By Kent Welton, Dana Point
Looks like the new council members will vote to overdevelop and ruin Dana Point—all while saying they want to retain the “small-town atmosphere.”
If there were any democracy here we would have a Malibu-like Measure R allowing all residents to vote on developments of a certain size, rather than allowing 3-2 votes on the council, whereby one council person effectively changes the character of the city and then leaves to run for higher office!
I was also amazed that not one council candidate even mentioned the historic drought we are facing and suggested a moratorium on building permits—the responsible thing to do.
The Town Center plan changes now in process will forever alter the character of Dana Point, and not for the better. We should learn from the ruin that has beset West LA. The “traffic calming” measures and couplet design will continue to piss off local residents and merchants already unhappy with the changes.
And then there are the palm trees replacing the beautiful green and yellow blossom tipu trees. Now we have brownish “trees” that will soon become telephone poles as we have seen at the north entrance to Dana Point. We now have a real mish-mash of landscaping with expensive non-native, plastic Disneyland, palm trees amidst the natural local flora and fauna. Looks fake and out of place to me.
Having lived in Dana Point for 26 years I have seen how the developers have repeatedly beaten down the good sense and preferences of the vast majority of the city residents. In that vein, this new council does not give me much hope.