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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

October 26, 2005

Antioch council approves housing proposal

The issue drew throngs of people. A parent coalition and school officials rallied for the project because it will include the construction of a road to access a planned third high school. A slow-growth group, Citizens for a Better Antioch, and environmentalists said the senior housing will further burden Highway 4 because many people 55 and older, the required age to live in the planned development, still work.

The City Council approved the development agreement by a 4-1 vote, with Brian Kalinowski dissenting.

Before the meeting, another growth issue took center stage. Members of the San Francisco-based Greenbelt Alliance and Citizens for a Better Antioch held a press conference criticizing the local urban limit line expansion initiatives. A resident dressed in a furry lamb costume while others spoke to underscore their message -- the developers are wolves dressed up in sheep's clothes.

With the senior housing project, the council reversed its usual development application process by approving an agreement with Del Webb before reviewing an environmental report or a precise project description. Del Webb is a division of Pulte Homes, one of the nation's largest housing builders.

Mayor Donald Freitas said the move was necessary to secure the high school.

The Greenbelt Alliance challenged the legality of the process. In a letter to the city, the group stated that government agencies are required to review the details of a development before entering into a project agreement.

The city attorney said the group's assertion was false.

Reach Sarah Krupp at 925-779-7166 or skrupp@cctimes.com.

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