Mike Emery, Dana Point
Our City Council has decided that we need to run our city as a super business and make as much money as possible. We used to be one of the richest cities in Orange County. That wasn’t good enough; now we should build out every last lot with high density housing and retail. We don’t need either. Our City Council wants to bend over backwards to accommodate developers (not a new idea). Who benefits? Developers, new residents and last but not least current residents. We don’t need any of what’s going on. Let alone we would have been better off with a fatter wallet for the future. Now we are infrastructure rich and dollar poor.
Now the reason I wrote this letter: I asked a City Council member (who shall remain anonymous) why our parks look old and shabby, dry, when we have always used reclaimed water and they looked great? He said “get used to it, there is no extra money for improvements, maintenance, broken sprinklers on hill sides or dog run maintenance.” Shrubs dying for lack of water, when water is available. I have talked to the Parks people they are always vague.
So who benefits now from this gone money? I’ve noticed a lot of buildings being torn down making way for the new construction. What’s motivating the Council? Only developers and land owners will truly benefit. This looks shady to me.
I was in retail for 35 years and owned a small business as well. Competition from existing cities and the fact that we can only draw people from 180 degrees (unlike other cities 360 degrees) and the internet will not make a good retail environment, unless developers pack this place out with people like Laguna, Newport and Venice Beach. That will happen in the future. Is that what we want now? I don’t. Make our parks nice again like Sea Terrace Park maintained by the Monarch Beach Resort. Who is listening at City Hall? Talk is cheap, no one listens. Money talks!
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