Housing Mandates

By Kenneth "Ken" Vesterfelt

3.Collaborate with fellow citizens to identify & adopt proven measures that meet housing mandates & the resulting infrastructure & fiscal demands.

Be wary of those who use fear tactics to suggest Morro Bay will "grow" or that property owners be "molded" into what "some" see as appropriate. Your personal rights could be in jeopardy!

The population has barely increased by more than 1200 over the past decade. Our City limits dictate any notion of `sprawl". Yes one story homes have been replaced by or increased to two stories. Land owners have the right to build what they like, (even though you may not like it) as long as it is within the written law.

Do not let others interpret the law for you--go to the City Planning Dept. and ask questions for yourself--it is your right. As a planning commissioner there have certainly been times I personally did not want to approve a project. However it was within the law, so what I personally thought did not matter. I will continue to work to protect your personal property rights.

Again State mandates cannot be ignored and we are not the only City faced with such mandates. Yes, there will be issues to consider, yet the citizens together have proven time and again they can and will work things out, given the truth. Citizen Ad Hoc Committees are great ways to get people out and communicating with one another.

Again,be wary of individuals who suggest they and they alone will protect Morro Bay. Protect it from what? We have many state and local agencies, as well as volunteers who work together to guard our natural resources. Here too communication is a valuable tool to promote education about and respect for our geography. We do not need to reinvent the wheel rather we should continue to work with and support these groups and agencies.