The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About12/15/2004 - STAFF REPORTS Dec-15-2004 04:38pm From-i1SA Consultin¢ Inc 760 3237893 T-866 P 001/003 F-915 ID'PLANNING 11 CIVI1.ENG1N rmm■LAND SOR96YMC FACSIMILE 'TRANSMITTAL SHEET TO; FROM: Martha Edgtnon Marvin Roos COMPANY: DATE: CITY OF PALM SPIUNGS 12/15/04 FAX NUM➢fh TOTAL NO.OF PAGP.S INCLUDING COVER, 760-323-8207 3 PHONE NUMBER; MSA PROM aCT NUM73P.R: 760-323-8202 IU'. PROJECT REFL'RENC& Letter to hillside iniative ❑ URGENT ❑ FOR RLV IEW PLEASF.COMMENT ❑ PLEASE REPLY ❑ AS REQUESTED NO TES/COMMENTS: Martha: Please provide a copy to each of the city council members for tonight's meeting. I cannot be the,xe but I Will try to have the letter read into the record by Ernie Vincent. Thanks. Marvin cc: PLLs75"L•'C41J(7(n)330-9FI17MMEDIATSLYIPYOU DO NOT lUHCF1 VF_Al-f,PAGES. 77-U4NK YOU, 77-!IS FACSIMILE DOCUML•'Nl' A/AY CONTAIN WFOR1iLITION 72-1AT IS PRfV1L.FGrD, CONI.7DEN77AI AND F>c:AU j' i-ROM DISCLOSURE UNDEILA7'1'I1(-1X3i I-I W,AND IS INTENDED ONLYI LDR 7HF[{rF OF 7T-!F_INUIVIDU 7L OR EN'17JYNAMI'D AAO VE, 7FTFIE IU�IDER 01 '17HS ALCISAGLE IS NOT TFIF,IN FNDL-"D 1tiCIP1L'Nl',YOUARr HHRFAY NO77FIrD TIIA7'II NY DJSSLM1NAVON, DIJ'=UTION,ORQMYLNGOFTI--ILf COMMUA7CA770NISnWC1LYPROHMr F-p, IFYOUHFlVLRL•CGIVEM'12f1SC.OMMUNICfITION 1N ERROR,PLGItE NOm-Y US lMMrDlA7rLY 6Y7T-LL'PHONE,AND RETURN TTiF ORIGINAY_MPSS/ICE'• TO USA-!'TI LT_ADDRFSS AEIAIVVLITTIEUNl1LUSIA7=PO.STAI-SRRTITCF 77-I�INKYOU. 34200 Boi3 HOPE DRtvr ■ RANCHO MIRAGE ■ CALIFORNIA ■ 92270 760,320-9811 ■ 760.323-7893 fax IN www.MSACONSLIL.1'INGINC.COM r Dec-15-2004 04:38pm From-MSA Consultin¢ Inc 760 3237893 T-806 P.002/003 F-915 Wednesday, December 15, 2004 Mayor Ronald Oden City Council CITY OF PALM SPRINGS 3200 Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm Springs, California 92262 Re: Hillside Initiative Dear Mayor and Council Members: I may be biased, but it should be obvious to all that the land use planning process in Palm Springs has been working quite nicely for the past 66 years. The process that takes the input from our citizens, the property owners and the business community and filters that feedback through the Planning Commission and City Council in public hearings to determine how the town will grow---works! The hillside initiative doesn't work! It doesn't invite a wide range of opinions from the community. It doesn't hone in on issues and opportunities- Its proponents used scare tactics and misinformation to convince people to sign their petitions. If any of the initiative pushers had read the adopted General Plan, they would have discovered how the hillsides were already protected. If the initiative passes, some property owners will be seriously hurt financially, while others, including many proponents who live or own single family lots on the fan, will benefit significantly. The steep hillsides of Palm Springs have been highly protected since 1973 when the General Plan was updated. In addition to the adoption of the 0-20 hillside zoning, the city also adopted both an Open Space Element and a Conservation Element to the General Plan. The city then set forth on a campaign to purchase or otherwise protect properties that were felt to be critical to the open space needs of the city. The City Council created P.O.S.T. (Parks, Open Space and Trails) to work on this effort. The issue of open space, conservation and land use were revisited by the community again in the 1993 update of the General Plan and will be revisited again with the update that has begun and should take another 18 months to complete. Did the issue of development of the Chino Cone as well as the other areas slated by the hillside initiative for non-development come up? Of course! These areas were carefully reviewed and were left much as they had been planned since 1967. Did the Commission and Council ignore an outcry from citizens about the development of these areas? The answer is a resounding "NOI" Dac-15-2004 04:39pm From-81SA Consulting Inc 760 3287893 T-866 P.003/003 F-915 The areas in question in the initiative are much like many other areas in Palm springs and other surrounding communities that have been developed with highly agreeable results. In most cases, these areas have become the highest quality single-family districts in the community due to views afforded as well as a higher cost of development and lower densities. The development of these areas has been anticipated in the infrastructure plans of the community from flood control to streets and sewer plans. If these areas are not allowed to develop, then all of the infrastructure plans will have to be changed. The City Council must come forth with all the wisdom and leadership it can muster to oppose this poorly written and ill conceived initiative—pure and simple it is a grand theft of property rights of individuals who have participated in and relied on the General Plan. Additionally, the initiative would rob the community of a long anticipated future resource—high end homes and residents to help in the city's budget crunch I repeat—the planning process works! With all the growth and change that has occurred in Palm Springs, people arrive every day and declare to the world that they have found paradise—not the mythical paradise of some bygone era but the now paradise of 2004. Yes things have changed and let's hope that they continue to change. But please—the whining that we're becoming the San Fernando Valley or Orange County??? Just take an inventory of vacant land in the city; there isn't much left to develop. We need to make those few vacant areas that are left to complete the best vision that our planning process can yield. Realize that Palm Springs is surrounded by permanent, public open space that we all share—hundreds of thousands of acres of National Monument, National and State forest lands, a National Park, wildlife preserves and the like that will never change and will always dominate the scene. We can never suffer from the carpet of urbanization that no one wants because we have a natural urban limit line already firmly in place. Check it out folks! Get a copy of the current General Plan and read it. Make your suggestions to the General Plan Advisory Committee and City Council. Don't vote to steal someone's property. Vote for our future. Very truly yours, �5 Marvin Roos 1135 El Alameda Former Palm Springs Planning Director (1978 to 1991) p.s. Since it keeps coming up, the entry sign near Tram Way is not historicl It was designed and constructed in the mid 1980's along with two other entry signs by myself and Matthew Sumich. The new sign replaced a dysfunctional William Cody sign/fountain and also added the service club signs.