Residents File to Keep Golf Courses Open Spaces

San Ramon, CA, residents have filed an initiative with the City of San Ramon to keep their golf courses zoned as open spaces and save them from redevelopment. The citizens feel they are victims of unfair "bait and switch" rezoning tactics.

San Ramon, CA (PRWEB) July 29, 2006 -- San Ramon residents filed an initiative with the City of San Ramon to save their two public golf courses as open spaces. The older course, San Ramon Golf Course, had been zoned Park for 44 years before being rezoned on Tuesday to Commercial Recreation.

Golf course neighbors became concerned when they discovered that city officials had redefined the CR zone. The residents have begun calling it the "bait and switch" zone because it has no semblance to the CR zone found in San Ramon's voter-approved General Plan 2020 where it reads, "Golf courses, sports and fitness clubs, horse stables and amusement parks." In the new ordinance, the "switched" CR zone allows, amongst many other "permitable" uses, a cogeneration power plant, halfway houses for felons, and scrap and dismantling yards. Golf course neighbors say they have been targeted by the city as a "dumping ground" for whatever more recently developed areas don't want in their neighborhoods.

To add insult to injury, the zoning switch was made without neighbors' representation. They received no notification during a multi-year, "behind-closed-doors" redefinition of CR. Incredibly, the current city council seems to have no regrets that the rezoning occurred in such a furtive manner. Although many procedural irregularities have been brought to their attention, Council members, ignoring formal protests from hundreds of citizens, voted unanimously for the rezoning.

Meanwhile, Council members have been emphatically assuring citizens that "The golf courses are golf courses now and will remain golf courses for the foreseeable future, regardless of their zoning." Citizens fear that there are external pressures lurking much closer to the surface than Council members are willing to admit, like: land-use laws allowing owners to develop to the "highest and best use" that zoning permits, Eminent Domain, and state and federal mandates. Residents fear that these exogenous factors will surface and allow the City to justify changing its facile position of "keeping the golf courses as golf courses" to one of "redevelopment, full-speed ahead." Residents say, "Rezoning is like throwing raw meat to the developers. Immense profits will motivate many of them to rapidly move in for the kill."

For additional information on the content of this release visit: www.sanramontalk.blogspot.com.

About "Save Our Golf Courses as Open Spaces" Campaign:
San Ramon's residents have started a citizens' Initiative to keep the golf courses zoned Park and reserve any future rezoning to a majority of the voters. The campaign is interested in finding groups or individuals who are waging similar battles against local governments that are "in-filling" traditional open spaces like golf courses by taking property using furtive rezoning tactics and Eminent Domain.

Contact us at:
Ray Howard, Spokesman
Save Our Golf Courses as Open Spaces Campaign
925-895-5524

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