists and trolley riders. Fort Bragg local Deb Jensen was one of many voices pleading for an agreement that showcased the beauty of the site and could serve as a model for other communities. Angelica Mercado, a young Fort Bragg resident who left the area and then moved back, said that “this coast deserves the best” and urged that the land be given back to the community for educational uses and for multi-generational options such as day care, retirement centers, and parks. Taryn Oakes, describing herself as the youngest person in the room, pointed out the need for affordable housing for young families with children and pets.
Skunk Train VP Chris Hart agreed with the need to accommodate a younger population, saying that the Fort Bragg area should not be “just a Bay Area retirement home.”
Oakes was one of several speakers bringing in the town’s history with the Pomo Indians. Oakes said any development should include a profit share for the Pomo to “acknowledge the dishonor and disrespect” shown in the past.
Jade Tippett, a Fort Bragg resident and a frequent voice on mill site issues, raised the need to address Fort Bragg’s economic situation, pointing out that “tourism is an unstable choice on which to base an economy.” Joe Harris, a restaurant owner, echoed the need to diversify the town’s economy: “The number one priority is to replace the economic engine that we lost when the mill closed.”
Although the lengthy meeting was largely civil, undercurrents of tension occasionally surfaced. Some audience members wondered whether the Skunk Train properly acquired the property in the first place, a contention that Skunk Train general counsel Torgny Nilsson called “misinformation” and “bothersome,” saying that the purchase was court-approved. Other legal issues, particularly over whether the Skunk Train will comply and/or is required to comply with local laws and permits, threatened to derail the conversation at times, with Nilsson and City Council member Lindy Peters getting into a debate about the legacy of the 19th-century railroad barons. Marie Jones, a consultant for the city, responded to concerns about the status of the environmental clean-up, saying that future use of the still-polluted mill pond complex on the site is “an open question.”
A conceptual layout plan, prepared by San Francisco-based architecture firm Hornberger & Worstell, for a 400-acre mixed-used development at the former Georgia-Pacific lumber mill site in the Fort Bragg, Calif., headlands.
Workshop succeeds in its goals
But the meeting surely succeeded in its goal of eliciting public comment. Audience members put sticky notes with suggestions on the maps and displays. Joanne Abramson, a resident since 1978, said the development of the site was an “amazing opportunity” that should include specifics about water sources and reliance on underground power lines and alternative energy options. One woman asked that a sports facility be part of the plan. Tippett, the activist, reminded everyone that climate change could well mean many more climate refugees coming north, a factor that will need to be taken into account.
The “vision” workshop was exactly that. Nothing is settled, and there is more input to come, including, consultant Jones said, from Pomo tribes, Caltrans and other agencies. The workshop was another step in a long process that will require regulatory approvals, financing plans, and real estate transactions.
The next step is a City Council Study Session on March 10 at 6 pm at the Fort Bragg Town Hall, when council members will vote on whether to proceed with the formal planning process and keep the litigation on hold. Mayor Godeke urged people to attend that meeting too. In the meantime, he said, additional comments can be emailed to the Mayor’s office or City Manager Isaac Whippy.