Leave Urban Sprawl to Voter Approval
Measure A will help efforts to permanently protect wildlife corridors in North San Diego County by allowing the public to weigh in on developments inconsistent with the approved County General Plan. The County General Plan was updated after extensive public outreach including over a decade of public review. Sadly, almost immediately after approval by the Board of Supervisors, sprawl-inducing projects, inconsistent with the approved plan, were proposed by developers unhappy with the result of the community-supportive update effort. The Escondido Creek Conservancy has endorsed Measure A, the Save our San Diego Countryside measure on the March ballot, to honor the hard and cooperative work of residents and taxpayers that developed our current General Plan, which balances the need for more housing with environmental protection. The Save Our San Diego Countryside measure would put urban sprawl developments inconsistent with the general plan to a vote of the people. Any development consistent with the plan could be processed without a public vote.
If approved, San Diego County residents would get a say in if sprawl-inducing housing is built in the unincorporated county, including fire-prone areas. San Diego County’s General Plan currently concentrates new housing in areas where roads, schools, and other public services are already available. Not only are these areas easier to defend from wildfire, but they don’t require the additional infrastructure needed to add power lines, widen roads, or build fire stations. At present, only three votes from the Board of Supervisors can amend the General Plan and allow urban sprawl to put communities and wildlife at risk. Measure A gives voters an opportunity to say “no” to inappropriate developments in fire-prone areas by rejecting unwise projects.
San Diego County’s General Plan allows for the construction of 60,000 new housing units with a broad range of affordability, including apartments and condos, townhouses, and single-family homes. These homes can be built now without any changes to the General Plan or public votes. The Measure also encourages low-income housing as it is exempt from the initiative. Since housing in areas close to roads and other infrastructure is not as costly, housing would also be more affordable to build. So don’t forget to head to the ballot box on March 6, 2020 and vote Yes on A!
If you’re interested in receiving a yard sign, please click here, and don’t forget to join the fundraiser concert featuring the Spin Doctors on February 16th at 6:00 pm.
