Yes vote does not equal 900 homes

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Ever since the Clover Valley Lakes development was approved by the city council at the end of August, I have had calls, mail and people in front of stores telling me that if I sign the referendum petition, I am forcing the developers to go back to building the larger number of 900-plus homes instead of the "sensitive" 500-plus homes. This makes no sense.

First, that earlier plan of 900 homes did not meet the EIR requirement then and cannot be resurrected without starting again from the beginning. Since the original project, new discoveries of burial sites and historic artifacts have been uncovered making it impossible to go back to that original number of homes.

Second, it seems odd to me that if it were possible to go back to the larger number of homes, why wouldn't the owners, who stand to make millions, just let it happen? Why are they fighting so hard to stop the citizens of Rocklin from voting on this project? Maybe they know that the public doesn't want this development and that if the vote is "No," they can't automatically go back to those 900-plus homes.

Howard Knapp,

Rocklin

Scare tactics, propaganda won't work in Rocklin

Thursday, September 27, 2007

The people of Rocklin have spoken. The Clover Valley Project will go to a referendum.

I signed the petition. Then I received mailings from the Clover Valley Partners, scare tactics and propaganda to get me to remove my name from the petition. It was truly shameful, embarrassing, and insulting.

But just because it's going to a referendum, it ain't over yet. The partners will now throw more money at the citizens of Rocklin than anyone can imagine, to convince the people to "OK" the project.

They are ruthless, rich and heartless and don't care about the environment. We must stand up to them, defeat big money and greed and preserve Clover Valley for future generations.

Jack Schwab

Lincoln

Something doesn’t add up with latest offer

Thursday, September 13, 2007

In the ongoing debate over saving Clover Valley, I've studied the arguments put forth by the pro-development side.

There is something that doesn't make sense.

They say that the landowners have drastically reduced the number of homes to be built from 952 homes to 558 - an almost 400-home reduction. The plan is to build upscale homes at an average cost of about $1 million each.

That's about a $400 million reduction in sales that they are more than willing to walk away from, just because they decided to "listen to the community."

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that developers would walk away from that much business due to "community feedback."

Yes the community is very concerned about this development and the enormous increase in traffic it will bring, the thousands of oak trees that will be chopped down, the ancient Indian sites that will be paved over, and the lost opportunity for a one-of-a-kind park for all of us to enjoy.

Is it more likely that the reason the plan was reduced was because the original development plan of 952 homes is no longer feasible as per the Environmental Impact laws and other city needs?

The pro-development side keeps threatening Rocklin citizens that the current referendum going around to let the voters decide on the fate of Clover Valley would cause the "reduced plan" to go back to the original plan of nearly 400 more homes.

Considering that these developers have repeatedly made it clear that they want to maximize their profits, wouldn't they want the referendum to go through? Something smells fishy with their argument.

Lisa Loebs

Rocklin

Bad product being heavily sugar coated

Thursday, September 20, 2007

In addition to the threat of development destruction, the tragedy of Clover Valley is epitomized with misleading information being perpetrated by the developer and gullibility of some citizens.

The developers did not "listen" to the public and voluntarily reduce the project to 558 units any more than a criminal "listens" to a judge when sentenced to prison.

They were FORCED to reduce the proposal to what is still an unacceptable project (after their unsuccessful attempt to have 933 units approved in 2002).

The developers also claim to benevolently have increased open space.

What do they think happens to land when a project's footprint is reduced?

The current Clover Valley proposal still bulldozes half the 622 acres, removes 7,400 mature oaks, builds a cross valley highway to add 14,000 cars to Park Drive, expands a sewer line to accommodate 1,000 more homes and destroys the integrity and connectivity of a rare Archaeo-logical District that is eligible for National Registry.

Bottom line: It's a bad project being heavily sugar coated. As a citizen, I am insulted that developers think we are so gullible that we will swallow their spins.

Let's hope the electorate has the intelligence to see through the nonsense.

Mike Finch,

Loomis

Didn't like the plan then ... or now

Thursday, September 20, 2007

I find it very interesting that the developers feel threatened enough to send fliers out advising people not to sign the referendum, advising people that they can have their names removed if they so choose.

They are advising that, (as the quote states) "This is over-zealous activism gone awry; even if they win, they lose." Well thank you for letting us know this.

But did you ever stop to wonder why it has taken 26 years to get this far?

Apparently the people of Rocklin didn't like it then and interestingly enough a good number don't like it now. When the dust has settled I hope that this city can maintain its charm because as fast as the buildings are going up, the merchants are not moving in. Furthermore, the public notice page for foreclosures has increased dramatically.

Let the democratic process that this country was based upon be used to express the will of the people.

Pam Kian,

Rocklin

Tactics promote fear, uncertainty, doubt

Thursday, September 20, 2007

In gathering signatures for the referendum concerning the City Council's vote on Clover Valley, volunteers are attempting to put the issue in front of Rocklin voters.

The developers are pleased with the City Council vote and are resisting attempts to put the issue to the voters. This is not "democracy run amock"; the referendum is a tool by which the people of Rocklin can affirm or reject the City Council's vote.

Telemarketing blitzes from paid out-of-state call centers, threat-filled mass mailings and outright intimidation of referendum volunteers and signers by paid insurgents, have been a part of their tactics to promote fear, uncertainty and doubt.

If the Clover Valley Part-ners really believe that the Rocklin City Council vote represents the wishes of its residents, why have they fought this referendum so aggressively with such fervor and money?

Unlike the developers, we are optimistic and believe the people of Rocklin are intelligent enough, interested and eager to vote on issues that so drastically affect the quality of the environment for generations to come.

Jack McInturff,

Rocklin

Educate public with truth, let them decide with vote

Friday, September 7, 2007

It's time to dispel just a few of the many half-truths surrounding the proposed Clover Valley development.

Claim: "The Development Agreement gave the developers a right to develop."

Page 1 of the Development Agree-ment, Ordinance 773, specifically states, "Developer acknowledges that the project approvals do not grant the right to develop a specific number of residential units." The developer still has to obtain federal and state permits, some of which could change the proposed project again.

Claim: "The city will have a new fire station."

First, the General Develop-ment Plan Amendment passed by the City Council states, "In the event it is later determined that a Fire Station facility is not necessary at this location, the specific area should be developed for another public use ..." So the so-called new fire station may never materialize. The second incorrect implication is that the developer is paying for the station - wrong! The developer is providing one acre and $1 million toward the construction (which may never occur). The millions of dollars required to build, equip, staff and maintain a fire station will be created by development but paid by taxpayers.

Claim: "A referendum would mean more homes and less open space."

If the developers could not obtain approval for 558 homes, how can they claim they will gain approvals for a larger development? The 558-unit development adds over 1,450 residents, brings traffic levels to even more intolerable levels (adds 14,000 cars to Park Drive with the new highway), takes out over 7,000 trees, destroys wildlife habitat, wetlands and jeopardizes the creek. Even the developers know they won't be able to obtain permits for an even worse proposal.

Once the public is educated with the truth, the only option is to let the voters decide. Marilyn Jasper,

Loomis


Developers hired outside help to block referendum

Thursday, September 13, 2007

A referendum is a Constitutional right. However, a well-financed effort is going over the edge to discourage, halt and thwart a legal, important Democratic process.

While the Save Clover Valley group is legally gathering signatures, the development side has hired outside blockers, threatened the Save Clover Valley people, and is now acting as if they are trying to save Clover Valley with bogus petitions, when in fact they are merely going along with development plans.

When the time comes to vote on whether to save or pave Clover Valley, remember these desperate, despicable, anti-democratic, pro-development dirty tricks and vote accordingly.

Katie Cather,

Loomis

Referendum opponents infiltrate, sabotage

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The people of Rocklin are opposed to the Clover Valley development. They're opposed to its traffic impacts.

People who live in Rocklin also want better air quality not worse, so they don't want more cars and they don't like oak trees removed. Remember the battle over the K-Mart oak? That was one tree.

The Clover Valley developer plans to add cars and remove 8,000 oak trees.

The referendum to stop the development is being sponsored by the people of Rocklin, en masse.

For the last year or so the developer, who lives out of state, has been attempting to reshape the perception of his project and the community wide effort to stop it.

Working the issue for the developer is a public relations firm, at least two law firms, and a few talking heads who sell their local credibility by the hour.

With the advent of the referendum, he's engaged an outfit whose sole purpose is to infiltrate and sabotage our communities referendum effort by means that include physically blocking petition signers, harassing signature gatherers, complaining to store managers about petition gatherers, personal legal intimidation, false or frivolous police reports, distributing signature rescind cards with misleading information, hiring out of town people to stand in front of stores specifically to confuse citizens and cause them to become frustrated with the issue.

All of this and more has been unleashed on our community these past two weeks. What is next boys?

Dave Bennett,

Rocklin

Letters: Rally to save Clover Valley

Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, September 27, 2007
Story appeared in SOUTH PLACER ROSEVILLE section, Page H6

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Anyone who thinks the struggle to save Clover Valley is just a Rocklin issue needs to wake up and smell the stucco.

Mindless, marauding development is paving over our communities, open spaces and rural areas -- degrading the quality of our lives along the way with bad air, clogged roads and blight as far as the eye can see.

This unfolding mess will be our region's sorry legacy to those who follow us if we don't act now to curb it.

Even with all of its exceptional beauty, iconic American Indian history and varied wildlife, Rocklin's charismatic Clover Valley is threatened with the bulldozer.

This fact alone should be enough to jolt every other Placer County community out of environmental complacency, because what threatens even Clover Valley knows no bounds.

Those of us who live beyond the borders of Rocklin need to step up, pitch in and help save this lovely place. Not just because Clover Valley is priceless and deserves to be saved, but because the next community confronted with the mindless mass destruction of precious open space might be our own.

-- Carol Gage Newcastle