What occurred at the Tuesday night Redlands City Council meeting appeared to be an orchestrated charade led by Council member Paul Foster. This well scripted lampoon centered around back door deals with council members, staff, and Pat Meyer, the landowner’s representative who is the same representative that already compromised the view at Panorama Point with McMansion Suburban Blight that forever changed scenic Sunset Drive and Panorama Point. Paid staff played along omitting the original historical and scenic nomination report from the resolution document instead inappropriately inserting proposed development plans which altered the Historic and Scenic Resolution.
Angry council member Bob Gardner cited his manifesto called the “Gardner Doctrine” and dictated compromise. Gardner along with other council members appeared not to understand that they were supposed to be voting on the historic and scenic status of Panorama Point and Crystal Springs. Either something meets the municipal code criteria for historic and scenic or not. Compromise isn’t an appropriate response to the scenic and historic nomination resolution.
Redlands already compromised the view at Panorama Point years ago when they altered Sunset Drive and built the blighted McMansions next to the point.
What is there to compromise?
Compromise infers a resolution of a dispute. What was the dispute in this case? The issue was to determine if Crystal Springs and Panorama Point were historic and scenic. That is a matter of fact with a simple yes or no answer. Fact isn’t something to lends itself to compromise. The Historic and Scenic Preservation Commission, citizens and even the land owner agree on the fact of the historic and scenic nature of this property. The Supreme Court already clarified that preservation of historical property is a legitimate governmental objective and property owners are not entitled to the highest and best use of of their property (Penn Central Transportation Co v. City of New York, 438 U.S. 104(1978)).
Where were the out of town land owners?
The Crystal Springs land owners haven’t bothered to show their faces at one meeting regarding the historical and scenic property designation. Evidently the landowners don’t really have much vested or care about this property since the 67 acres were picked up at auction for $125,000 a few years back . Now the landowners and their representative are holding Redlands history and scenic views for ransom demanding over a million and a half for her return.
The Redlands citizens who rightfully own Panorama Point and her views sent correspondence and elegantly spoke about the historic and scenic properties, but in the end the citizens were ignored. Odd how the council seems to favor developing lots ruining Redlands history and a scenic view vista for someone who doesn’t even bother to show up and state his claim.
What’s the matter with Redlands?
On Tuesday night the 125 year old Redlands lost. The marvelous view from Panorama Point will be gone forever. The history of Crystal Springs rooted in the Native Americans, a natural spring, gold mines, Chicago Colony homesteader George Heron, the first water bottling company, first stage coach road between Redlands and Yucaipa, the wildlife corridor and more will be lost.
It may have taken 125 years to build Redlands but it is quickly being destroyed by ego driven leadership and their cronies.
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?
