Shame on the Planning Group

I was one of several hundred people who attended the Fallbrook Planning Group’s May 2 meeting to discuss the proposed county plans for Campus Park at the intersection of I-15 and Hwy 76. The overwhelming majority of people in the audience were opposed to the upzoning of the property to accommodate the wishes of developers at the expense of our community. The public spoke openly, plainly and passionately about their love for Fallbrook and desire to maintain the lifestyle we are privileged to have in our community.

After hours of comment and imploring by the members of public, the members of the Planning Group disregarded the explicit instructions of the people who elected them and passed a motion which will more than double the number of dwelling units in the area.

There are three issues involved here: 1) the awful impact on our community of this type of development, 2) the lack of adequate time for review of the committee’s recommendation by the members of the Planning Group (they received the recommendation at the beginning of the meeting and approved it hours later, with very little discussion among the group) and 3) the slap in the face delivered to the electorate by the committee members and Planning Group members when they passed the motion vehemently opposed by the community.

Hours of public comment discussed the negative impacts of this type of density, including traffic and infrastructure issues, the impact on the quality of life we enjoy and the lack of benefits of the development for the Fallbrook community. I am sure the paper will discuss some of them, and the Fallbrook Fair Plan group details the issues.

The way this proposal has been handled is a prime example of back room politics: a small group received the county proposal and, in their desire to play with the big boys (the County Board of Supervisors), made some slight changes, drafted a motion and pushed it through at the last minute, refusing to acknowledge their community’s wishes by modifying the language to reduce the number of dwelling units. Only one option was given, and inadequate handouts were available for the public. In spite of pleas by one member of the Planning Group to be given adequate time to study the proposal, a vote was taken on the motion on the table. Several attempts to reduce the number of units were defeated by the influence of the committee members. In spite of the public’s opinion, the lack of alternatives and the lack of time to really understand the implications of what they were voting on, the motion was passed as originally proposed. Only one Planning Group member had the guts to vote against the motion. It was a sad day for Fallbrook.

Is it any wonder people don’t vote? When you take the time to make a stand, to research issues, educate yourself on the matters at hand, attend public meetings and see a clear majority of the community opposing a measure, it is devastating to see the people you’ve elected to represent you just ignore you. It’s as if they think you’re just too stupid to get it and should be disregarded. No wonder there is so much cynicism about our public officials!

I am embarrassed by the Planning Group’s actions. They need to represent the people who elected them so other groups don’t need to be formed to truly represent the needs and desires of our community. In the meantime, I’ll support the Fair Plan group (www.fallbrookfairplan.com), which does represent what our community wants.

Instead of a strong united front of the Planning Group and the community, Fallbrook’s input to the Board of Supervisors will be divisive and will undermine what is good essential for the continuation of “The Friendly Village.”

The Planning Group should hang their heads in shame.