Homes, Preservation

Homes, preservation

Re “The hills are alive with debate on development:” In the third paragraph, the article stated: “To developers the more than 480 acres of hillside land is an opportunity to build large houses for the affluent with a view that stretches across the valley.”

In March, 2008, everyone in the city of Montebello received a publication from Cook Hill Properties, LLC entitled, “Planning the Vision.” This vision specifically stated that the current General Plan allows for the development of nearly 4,000 homes on 487 acres. The Specific Plan proposes 1,200 new homes on 172 acres. Thus, it stated it would preserve more than two-thirds of the site (approximately 315 acres).

The Specific Plan also mentions the inclusion of a mix of neighborhoods, home types and amenities to create a substantial community plan. It does not mention “large homes for the affluent” as the article also stated in paragraph 3.

Due to the fact that I feel this Specific Plan proposed by Cook Hill Properties, LLC, on the land owned by Plains Exploration & Production Company is a new innovation that far exceeds the benefits that the city of Montebello will derive from this Specific Plan, in that it will bring the much needed revenue in the years to come by property taxes $7 million per year; sales tax revenue could reach $2.3 million per year; and oil related revenue that is currently received in the amount of $750,000 and $900,000 per year under a volunteer agreement with the city of Montebello.

Jacqueline Carr

Montebello

Synchronize lights

Save gas you say? I’m no expert but wouldn’t it be number one and sensible to synchronize traffic lights so that you don’t have to make many stops? I travel Azusa Avenue from Colima Road to the San Bernardino (10) Freeway three to four times a week and invariably have to make a stop on almost all traffic lights along the way.

Now isn’t that using a lot of gas each and every time you make a full stop at the lights?

Which brings me to the next question: What I can’t understand is why you get a ticket if you don’t make a full stop at a stop sign. Wouldn’t it save gas if you made a rolling stop? Give us some credit – the idiot that deosn’t look before he makes a rolling stop won’t make a full stop either.

Teri Mancini

Rowland Heights

Keep clothing optional

Kudos for the Naturalist Action Committee and the Orange County Superior Court. They overruled San Onofre State Parks Superintendent Ken Kramer’s edict to ban nude sunbathing at a small section of San Onofre State Beach.

I have personally faxed 620 signatures to California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman objecting to Kramer’s policy change without consulting the public attending the beach. This section of the beach has been clothing optional for over 30 years, and a majority of the public agrees that it should simply be left alone!

Money is another issue that was not addressed in court. The parks system will loose millions if the public stops attending trail six. Kramer says that he has 2.5 million visitors to “his” park. Counting vehicles day after day I have found that over half of them, or 625,000, are going to trail six. The park charges $10 a car and much more for RVs, and Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing closing state parks and cutting the budget. It seems that Superintendent Kramer could care less about his income loss.

Almost all the people I have discussed this with do not have issues with a small section of the beach being clothing optional. All they ask is that the rangers post a sign. The rangers refuse to do this. Are they trying to create problems?

Roy Wilks

Diamond Bar

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