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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

September 29, 2005

Activists team up to fight growth plans

Calling the initiatives the biggest threat to the county's environment in a decade, representatives from the Greenbelt Alliance, the Sierra Club, Save Mt. Diablo and the Audubon Society urged voters in Pittsburg and Antioch to oppose the ballot measures.

"They promise growth control but what they achieve is thousands of new homes in beautiful places," said David Reid of the Greenbelt Alliance.

Measure P in Pittsburg is sponsored by the Seeno family, influential developers who want to expand the existing growth boundary around the city to include 2,400 acres in four areas.

The Seenos own 600 acres in the southwestern San Marco Hills area, which they propose to move inside the urban limit line. Land outside the line is off limits to large-scale development.

If voters approve Measure P in November, Pittsburg could be in store for up to 4,000 new homes, Reid said.

Both cities' projects would worsen the already abysmal traffic mess in East County and destroy valuable open space, environmentalists said.

"I hope (voters) see through this wolf in sheep's clothing," said Seth Adams of Save Mt. Diablo.

The environmentalists made their announcement at the Lime Ridge Open Space along Ygnacio Valley Road, with the hills east of the Concord Naval Weapons Station clearly visible in the distance.

The ridgeline of those hills would be covered with homes if Measure P passes, Adams said.

"(The Seenos) want to grade and build from Pittsburg across the top of the Kirker Hills overlooking the Naval Weapons Station. That's just crazy," he said.

Seeno spokesman Sam Singer accused the environmentalists of inflating the number of homes Measure P would allow.

"The Pittsburg general plan calls for no more than a total of 1,700 houses to be built in the future, which is exactly what Measure P would allow," he said. "So it's in alignment with what the city itself wants to see happen in the future in terms of limiting growth."

Also, Singer said none of the new houses would be visible from Concord or Walnut Creek.

In Antioch, the environmentalists are fighting Measure K. The initiative is sponsored by a consortium of three development companies known as Roddy Ranch PBC.

If approved, Measure K would bring inside the urban limit line 850 acres of the ranch once owned by local rodeo star Jack Roddy -- 500 acres of which would be buildable -- and 150 acres of the adjacent Ginochio property, an area south of the city limits and west of Brentwood.

Measure K would allow the partnership to build at least 700 new homes, Reed said.

The growth initiatives were inspired by Contra Costa County's Measure J, a half-cent sales tax passed by 70 percent of voters last year because of its promise of $2 billion for transportation projects. Measure J requires all 19 of Contra Costa's cities and the county to abide by a voter-approved urban limit line in order to receive millions in road repair money.

Measure J withholds millions of dollars for street repair and other projects if cities fail to abide by a line by 2009.

Antioch and Pittsburg want to expand the line to allow more growth, and the developers' proposals are similar to what each city council has sought on its own.

Measure K supporters say the Roddy project will be good for Antioch, which has long planned upscale, "executive" style homes for the area to balance the existing housing stock.

"Antioch needs the executive homes. It will enhance Antioch's image to have a high-end development around a golf course," said Measure K spokesman Tom McNell, a resident since 1991.

Also, the developers will not build the project until after Highway 4 is widened.

If approved by a majority of voters, the measure would prohibit all new residential development in 2006 and 2007 and would reduce from 3,000 to 2,000 the number of housing units the city council could approve until 2010.

If the initiative passes, the developers would be on the hook for $1 million for improvements to the Highway 4 bypass, $1 million for arts, music and sports programs at the Antioch school district, and $50,000 to study a potential business park.

"It's the model for developers coming in and providing services. I'd like to see this as the standard for developers coming into Antioch and building," said McNell, who was a co-author of the city's slow growth initiative passed by voters in 1998.

Brentwood also has a growth measure on the November ballot. Measure L is sponsored by the Nunn family, longtime farmers and developers, but the environmental coalition is not attacking their plan. The Nunns reached a compromise agreement with Save Mt. Diablo, the East Bay Regional Parks District and the city of Brentwood.

While Measure L would enlarge the growth boundary around Brentwood in four places by about 1,700 acres, the Nunns and Brentwood agreed to strict impediments to developments outside the new line. In exchange, the parks district and Save Mt. Diablo will not fight the initiative at the ballot box.

Kiley Russell covers growth and development. Reach him at 925-952-5027 or krussell@cctimes.com.

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