Countermeasures to SOAR Plan in Works

Moorpark is a step closer to creating ballot measures that compete with the local Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative, a measure that requires voter approval for growth beyond city limits.

Council members on Wednesday agreed to allow a committee to craft a trio of measures that would challenge Moorpark’s SOAR measure in November. The council will consider the measures again June 17.

The committee proposes, in part, a less restrictive measure to stop growth beyond the city’s General Plan. It would allow for the annexation of 4,300 acres north of Moorpark to create the 3,221-home Hidden Creek Ranch project for which the General Plan calls. The other two measures would involve taxing residents: one to enable the purchase of green space, and the other to compensate the city if the city or SOAR measures are challenged in court.

Councilman Chris Evans, who serves on the committee, said his group’s goal was to protect the city. He said he believed the SOAR measure would hurt the city by presenting legal challenges.

But the two authors of the Moorpark SOAR initiative contend the city’s measures are merely a reaction to their measure.

“I think it’s nice the city of Moorpark is paying attention to the issue,” said co-author Roseann Mikos. “It’s too bad it didn’t happen until we got the ball rolling.”

Co-author Richard Francis said he doubted the city initiatives would be well crafted, arguing that there wasn’t enough “time, thought and research to generate these initiatives.”

Gary Austin, a representative for Irvine-based Messenger Investment, which proposed Hidden Creek Ranch, said a serious downside to the SOAR initiative is that it does not save the 1,700 acres of open space around his company’s project.

The measure would scuttle the housing project, he said, but it would also mean Messenger Investment would have to divide the parcels into 40-acre plots and sell them.