Hillside Development Opposition

* Re: “Landowners Move Early to Head Off Opposition,” Dec. 4.

Since early November, Citizens Against Hillside Development has formed and grown (and I have been involved in the early formation efforts) in response to discussions on the fate of Ventura’s prime hillside properties. Among our efforts, we started a letter-writing campaign to City Council members. I respectfully differ from the position taken in the article regarding the timing of our organizational efforts and our letter-writing campaign.

It is helpful to give our City Council members and the owners of the hillside land a gauge of public sentiment in the early planning stages--while the track is being laid out and before the horse leaves the starting gate. Dozens of concerned citizens attended an October workshop, the first in an ongoing series held by a group of landowners seeking public input about the future of their 5,000-plus acres, which extend from the City Hall area to around Kimball Road. Representatives of the hillside landowners said they are holding the workshops to solicit community input to determine what they will do with the property.

Following that workshop, dozens of concerned citizens gathered with the goal of preserving the hillsides. We have named our group Citizens Against Hillside Development. We have identified a common mission: “To promote the preservation and prevent the development of the remaining hillsides in and around the city of San Buenaventura.” The group includes working mothers, retirees, business owners, citizen activists--people with varied levels of involvement in our community, and people who believe our hillsides are part of what makes Ventura special.

The goal of Citizens Against Hillside Development is to ensure there remains a unified voice on hillside preservation. For more information on Ventura Citizens Against Hillside Development, please visit our Web site at www.hillnoventura.com.

LORI STEINHAUER

Ventura