Dear Jim:

On August 21, you gave approval to amendments to the county General Plan that would drastically change the Ukiah Valley.

We respectfully request that you reverse this action.

The General Plan changes you designated as your "preferred alternative" on August 21 would allow massive urban sprawl on the north side of Ukiah, including:

• Rezoning the Masonite plant site out of industrial to meet the desire of a corporate developer to build a huge big-box shopping mall.
• Rezoning the vineyards north of Lovers Lane to allow a Bay Area developer to build up to 1200 housing units.
• Other changes that in total would allow a 56% increase in the valley's population.

The County's own study concluded that there is already enough land zoned for residential and commercial growth for at least 25 years. We favor a growth plan that will encourage in-fill within the Ukiah city limits. 

This will lessen disruptive impacts and preserve our small-town way of life. By keeping Masonite as industrial zoning, we can bring back good-paying manufacturing jobs.

But the outside developers have different plans. They want no limits on the way they can reshape our community to satisfy their corporate objectives.  We are concerned that this revision of the General Plan will lead to more abandoned store fronts in Ukiah's existing shopping districts--traffic gridlock like the Bay Area--exhaustion of the sewer capacity and a moratorium on new hookups--worsened water shortages--and a loss of everything we value in the Ukiah Valley as a place to live.

Jim, we call upon you to honor the commitment you made in your 2004 election campaign. We remember your campaign brochure which stated: "Jim Wattenburger will fight to keep our growth and development to a minimum." That pledge counts now more than ever.

Sincerely,