Editor:

The Measure F developers are trying to scare Brentwood residents. Fact: Antioch can’t develop and doesn’t want the Measure F area.

Anyone who says that Antioch is a serious threat to the Measure F area is not telling the truth. The developers could unveil some trumped-up letter this week from an Antioch politician threatening Brentwood (like they did recently from several of their cronies on LAFCO) and it still wouldn’t be true. The threat is just another of the developers’ lies designed to confuse the issues.

Even if Antioch weren’t severely stretched financially, Antioch can’t develop and doesn’t want the Measure F area; it has no interest in the area at any level. By a signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) between the two cities, Brentwood controls the Measure F area. Both cities’ general plans incorporate that MOU and agree that Brentwood controls the Measure F area. The Measure F area is in Brentwood’s Planning Area, and within Brentwood’s Sphere of Influence, not in Antioch’s. Changes to any of these things would require significant public planning processes, environmental impact reports and years of time.

The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the agency that controls planning boundaries, has made no action to remove the Measure F area from Brentwood’s Sphere of Influence, or to add it to Antioch’s sphere, let alone Antioch’s city limits. Three of the LAFCO commissioners and friends of the developers made empty threats about it, but they could only remove the area from Brentwood’s sphere and add it to Antioch’s, or to Antioch’s city limits with several more substantial, expensive public processes, if Antioch wanted it, which they don’t, if it were part of Antioch’s General Plan, which it isn’t, and lastly if it were inside Antioch’s Urban Limit Line, which it isn’t.

That’s the kicker: Neither LAFCO friends of the developers, Antioch politicians nor Brentwood politicians can allow development of the Measure F area. Only the residents can – if developers convince them to change their existing voter-approved urban limit lines – which requires a public vote. That’s what the developers are trying to get the public to do with Measure F.

Finally, it would be even more difficult and expensive to develop the Measure F area through Antioch, and less profitable. Development is expensive. Paved roads, water lines, sewer lines, power lines, police services, fire stations, etc. would have to cross nearly two miles of open land between the Measure F area and the closest part of developed Antioch.

Plus, the Measure F developers don’t want to be part of Antioch for the same reasons that they’re using it as a scare tactic: higher crime rates, etc. A Brentwood address is worth more to them, on the order of $50,000 to 100,000 per house, and providing services is cheaper.

Bottom line: they’re using Antioch as a scare tactic. It doesn’t hold water. Don’t be fooled. On June 8, please vote No on Measure F.

Seth Adams, Save Mount Diablo