| Community Voices |
| A Fan Letter to Mr. Madaffer Dear Mr. Madaffer, I am one of the people who initially supported you in your first campaign for City Council. To say that I'm disappointed in what you have done for our area would be an understatement. I was initially impressed with your presentation, that you were seeking office to support the "average person" in your district. It seems you have lost sight of your goals. With your repeated efforts to enlarge your tax base by "redeveloping blighted areas," you have lost the faith of your constituents. Many of us are regretting our votes for you. I, personally, convinced many people that you would bring benefits to our area. To be fair, you DID initiate some improvements that benefited the area. Road median improvements, joint-use fields (when your sons were in Little League) and these are items that you throw out whenever anyone points out that you are no longer supporting us in Allied Gardens/Del Cerro/San Carlos. I ask when was the last time you proposed or completed a project like the first ones. Since when is the area by the trolley blighted? Since you began to move on those areas! Why would a business continue in an area that is in questionable status? As a business owner and educator, I, too, would be looking elsewhere for some stability. So, yes, thanks to you many of the areas that you wanted to redevelop because they were "blighted" are now, indeed, blighted. Your wish came true. You fulfilled your own prophecy. This same phenomenon is happening all along Mission Gorge Road and parts of Friars Road, as well as the business triangle between Mission Gorge Road, Friars Road and Twain Street. What really galls me is that you aren't just going after businesses that we all trade with (which includes small businesses like barber shops, beauty salons and animal clinics), you are also serving notice on residences. Mobile homes are residences. People own those as their only shelter. You are not offering a comparable or fair price for their homes nor are you building truly affordable homes for these people. The good news is that these people will no longer be in your district, so they can't vote you out of office. You've lost sight of your original goals. You've forgotten why you are in that office. You have sold out... sold yourself out, sold your constituents out. As my son approaches the voting age and we have discussions about what is going on in government, particularly San Diego government, he asks a very poignant question: Do all people who seek office become corrupt? Or were the people seeking office so good at fooling us that we did not see that they were corrupt to begin with? Sincerely, Donna Nuss-Rick |
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| Dear Dr. Peterson,
I thought the author of this letter made a fantastic argument. I was working for Alpine Glass (Fairmount and Mission Gorge Rd.) when the city made us move from that location so the trolley could be built. We moved and the building is now falling into disrepair. But, the car dealership located behind the building was allowed to stay and has even expanded. I don't think the building or the area was "blighted" prior to the business moving, but it is now... and its the first thing you see as you exit the 8. As a resident of Grantville (and a registered voter), I expect a response from Mr. Madaffer. If the author should recieve one, please pass it on to me. Thank you! Tara D. Sivilli |
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| OVER-DENSIFICATION OF THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO, ESPECIALLY IN MISSION VALLEY? As a board member and a past land use expert for the city of San Diego, I oppose any further development in Mission Valley. Mission valley is a fragile ecosystem. It cannot support more houses, more automobiles. It is already overdeveloped, overcrowded. The air pollution level in Mission Valley is the highest in the city of San Diego . The Mission Valley lies on sand and is really a large aquifer for the river of San Diego. We of the Mission Valley Community Council are dismayed that any more development is being planned. We are hoping that the representatives of the City Council will support us and stop the unprecidented, unnecessary, unwise development of the Mission Valley Mary Slupe Mission Valley Community Council |
| Grantville Over-Redevelopment Dear Friends and Neighbors, Is the abusive use of eminet domain, a “Roof Top To Roof Top” plan for a “City Of Villages” really expected to help cure the multifaceted problems of a near bankrupt San Diego? With a serious affordable housing crisis, broken infrastructure, water shortages, and public service issues that are reaching critical mass. As one looks at the stretch of development taking place on Mission Gorge Road from Santee to the end of Friars road. It is more like a City Of Cement that is dangerously becoming saturated with apartment projects and condos. It is unfathomable as to how the designs of this redevelopment will not strike fatal blows on the environment of this area. The air pollution resulting from the traffic pollution is being brushed off as a non-issue. Do you want your children (grandchildren) breathing in all these exhaust fumes? Will one really want to hike at Mission Trails without the protection of a gas mask? Where will the water come from for the thousands of increased residents? Police and emergency services are already stretched to thin in our city. The only thing going Roof Top to Roof Top are the birds. People are still, and will continue to drive one person in a car to the work place. It is a necessity with today’s active families (dropping children off to school, being able to be flexible for emergencies and appointments). Now as if all this isn’t reason for concern, the city is considering the closing of Mission Valley Village Mobile Home Park, (An affordable housing option for 119 senior citizens.) and approving the building of 445 Luxury Apartments by Archstone Smith. Please continue to voice your opposition to the City Council by asking them not to remove the Overlay that protects our park. Help us to save our homes and your neighborhood by writing letters, calling, and most of all voting in the next local election. Sincerely, Gloria Hanson, HOA Trustee, Mission Valley Village Mobile Home Park |
| Dr. Peterson,
Thank you for all your efforts and unwavering resolve in trying to stop the destruction of our community. I have lived in San Diego (Allied Gardens) 52 years and it is gut wrenching to think about losing our quality of life to politicians and developers insatiable greed and corrupt agendas. Sincerely, Jim Setran |
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| From: Gym
Subject: Talking The Talk How many times have you heard politicians say that we need more affordable housing; especially for Senior Citizens on fixed incomes. Mobile Home living, while not as practical as it once was, is about as close as it comes to being acceptable as affordable housing. After all, it involves simply renting a parking place for a residence on wheels. Everything else is extra; just like a house. More often than not, the wheels are only necessary to move it from the dealer to the parking place. Mobile Homes are not to be confused with trailers. Once they're in place they very seldom move (unless the owner is evicted,and even then are usually sold on the spot). Mission Valley Village was established years ago on Mission Gorge Road. It is now a Senior Citizen Mobile Home Park housing 100+ senior homes, which has become the target of the so-called Grantville Improvement project. These homes are just as important to the Village residents as a 5,000 square foot home is to it's residents. Even more so, because few seniors can afford to move. In addition, they were supposed to get the first offer of refusal if the property was ever up for sale. The problem is that a big developer from Colorado sees this property as a multi-million dollar opportunity to build apartments and condomieums. The seniors would be "colateral damage" to quote a phrase. After all, the city can rake in tens of thousands more in property taxes from apartments and condos than they can from registration fees for mobile homes. It seems like the talk about affordable housing, especially for seniors is just a joke if it comes into conflict with plans for a big new project to benefit Developers and the City Coffers. P.S. They could gat a lot more apartments and condos on the Admiral Baker Golf Coarse. I'd like to see them try that. Jim Orr |
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