Growth Limit for Manhattan Beach

Regarding (the) initiative filed by residents to limit growth (overdevelopment) in Manhattan Beach, I am pleased to see that the community of Manhattan Beach is following the actions taken by several other towns in California in tackling the overdevelopment problem.

Those of us who have been here more than 15 years are serious about maintaining a quality of life for which we pay dearly. We have been witnessing a construction rape in our town. Since the mid-1970s, development on Sepulveda Boulevard and around town has grown up and out like a cancer, causing increased traffic and stress for us. The downtown Manhattan Beach merchants have lost business to the endless building of shops on Sepulveda Boulevard over the years.

The developers and their friends in Manhattan Beach will surely fight the initiative by confusing the public with ambiguous information. After all, we’re talking millions of dollars here.

My suggestion to residents who may be confused and thereby reluctant to sign an initiative, is to look around town. What do you see? Do you want more growth? Help Manhattan Beach by limiting the “open door policy” to developers.

TERRI O’ROURKE

Manhattan Beach