To the Encinitas City Council:
At a recent City Council meeting, the Encinitas City Council, against the overwhelming wishes of the residents of this neighborhood, followed the cowardly path and approved the high density Desert Rose development in Olivenhain. Shame on you!
As you well know, this development is totally inappropriate for this location. Your staff and the planning commission agree. It will cause environmental damage, increase traffic, endanger residents and reduce property values. All of these things have been clearly evident for years. In spite of this, the developers have pushed and pushed, trying to maximize the return on their misguided investment in this property. When the project failed to win approval based on its merits, the developers played the fear card and threatened the city with lawsuits. Forgetting who you work for, you caved to the pressure and approved this dreadful project. Shame on you again!
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Virtually every current Council Member’s election campaign has featured promises to fight against the big money special interests while protecting the character of our communities. Obviously, those were empty promises, simply used to obtain a political objective. Your spineless action has enabled the developers purchase their victory. You and your cohorts on the Council, by approving this project, have betrayed your constituents and displayed your true colors.
The bell has been rung. It cannot be un-rung, at least not by the Encinitas City Council. The community may rise up and continue to fight this travesty but you and your cronies have cemented your place in history. From here on out, the residents of my community will regard you as what you are, useless and irrelevant.
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Based on your actions regarding this issue, I can tell you that your betrayal will be remembered for a very long time in my community. During this time period, there will be several local elections. You do the math. I would not count on much support from the community of Olivenhain should you think about running for another term.
Bob Van Epps
