They say it’s about control for Brentwood residents – how so if you embed the entire plan you envision for our western border in the Measure itself? We have a border, we have control, we have a General Plan – we’re voting to stop their development plan.
You see, we too have lived in Brentwood for upward of 20 years, and we’ve been attempting to preserve our agricultural heritage and small-town charm since we arrived. We wanted a town that was different from every other cookie-cutter town in the area: a sense of community, less congestion, more quality.
Voters, if you buy Measure F, you are buying the landowners’ development agreement: 1,300 homes, 35 acres of stores and 4,030 more residents. The local control they tout becomes their control to make millions, amending our current General Plan for this area to twice the houses, one-third the parks and open space, tying the hands of current/future councils, planning commissions and residents and engulfing our western hills.
If you check the landowners there, you’ll find Fremont and San Jose entities own most of that property. The developer consultant they hired also championed the ability to build in Antioch’s Deer Valley in the first place and is attempting to break the ULL in San Ramon – yet he asserts no conflict of interest. Do you think these “supporters” have your best interest at heart? Hardly.
Bottom line: If you acquire 740 acres in the western hills to develop 560 acres (76 percent), how on earth will that alleviate the problems of congestion, tapped services, overcrowded schools, east/west Balfour Road safety and the American Avenue calamity? It won’t.
Simply put, the amenities they suggest are inappropriate for the geographical area they profess to safeguard. They lead you to believe Antioch or others “can come right in and build there.” Not true. It’s outside the ULL, only open to the same parcels it has now – agricultural.
When the economy does recover, Brentwood’s already approved 4,000 housing units and up to 1 million square feet of commercial space should yield millions of dollars of improvements. We don’t need Measure F to direct developer or general funds for our road and service enhancements – they’re already in the works.
We aren’t anti-growth unless you go outside our Urban Limit Line, you bind us to your development agreement, and frankly when your plan defies common sense. Measure F will ruin Brentwood’s great planning. Its patronizing claims offer uncertainties, not actuals. Don’t be fooled by these developers’ attempt to snatch our western hills for their wealth and future enjoyment – not in Brentwood – they’ll be long gone and we’ll be stuck on Balfour or the Bypass, yet again.
Kathy Griffin, Claudia Gemberling, Bob and Kim Schriver, Patrick MacIsaac, Dick VrMeer, Johnny Merrill and Gretchen Klaus
E-mail them at measuref-failsthetest@comcast.net.
As Federal Glover said in his campain as Supervisor " HOLD THE LINE "