The General Plan is Santee’s highest land use law. It is the constitution of land use for the city, setting zoning, and planned development guidelines. It has been ignored too often by developers that buy land on speculation so that they can convince their favorite politicians to exempt them from zoning requirements to create windfall profits at public expense. The unplanned impact on public infrastructure results in increasing traffic gridlock and hazards from wildfire and flooding.

 

Understanding that developers control the City Council and the terms of these politicians are currently unlimited, citizens, with the support of councilmember Stephen Houlahan (who is the only member unwilling to accept developer contributions) circulated petitions for the Save Santee Initiatives to provide residents with a check and balance system.

 

Volunteers gathered over 8,000 signatures to place these measures on the 2018 ballot. On August 8, 2018, the City Council used a “report” loophole to suppress your voice and push the Initiative to the 2020 ballot without even questioning the cost of this developer-friendly “report.” 

 

Two weeks after voting for a report, on August 22, 2018, the City Council voted to pay $40,000 of taxpayer funds for an industry crony ”report” to thwart the democratic process.

 

Hence, Santee voters have a delayed opportunity in the 2020 election to stop the corruption that would evade general plan law and balance development with public impacts consistent with the Santee General Plan.

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Two speculative development projects requiring amendment of the General Plan have become front and center examples of why Santee residents must establish checks and balances on the developer-friendly City Council:

 

• The massive Fanita Ranch project would more than double the allowable density and place over 8,000 residents in the path of wind-driven firestorms.

• The Carlton Oaks golf course would increase density and place new residents in the river floodplain. Taxpayers would be left holding the tab for the adverse impacts of these projects that are not in compliance with the Santee General Plan.

 

If the Save Santee Initiatives are passed in 2020, voters would have the ability to vote on these types of projects which require General Plan Amendments (GPA).

 

Voting YES on N & Q would provide you the power to stop thousands of new vehicle trips from disrupting your commutes.

 

We urge you to vote YES on the N: Santee General Plan Protection and Q: Term Limits Initiatives. 

 

Together we can pass the Save Santee Initiatives and save Santee’s family-friendly small-town atmosphere and some of our spectacular open spaces that are home to endangered wildlife.

 

Van Collinsworth

Director, PreserveWildSantee.org

 

Stephen Houlahan

Santee City Councilmember