City of C-Bad Open Space Meeting Delayed
FlightLine Users;
The City of Carlsbad hearing on the report of the Citizen’s Committee on Open Space has been delayed again. It will not be on March 6th.
It might be on March 13th- but even this is still tentative.
Why the delay? We have been told that landowners who are not happy that their land is on the list are lobbying the Mayor and Council. Will what was supposed to be an objective priority list of open space and trails based on merit become a political football? Will the big developers like McMIllin have more weight with the Mayor and City Council than the residents of Carlsbad?
Is there any reason a landowner should object to their land being on the priority list? Being on the priority list would simply mean that if a landowner wanted to sell his land, the city might be a buyer. Seems to me it would be a good thing to know that at any time you wanted to sell there is at least one buyer for your land. And most landowners don’t understand that open space sales can end up putting more money in their pocket. The land is appraised at” highest and best use”- not as open space, so you get paid high market value, plus there are tax credits for open space sales- even when the sale is at full market value.
The voters of Carlsbad decided in 2002 that they wanted some of the city’s reserve funds to go toward natural open space and trails. A citizen’s committee appointed by the Mayor and Council worked very hard for over a year to come up with an objective way to evaluate properties and develop a priority list for consideration by the city council. They completed their work in January. It is time for the Council to schedule a hearing on this report- and make a decision in public- and not behind closed doors with developers.
If you care about open space and trails- please- now is the time to call or email the Mayor and City Council. They are hearing from the developers- now they need to hear from you. Call them at 434-2830 or email mstro@ci.carlsbad.ca.us or council@ci.carlsbad.ca.us.
Thank you for the update www.preservecalavera.org
Posted: March 5th, 2007 under Meeting Dates and Agenda.
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