Developers attempt East Bay land grab at the ballot box

Eastern Contra Costa County now appears to be home to a pack of wolves in sheep's clothing. Three developers have circulated petitions to put "urban growth boundaries" on ballots in Antioch, Brentwood, and Pittsburg, but instead of protecting farms and natural areas, the proposed boundaries are actually designed to open up thousands of acres of land to sprawl development.

The Roddy Growth Initiative in Antioch would put 700 new houses in the Roddy Ranch area in the foothills of Mount Diablo, loading the infamously congested Highway 4 with even more cars every day. In Brentwood, the Nunn family of developers is attempting to open up 1,700 acres to development - but not just any 1,700 acres: according to the Contra Costa Times the Nunns either own or have an interest in half of that land; they stand to profit hugely with this initiative. In Pittsburg, the initiative proposed by the Seeno family of developers would move 2,400 acres of currently protected open space out of protection; the Seenos own a quarter of that land.

What the developers won't tell voters is that if these measures pass there will be:

thousands of new houses, on top of thousands that have already been approved, but not yet built;

gridlock - more traffic and congestion on Highway 4, and more air pollution;

lowered property values - bad traffic, crowded schools, and too few local jobs mean lower property values;

destruction of natural lands and working farms and ranches around our cities - some projects are even proposed on scenic hills next to parks;

overcrowded schools - even the day new schools open.

The out-of-town developers who stand to make millions at the communities' expense are counting on one thing: voters being fooled by these crafty initiatives.

Antioch residents had been working on their own urban-growth-boundary initiative that would actually protect land and direct new growth into the existing city. This true citizen initiative will be on hold until after the fight to stop the developer-backed wolves-in-sheep's-clothing initiatives.

Local groups in each city are working with elected officials, including Assemblymember Joe Canciamilla, Supervisor Federal Glover, and Pittsburg Councilmember Michael Kee, as well as former Supervisor Donna Gerber, to respond to each of these development initiatives.

WhatYouCanDo

We need your help! To help protect Contra Costa County's farms and open space from the developer-sponsored sprawl initiatives, contact Chapter conservation director Mike Daley at (510) 848-0800, ext. 304 or email mike.daley-at-sierraclub.org