Oh the Irony! Looking Back At Measure S

Last week news hit that Save Our Creek’s attorney had discovered that the Town of Danville is planning to deny Danville residents their legal right to vote, through Measure S, on the SummerHill Homes development project.

So I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at who, on the Danville Town Council, originally supported the Measure S amendment of the 2010 Danville General Plan – as well as what they had to say at the time they were trying to solicit resident support to get Measure S approved.

The following exact quotes are lifted from Measure S ballot information. And the council members who endorsed the initiative were Newell Arnerich and Mike Doyle. Back in 2000, these two gentlemen actually bragged about how much land was dedicated to and preserved for agricultural use in the 2010 General Plan. Moreover they explicitly promised that Measure S affirmed and protected agricultural land – giving voters the right to approve any change in that use.

So, to Mr. Arnerich and Mr. Doyle, I ask: where are you now? Wasn’t Measure S your baby? What has changed and why aren’t you following through to ensure that the very voter rights you fought so hard to secure are upheld with regard to the SummerHill Homes project?

• “The voters of Danville deserve the opportunity to choose a measure that will protect what we all came to this Town to find, and will do what it claims it will do.”

• “The open spaces surrounding Danville define our small town character and enhance our outstanding quality of life. Preservation of open space has been a major goal since Danville's incorporation in 1982.”

• “Measure S supports the General Plan's definition of Danville as an essentially built out community. Measure S offers Danville residents a deciding voice in any proposed change to areas not planned for development. Danville voters would have to approve any change in use on Open Space, Agricultural, or Parks and Recreation land.”

• “Measure S, ’The Danville Open Space Preservation Initiative’, is an affirmation of the vision embodied by our new General Plan.”

• “Measure S will enhance safeguards for the protection of open space and agricultural lands within our Town. The Measure ensures that any change in these areas would have to be supported by the community.”

• “Measure S preserves Danville's future by requiring voter approval to change any of those designations.”

• “This General Plan designates 4000 acres - 40 percent of Danville - as Open Space, Agriculture, or Parks and Recreation, which represents almost all of the undeveloped land within Danville.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I wonder how much of the 4,000 acres is still undeveloped now.