From the archives of
New site logo

CLICK HERE TO RETURN
TO THE HOME PAGE

::: COMMUNITY NEWS

Development opponents to begin circulating new petition

• Pop-up window: Click here for a four-year archive of development coverage -- news, maps, photos and more

Published Wednesday, April 14, 2004

The Rancho Murieta Development Concerned Citizens Committee, which has fought build-out plans for Rancho Murieta almost since they were announced in 2000, has begun a petition drive for a new master development plan for the community. Starting Thursday, members of the group will solicit signatures at the Plaza.

Candy Chand, who authored the petition in cooperation with four other RMDCCC members, said the effort was spurred by the open space document the group located last year in the final version of the 1973 environmental impact report for the 1974 community master plan.

The RMDCCC contends that the document pledges 1,806 acres of open space for the community and this allotment was not addressed or rescinded by a later community master plan approved by the County Board of Supervisors in 1984.

Murieta Holdings developers Gerry N. Kamilos and Robert J. Cassano have based their development proposal for about 1,100 homes in Murieta North on the master plan approved by the county in 1984, which Kamilos has described as the basis for 80 percent of the existing development in Rancho Murieta.

The petition drive has several goals, according to Chand. "If we got what we wanted, and I don't know that we will, but if we did, that would stop the development proceedings until the master plan was created, whether that was two years, three years or five years," she said Tuesday.

According to the petition, what the RMDCCC seeks in a new master plan is documentation of the 1,806 acres of open space from the 1973 EIR; a requirement for "natural open space/wildlife sanctuary (not including golf, parks, and lakes)"; annexation of all development behind the gates; a new cap on the number of dwelling units approved for the community; detailed soil reports, and a cultural/historic land management program to protect sites of archeological significance. (See petition and cover letter here.)

The cover letter adds another goal -- preserving Lake Clementia as a swimming lake. Current Community Services District plans call for swimming to end at the lake when the number of dwelling units reaches 3,500. At that time, the lake will revert to being a source of drinking water for the community.

Chand described a new master plan as "the only way to clarify things, to make it just, hopefully, for both sides."

She said the RMDCCC would like to take the petition to the county when the map for Lakeview, a subdivision on the South, goes before the Planning Commission for approval. "We want to go before the Planning Commission and ask them when they review Lakeview to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that they create a new master plan." The Lakeview map was originally approved in the 1990s, but has expired.

Chand said the petition will definitely be given to county Supervisor Don Nottoli,"because he's my hero."

In her comments at community meetings and in letters to RanchoMurieta.com, Chand frequently refers to relationships the RMDCCC has developed with Nottoli and other county personnel on behalf of the overall community. The RMDCCC directed its efforts at the county after the RMA board refused to abandon negotiations for the Mutual Benefit Agreement, which the RMDCCC opposes.

Last year, the Rancho Murieta Association and the Pension Trust Fund of the Operating Engineers, owners of the North property to be developed, signed the MBA. Under the terms of the agreement, the number of homes to be constructed on the North is reduced by about 50 percent, for a 20 percent overall reduction in the community's density.

Bypassing the RMA board, the RMDCCC presented an earlier petition objecting to development plans on the North to the county after the board failed to regard the petition as a mandate from the community to stop negotiating the MBA. That petition, which began circulating in 2002, cited "tract housing" and "proposed density" as reasons to oppose the development plans. Some board members characterized the petition as vague and lacking a call to action. It reportedly netted 1,400 signatures. (See petition here.)

"We know more now," said Chand about the differences between the two petitions. In the earlier petition, "We were asking for open space … and the overall density was important. … Now that we know about the open space, we're asking for a whole lot more, obviously. The other thing is because people at the county have indicated that the best way to fix this is with a new master plan, that's why this one is so specific to the new master plan."

Rob Burness, senior planner for the county, said in a recent interview that the planning department did not have a position at this time as to whether there should be an overhaul of the Rancho Murieta master plan.

"I'm in the process of trying to evaluate the historical context of Rancho Murieta development and how the master plan and the concept of the community has changed over time, and at what point it changed over time," he said.
His goal was to make that "perspective available to both the residents of Rancho Murieta as well as the (planning) commission and the board when we get into hearings. At this point, I have not progressed to the point where I can comment on that.

"As a planner and as a department that is responsible for advising the board, we have to deal in objective analysis and facts. And that's what we'll focus on."

The cover letter and petition

Preserve Murieta
Support "Controlled" Development

Murieta needs a complete review and new master plan. Help us urge the county to preserve our community.

  • To protect 1,806 acres of wildlife sanctuary/open space as in the 1973 Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR)
  • To Preserve Clementia as a swim lake
  • To require that all new development, within our gates, are annexed into one master association (RMA) and abide by our existing governing documents, including CCR's
  • To limit dwelling unit build-out numbers, within the entire Planned Unit Development (PUD), which will benefit our wildlife, save thousands of oaks from destruction, and keep traffic jams down to a minimum.

Please sign, and have your neighbors sign, the following petition.

Then, return the petition within 3 days to:
Candy Chand 14620 Guadalupe Drive
Or, Kevin Williams 15008 Lago Drive
For pick up call: 354-0832, 354-0348
To e-mail: PatCan85@aol.com or Kwilliams@ranchomurieta.org

Thank you,
RMDCCC
(Rancho Murieta Development Concerned Citizen's Committee)

Together, we can preserve Murieta.

Rancho Murieta Controlled Development Petition

Despite the signing of the Mutual Benefit Agreement by our RMA board, we, the undersigned, ask the Sacramento Board of Supervisors to halt development proceedings, within Murieta until a complete review and new master plan is created for our entire Planned Unit Development, which addresses the following:

  • A new master plan which clearly requires natural open space/wildlife sanctuary (not including golf, parks, and lakes) and addresses the 1,806 acres of open space as documented in the 1973 FEIR (Final Environmental Impact Report)
  • A new master plan which requires annexation of all homes, proposed within the North and South gates, into one master association (RMA) which, in turn, guarantees developers must abide by our existing governing documents.
  • A new master plan which requires detailed unique soil/topography engineering reports are acquired and abided by
  • A new master plan which caps the maximum unit/rooftops within our entire Planned Unit Development, in accordance with open space numbers
  • A new master plan which provides a cultural/historic resource land management program utilizing large-scale open space protective buffers.

© RanchoMurieta.com