No-Growther Has Second Thoughts

I have been watching the progress of the Ahmanson and Jordan Ranch projects for some time. As a Ventura County resident who fled Los Angeles six years ago, my first reaction was no growth, no growth, no growth.

However, the more I read, the more I am convinced of several things:

* If Los Angeles had made deals like the ones that these projects are offering--especially the Ahmanson project--it would still be an attractive place to live.

* We all know how things change. As the pressure from increased population gets worse (unless you know a way to keep people from moving here or having babies), eventually the tide will change and there’s a good possibility that at that time, there would be a lot more development.

* With 90% of Ahmanson Ranch becoming permanent open space, there’s a guarantee of 4,100 acres to the National Park Service.

* As I understand it, if this doesn’t go through, the company can legally sell off the entire property in 34 big parcels to the rich and famous who, 15 years down the road, might just be able to subdivide. So what have you got then? No public access and no public land.

* I’m particularly impressed by the fact that there will be some affordable housing in the Ahmanson project. Why should the wealthy always get the best views?

Finally, I have this message for all “environmentalists.” I am an environmentalist; I am basically for very low growth. Believe me, part of me feels (well, now that I live here): Let’s slam the door.

But all of us live on what was once open space. Some little animals depended on the property we now take up as their home. Every environmentalist I know lives in a fixed house, uses indoor plumbing and drives a car. Some of the major protesters are people who live in Thousand Oaks and Westlake, owners of the houses that were the original despoilers of that virgin land--and I’ll bet no one donated nine times the size of their lot to nature.

The people who are born into or move to this county have to go somewhere. Let’s not be too greedy and pass up an offer we can’t refuse.

ELENA TREVINO, Ventura