The Board of Supervisors complied with part of the Judge’s order: rescinding all the approvals and entitlements of the Esperanza Hills project.
After a long discussion amongst the Board members. The Board was considering holding Cielo Vista’s approvals hostage so that they could force Cielo Vista to sell an easement to Esperanza Hills! Supervisor Nelson pointed out that government had no business forcing private party agreements.
In the end, it came down to Third District Supervisor Todd Spitzer reaffirming his opposition to dumping all of the Esperanza Hills’ traffic onto Stonehaven. His remedy was to send the project back to the Planning Commission for further consideration That is what they did.
This means the project will go back to the Planning Commission for:
- Additional study of the Bridge to Stonehaven vs. the zigzag route up to Stonehaven,
- A secondary daily access (across Cielo Vista) to Aspen Way, and
- Possibly a reduction in the number of units.
We want to give a shout out to all the red shirts that joined us! We know how hard it is to take time off! Thank you to all the speech readers (actual and volunteers!) and public commenters–we appreciate you! Thanks to Paulette Byrne for coordinating all of it to–great job! And, thank you to the Kannes (Diane and Bob) for their excellent work on the Greenhouse Gas section, and especially their son Sean for building a 1:150 scale model of the Bridge to Stonehaven versus the arch culvert. The models were revealed at the meeting and were AMAZING!
What next?
- Please call Supervisor Spitzer and thank him for not approving the project (Option 1 Modified) and for recognizing the need for two daily access points (diffusing traffic impacts and increasing evacuation routes). His number is 714-834-3330. Please make your call as soon as possible.
- We need to layout the next game plan for the project and understand all the implications of today’s decision. We also need to see how this fits into the existing lawsuit and our appeal.
- We also need to understand what implications there might be now that the new City Council will be in place December 20th. Based on comments today, it appears the City could have some leverage.
In other news, Cielo Vista was approved unanimously for its project (capped by our settlement at 80 units). There are still other steps for that project (a Vesting Map and Specific Plan need to be created then adopted). Based on the comments from Supervisor Spitzer the deal points of our settlement agreement were solid and reasonable. This was very positive for us.
As you know, this has already been a long and costly battle and our next steps entirely depend on how well the coffers are funded. Please consider an end of the year donation to oppose Esperanza Hills. We have not yet reached our goal. It is tax-deductible.
In the meantime, we can “call a time out” for the holidays and pick back up after January 1st. Sending all of you warm wishes for a wonderful season of joy, hope, and good health.