Stop Paving Our Paradise

* Re “Building Out the Future,” (Jan. 24):

As a resident of San Clemente, I’m still amazed by the attitude of the developers and people like Richard Gollis of the Concord Group who want to continue to take away our last few open spaces by this frenzy to build, build, build.

Enough is enough. Someone needs to apply the brakes. And it needs to be the developers and real estate people.

If new homes keep on being built, then yes, people will come, and the vicious circle will keep on going.

Each new home on average means two more cars. More cars will mean more roads, taking away more open space.

Gollis talks about our quality of life being threatened if we don’t build more houses, more strip malls, more parking lots. Surely, being employed by a real estate advisory firm makes his statement somewhat dubious.

We are literally going to end up living in one giant concrete and tarmac world here in Southern California. Already, if you drive north from San Clemente on the San Diego Freeway you can travel approximately 80 miles or more without seeing a break in buildings. Very scary.

I’ve been in California for 11-plus years now, originating from England, and as anyone who has been to the U.K. can testify, the countryside there is tremendous. It stays that way because of the green belt laws. The countryside is protected and cannot be taken away.

The countryside in California, while it may not be as green, is still equally tremendous. But if the developers, real estate and toll road people have their way, how long do we have until the proverbial concrete jungle completely takes over? It’s already really close.

STEPHEN BURGESS

San Clemente