Group Seeks Vote to Slow Development

Charging that San Diego is disregarding its own general plan and rapidly turning into a southern version of Los Angeles, a group called San Diegans for Managed Growth filed an initiative petition Monday aimed at slowing development in the city’s “urban reserve.”

The reserve, about 20,000 acres of fields, hills and canyons in the northern part of San Diego, is land designated in the general plan as unsuitable for development until 1995 or after. However, according to Dave Kreitzer, chairman of the new group, “In the last five years, the council has shifted more than half the city’s urban reserve--our future land bank--into the more readily developed ‘planned urbanizing’ category. North City West, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Sorrento Hills, La Jolla Valley --the list keeps growing.”

Such developments are “plan exceptions,” Kreitzer said, adding, “In its rush to accommodate development, the council is ignoring the wishes of its constituents.”

The initiative, if approved, would bar land from being taken from the “future urbanizing” planning designation and used for any other purpose without a majority vote in a city-wide election.

The initiative would be retroactive to Aug. 1. Its backers would like to require a citywide vote on the controversial 5,100-acre La Jolla Valley development, approved by the City Council on Sept. 9, as well as plans for Torrey Pines Enterprises, approved by the council Oct. 30.

San Diegans for Managed Growth plans to use paid and volunteer workers to gather 51,978 signatures from registered voters. The signatures have to be turned in to the city clerk no later than June 12 to qualify for the Nov. 5 election.