The tide may be turning in the battle over the Resource Protection Ordinance, but the battle is far from won.
by Carolyn Chase
"The Board of Supervisors finds that the unique topography, ecosystems and natural characteristics of the County are fragile, irreplaceable resources that are vital to the general welfare of all residents: that special controls on development must be established for the County's wetlands, floodplains, steep slopes, sensitive biological habitats, and prehistoric and historic sites; and that present methods adopted by the County must be strengthened in order to guarantee the preservation of these sensitive lands..."
Board of Supervisors, 1988
The Resource Protection Ordinance, Article 1"Habitat is everywhere, pigeons live in the city don't they? - therefore it's habitat."
Citizen testimony at Planning Commission Hearing on proposals to change or eliminate the County's Resource Protection Ordinance, 3/29/96
n the late 1980's, when faced with rampant mass grading
of hillsides and ridges, loss of wildlife habitat, and deteriorating community
character, the County Board of Supervisors wisely recognized that a fair
set of rules laying out acceptable development standards was needed. The
Resource Protection Ordinance (RPO) has created a level playing field for
landowners and a stable reference point for elected officials, by laying
out standards for development on wetlands, floodplains, steep slopes, sensitive
biological habitats and historic and prehistoric sites.
But last November, Supervisor Horn moved to repeal,
break up and otherwise weaken or eliminate RPO. Referred to the Planning
Commission (PC) for evaluation of the changes, on Friday, March 22 and March
29, the PC made their recommendations. They included:
The proposed breakup is not exactly a victory
for government streamlining. But at the same time, the PC also recommended
that resource protections be retained and not weakened in most areas.
Overall, conservationists can be generally optimistic
about this outcome, but it's not over 'til it's over. It will be necessary
to follow through with demonstrations of public support and continue to
apply pressure as the recommendations go back to the Board of Supervisors
for the next action. Stay tuned. Please sign, circulate and return the "Natural
Heritage and Quality of Life" petition below. We will present these
to the Supervisors to help make the case.
Few individuals avail themselves of the dubious
pleasure of sitting through the public testimony before the PC. Just so
you'll have some idea of what you missed, here are some of the choice pieces.
Comments from property-rights folks included the following.
"A 25 percent slope is only as steep as a wheel chair ramp"
(Actually, a wheel chair ramp is a 1-to-12 slope, which is 8.3 percent, versus 1-to-4 for a 25 percent slope, 3 times steeper. Another citizen pointed out that on a county road in her area a 12.5 percent grade advises trucks to "use Low Gear")
"If we keep going this way humans will be no more valued than cockroaches, seaweed and sagebrush... this is an insidious plan that is really happening."
"This is nothing but Bureaucrap!"
Margaret Hutchinson, WHOA! (Worried Home Owners - Angry, Damn Angry)
Comments by representatives of developers included these
gems:
"Our goal is to keep wetlands appropriately drained."
"In order for the habitat plans to work you've got to be able to deal with landowners. Steep slopes regulations in RPO does not allow you to do this."
The RPO supporters also had their say.
Unfortunately, this writer managed to waste her minute
or so of public testimony on a procedural item. During earlier testimony,
I discovered that the materials handed out to the public were not the same
as the PC members were working from. When I pointed this out - that the
paper in my hand was not the same as the viewgraph being projected - I was
simply told I was wrong. Eventually, they 'fessed up and provided one of
the corrected pages. I finally gave up in disgust. Professionalism only
goes just so far.
Other comments:
"If this is truly an effort to 'streamline' our system, then why should a clear 19-page ordinance be rescinded in favor of less stringent but more lengthy state and federal rules - or be broken up into harder-to-find and more complex local ordinances?"
"Anyone who has ever sat on a board knows that it is your lawful obligation to be objective and not even vote on any item which would be of benefit (or detriment) to you or your business. Nowhere does Mr. Piro [one of the 7 Planning Commissioners appointed by the Board], reveal that he owns a surveying company. It is clear, however, that although the RPO workshop still has another meeting to go at the Commission level, he is working to have it rescinded.
"Mr. Piro should (and must) abstain from taking part in any Commission decision on recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the RPO!" [emphasis in original]
Mr. Piro did not refrain or abstain. As a matter of fact, Mr. Piro was one of the most active Commissioners in asking questions and working on motions.
And the beat goes on. Please sign and/or circulate the
"Natural Heritage and Quality of Life" petition below. Remember
... the environment you save will be your own.
We, the undersigned residents and voters of San Diego County,
state that the unique topography, ecosystems and natural characteristics of our County are fragile, irreplaceable resources that are vital to the general welfare of all residents; and
That standards for development must be protected for the quality of life of current and future generations of San Diegans; and
We do hereby state our support for strong protections of our region's environmental standards and do affirm our support for the County of San Diego's "Resource Protection Ordinance" and regional habitat-planning efforts that are a critical part of the foundation upon which our region's health and economy are based.
X
Signature Print Name Phone Fax? email?
Address City Zip O Please call me, I might be interested in O volunteering O making a donation X
Signature Print Name Phone Fax? email?
Address City Zip O Please call me, I might be interested in O volunteering O making a donation X
Signature Print Name Phone Fax? email?
Address City Zip O Please call me, I might be interested in O volunteering O making a donation X
Signature Print Name Phone Fax? email?
Address City Zip O Please call me, I might be interested in O volunteering O making a donation X
Signature Print Name Phone Fax? email?
Address City Zip O Please call me, I might be interested in O volunteering O making a donation Return petitions by April 26th to:
Earth Media
PO Box 99179
San Diego CA 92169
Questions? Call (619)272-0347
