The State : Slow-Growth Issue on Ballot

Orange County supervisors voted unanimously to place a controversial slow-growth initiative on the June 7 countywide ballot despite members’ concerns that the measure will damage the region’s economy and fail to relieve traffic congestion. The board also unanimously adopted “in concept” a growth management plan of its own that would place less stringent restrictions on development. The supervisors said they wanted voters to have an alternative to the initiative. The only remaining threat to a June vote is a possible lawsuit from the Orange County Building Industry Assn. The growth management plan would require developers to pay for new roads and public facilities before building. The slow-growth initiative would require builders to pay for improvements to offset the extra demand on roads and public services that their projects would cause. It would apply only to the unincorporated areas, but efforts are under way to get similar measures on several citywide ballots.