League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Contra Costa County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Measure F Expand Urban Limit Line; Permit Mixed-Use Development City of Brentwood Initiative Measure - Majority Approval Required Fail: 4251 / 42.71% Yes votes ...... 5702 / 57.29% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure F

Arguments Against Measure F

Brentwood must control its future, reduce crime, revitalize our economy and improve property values. That's why we're voting Yes on Measure F. Measure F creates Brentwood's own Urban Limit Line. This new growth control tool will allow Brentwood's voters to decide where and if we allow development around our border. Currently, these decisions are controlled by countywide voters and the Board of Supervisors. Local residents should decide, not outsiders nor nearby cities. Measure F does not guarantee new development will happen. It establishes zoning and an agreement defining City and land owner rights and obligations. Should development occur, Brentwood's fiscal analysis showed $60,000,000 in direct City revenue along with an annual $800,000 surplus. Any actual development would be years away and after the market absorbs current extra housing. Importantly, Measure F would require potential growth to more than pay its own way. Implementation of our initiative would: FUND NEW CRIME PREVENTION TOOLS FOR OUR POLICE. These dollars, along with additional officers, support safer neighborhoods. GENERATE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT in Brentwood's economy. With provisions supporting local hiring, dollars would be spent here, helping our businesses and workers. More jobs make a better Brentwood. IMPROVE PROPERTY VALUES. Safer neighborhoods, more jobs, millions in investment and Brentwood planning control are keys to increasing home prices. Collapsing property values create a devastating downward spiral. We must protect Brentwood from this fate. PROVIDE RESOURCES for job retraining, promoting our business parks and granting college scholarships to Brentwood students. REQUIRE FIXING BALFOUR ROAD AND AMERICAN AVENUE around Heritage High and Adams Middle schools. Extra elementary school capacity is planned. Additional major sports fields and parks are funded. Help Brentwood help itself. We urge you to join us in our strong support of Measure F by voting Yes. http://www.PutBrentwoodInControl.com. Thank you. Rebuttal to Arguments For Developers proposing Measure F make unsubstantiated promises with no guarantees. That's why many Brentwood residents and groups like Save Mount Diablo oppose Measure F. We don't have to accept this developer initiative. Measure F will break Brentwood's 2006 voter-approved Urban Limit Line. Measure F constructs 1,300 new houses and commercial buildings on 740 acres of agricultural land west of Brentwood. A Development Agreement locks in "developer control." Measure F fails because it: Removes Local Control. Measure F amends Brentwood's General Plan and includes a development agreement which limits the ability of residents, the City Council or the Planning Commission to make changes to this project. Increases Crime. 4,030 new residents, houses, apartments, traffic, commercial development, and overcrowded schools will likely increase crime in Brentwood. Measure F doesn't go far enough to answer this problem. Doesn't Guarantee Improving Brentwood's Economy. Measure F doesn't include ANY provisions that guarantee jobs for us or an economic boost anytime soon. The only guarantee is that outside developers will make millions. Reduces Property Value. Bottom line: it's supply and demand. More houses competing for sales lead to LOWER property values and rentals. Increases Traffic on Balfour Road and American Avenue. It will take years to address this issue with Measure F - these roads should be fixed now! We don't have to approve development to complete these roads + safety should be a #1 priority. Breaking our Urban Limit Line for growth means new problems without solving our existing ones. Please Vote NO on Measure F.

Developers have placed Measure F on the ballot to trick us into voting for: 1,300 new houses and 4,030 more people in Brentwood, on top of thousands of houses that have been approved, but not yet built. Brentwood already has an Urban Limit Line to protect agricultural land and open space. The measure would expand our existing growth boundary by 740 acres into Brentwood's western hills, despite Brentwood voters' opposition to development in this area in 2005 and 2006. Property values have declined drastically. More houses will compete with sales; too many are already in foreclosure or underwater. Overloaded Schools are already crowded; this will make things worse. Threats + they say if we don't develop this land that Antioch will. Antioch has their own Urban Growth Boundary + it doesn't include this area and can only be changed by a public vote. Gridlock--more traffic/students on Balfour and the Bypass. 4,030 new residents will add thousands of cars to already congested roads, even if they expand Balfour and complete American Avenue. They say this is a jobs measure. It will be years before any jobs are created and no guarantee they'll go to Brentwood residents. Sports Complex - The measure "suggests" using County flood control property for sports fields. It's an empty promise they can't and won't guarantee. We don't need more growth. The developers are using the same old tricks. We're being forced to vote on this issue yet again and the City will be left with the bill for the election. Empty promises. This developer measure is full of loopholes that benefit them. They'll make millions at our expense. They're not interested in limiting growth. Don't be fooled. Please Vote NO on Measure F. Rebuttal to Arguments Against Measure F is supported by public safety officials, teachers, school trustees, current and former councilmembers, business people, farmers, planners, neighborhood leaders and sports enthusiasts. Why? Because it benefits Brentwood, now and into the future. Opponents would have you believe that these leaders are easily fooled. Hardly. Brentwood has weathered the current downturn much better than its neighbors because of the knowledge, vision and hard work of many Measure F supporters. However well-intentioned, opponents fundamentally misunderstand our proposal. Passage of Measure F: CREATES BRENTWOOD'S OWN URBAN LIMIT LINE. Currently, Concord, Richmond and San Ramon voters have more to say about planning around OUR border than we do. Brentwood's voters should decide, not outsiders. DOES NOT APPROVE 1,300 HOUSES which would overwhelm the current market. It's impossible for any initiative to do this. Measure F provides zoning and Brentwood planning control. Any development, if it ever occurs, would be many years away. WOULD BENEFIT LOCAL ROADS, not create alleged "gridlock". Fixing Balfour Road and American Avenue are essential. New funding for the Bypass is included. Also, environmental review is mandated. Traffic, school, park and other impacts must be fully mitigated. WOULD CREATE JOBS AND IMPROVE BRENTWOOD'S ECONOMY. The additional jobs and investment are why business leaders strongly endorse Measure F. WOULD PROVIDE OUR POLICE WITH NEW CRIME FIGHTING TOOLS. Public safety must remain Brentwood's top priority. Please read our initiative and make a fully informed decision. We're confident that you'll agree that Yes on Measure F is the right vote for Brentwood.