New Farm Notice to CCC Board of Supervisors

Board of Supervisors
Contra Costa County
c/o John Oborne
Department of Conservation and Development
651 Pine Street, 4th Floor, North Wing
Martinez, CA 94553-1290

Re: New Farm Application

Dear Supervisors:

I am writing as a resident of San Ramon to personally express my opposition to the proposed New Farm Development in the Tassajara Valley. I was first introduced to the New Farm project during my tenure on the San Ramon Planning Commission and became further informed on the project as one of the Co-Chairs of the successful “No on Measure W” campaign in San Ramon.

I find it outrageous that no one on San Ramon’s City Council has yet to come out to express an opinion on this subject much less oppose it. While the city leaders have not commented, the voters spoke as recently as last November on this subject. They made it abundantly clear, by an overwhelming 72% majority, that they are opposed to any expansion or weakening of the Urban Limit Line in San Ramon.

New Farm is a blatantly illegal attempt to destroy voter-approved Urban Limit Lines in Contra Costa County and flies in the face of reasonable growth management policies that have been a hallmark of our county for 20 years.

It is an illegal application that attempts to thinly disguise a Major subdivision and claim it is something else by merely calling it something else. It is growth inducing by bringing urban sewer and water to an area currently, and appropriately, dependent on wells for water and septic systems for sewage. If you bring Urban Services to an area, it is an Urban Area. That seems pretty simple to the average voter. These urban services would no doubt be used by the developers as a major selling point for this sub-division.

New Farm would set a very bad precedent in regards to weakening or even destroying voter-approved Urban Limit Lines. The developers are essentially thumbing their nose at the concept. Their cynical contorting of the zoning regulations in an effort to bring urban services to a rural area is at best devious logic.

This project would accelerate land speculation and put further pressure on what is considered by the county itself to be some of the most important agricultural lands in the area. It is incompatible and inconsistent with local and county general plans and puts significant pressure on wildlife corridors that connect San Ramon’s open space with rural and open space further to the east. It clearly violates Measure C, J and L.

We did not approve, at great time and effort, Urban Limit Lines to then have developers turn around and act as if they don’t exist. Please take your obligation to follow the will of the voters seriously and dismiss this project for what it is; a major urban sub-division outside of the Urban Limit Line. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,


Phil O’Loane