 |
|
|
Greenbelt Alliance In the News
December 14, 2006
Board delays urban limit line decision
PITTSBURG: Land includes properties in southern hills; planning decision needed to send issue to council
Laurie Phillips
Debate over growth boundaries and preservation of open space continued to divide the Pittsburg Planning Commission this week.
At issue was whether to extend the city's sphere of influence to the urban limit line voters approved last year, ensure the presence of greenbelts in the southern foothills, and designate the Norton Valley as open space.
Planning Director Melissa Ayres said the city-initiated proposal to change aspects of its General Plan -- its long-term planning blueprint -- adds responsible policies for growth to the document for land now outside city limits that eventually is expected to be annexed.
That land includes three properties in the city's southern foothills: the 607-acre Faria property and the 161-acre Montreux property, both owned by the Seeno family; and the Thomas Ranch property owned by the Thomas family.
If fully developed, the Faria property -- west of Bailey Road and east of the Concord Naval Weapons Station site -- could potentially hold up to 1,500 new houses. Each of the others could support about 150 houses.
After a lengthy discussion Tuesday, the Planning Commission issued no recommendation for the proposed changes. Three commissioners said they saw no reason to delay a decision; three more said they wanted more feedback from the public before issuing a recommendation. Commissioner Elizabeth Thomas was absent.
"The staff is already recommending this," Commissioner Jack Garcia said. "Let's get it to the (city) council."
After waiting a year to get to this point, Commissioner Bruce Ohlson said, a delay seems reasonable.
"We do need to move forward expeditiously, but I don't think a month is going to kill anybody," he said.
The issue now goes before the City Council next month.
The City Council in August approved studying the city's General Plan as it relates to sphere of influence lines in the southern foothills; voter passage last year of Measure P, an initiative establishing a new urban limit line for the city; and an agreement between the city and developers Altec Homes Inc., Albert Seeno III and Albert Seeno Jr. for the city, in part, to establish guidelines for the development of a permanent greenbelt along the edges of the voter-approved urban limit line.
Both people who spoke at Tuesday's public hearing urged the commission to delay its decision. Christina Wong of Greenbelt Alliance said she wants to see a strong hillside ordinance in place before change is allowed in the hills. Ayres said a public document should be available for review next month.
"A sphere-of-influence change is just the start of this process of possibly developing the hills," Wong said Wednesday. "We want to make sure the public understands what this means."
Robert Green of Pittsburg told the commission he fears the changes proposed would allow further scarring of the hills by developers. He urged the city to rescind its agreement with the Seeno family.
"The thing that really disturbs me is there is no plan," he said. "We're giving (an agreement) to a developer, and who knows what he's going to do with it."
Ayres said the proposed changes lay out the city's expectations for the land before it is annexed, discourage urban sprawl and ensure the Norton Valley will not be developed. A new policy proposed for the southwest hills calls for establishing a greenbelt between any future subdivision in the area and the urban limit line voters approved last year.
### |
