CarolynChase
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The Carmel Valley battle for square footage
First, it is completely unbelievable that the City Council and the City Attorney were unaware that a project is pending. The Del Mar Highlands expansion was discussed in a local paper on April 10th, well ahead of the council’s April 22nd vote. Also, I know from a neighbor that he signed a letter objecting to the easement, noting its nexus to the project, that was delivered to city officials on April 21st. Even without an official submission from an applicant, our representatives had enough information to – at the very least! – insist on a continuance of the agenda item with a direction to staff to investigate. Most important to me, however, is that the easement’s disconnected approval means we residents are denied environmental protections. These are some of our most important tools for ensuring that big developers can’t harm our quality of life. We should hold developers to the highest standards for protecting our precious and easily-harmed air, land, and water resources. I don’t appreciate slick tactics to get around CEQA. We should be embracing CEQA protections, not bypassing them. And, finally, the necessity for an exhaustive traffic review that should not be ignored. Why does the Highlands property owner get a pass? Traffic is crazy around here. We should insist on a thorough analysis. High-dollar lobbyists and easement givaways? This whole thing stinks. I hope the Del Mar Highlands expansion is stopped until they too must comply with environmental laws. I’m glad someone is trying to right this wrong. I don’t care who it is.— June 2, 2014 3:48 p.m.