Would the city be interested in looking at a water irrigation technology that is proving to reduce water use in compacted soils, like we have throughout our city? If so, I can arrange that.

thanks,
jeff lebow

He supports New Urbanism, a concept he characterizes as high density development mixed with commercial development, for two corridors. One would stretch along the length of Beach Boulevard and the other along Edinger. He sees those corridors as being mostly high density residential interspersed at major cross streets such as Ellis with commercial areas. He sees that mix as critical for the survival of the businesses which otherwise would have to depend on tourists. My understanding of his plan for that corridor is that by establishing the commercial islands surrounded by high density residential, the city will be able to capture increased sales tax. His vision seems to be to plan the future HB as a dynamo for sales tax revenue.

Historically, cities in Southern California were laid out in half mile grids. That worked fine when gas was cheap and automobiles were produced in the US. Now we find ourselves in a different world and faced with different transportation challenges. Mr. Bohr’s plan seems to be to develop East-West and North-South high density developments through the city along existing major traffic corridors. There is no attempt to develop and incorporate future transportation plans into this vision.

His vision of New Urbanism has the young professionals living in these high density corridors. “They can’t afford a house yet. They don’t want to be tied down yet.” He sees that life-style as a temporary thing, but then reflects on it as a necessary life-style change if the price of gas returns to the $5 range.

My problem with this vision of our city is that it plots the future course of our city along a path that provides the city with the most tax revenue. He candidly states that he will continue to live in his single family home away from this planned corridor as he speculates most homeowners will also do. High density corridors interspersed with commercial development will be constructed following existing city grid lines developed in the mid 50’s as the automobile was dictating our future plans. New Urbanism, designed to foster community, will be changed to mean a structure that provides high density residential as a method to support tax producing commercial businesses when the tourists are not here.

John

Mayor Bohr and the voting majority of the City Council have taken a cavalier attitude towards Poseidon Resource’s plans for building a desalination plant connected to the AES power generation site. “we stand to lose nothing.” Just who is included in the “we”?. The residents of S. E. Huntington Beach stand to lose about 2 more years to construction damages not only from the building of the plant but the trenching of a 48 inch water pipeline 4 miles through our homes & businesses. We also stand to “lose” if this pipeline runs into contaminated soil as the project is dug directly in front of the ASCON toxic waste site. We all stand to “lose” if Poseidon Resources can’t complete the project. It doesn’t have a stellar record when it comes to completing (on time and within budget) desalination facilities of this magnitude. Might I remind the powers that be, one of whom lives in S. E., that we already host the O.C. Sanitation District sewage treatment plant, the ASCON toxic waste landfill, and the AES monstrosity. Our area’s largest park, Edison, is due to begin park “reconfiguration” and building a methane collection system later this month. Let’s hope travel arrangements have been figured out so the backhoes don’t collide on Hamilton Avenue.

Further, if the City Council even suspected there is a better and less environmentally damaging technology available to desalinate water (and there IS), why would they subject our coast to this wound?
The financial backbone of our city is tourism. We are SURF CITY not Salt City. People expect to find the blue Pacific at our shores, not polluted beaches from outfall generated by a desalination plant that Huntington Beach does not need. This is a case of global water profiteers capitalizing on a drought frenzy brought on more by current water mismanagement rather than a lack of rainfall.

The decision to pass the EIR for this boondoggle was not very farsighted and made by not very informed people at the top.

Merle Moshiri, President
Residents for Responsible Desalination

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Has Mayor Bohr done his due diligence on Poseidon Resources? We the taxpayers want to know what the capitalization and Tangible Net Worth of a company is before you give them free reins to the City Treasury. Look at the Sports Complex; whereby the contractor absconded with $975,000 in taxpayers money and there was no recovery. The City Attorney did get a raise the following year for not collecting.

Why did the first two contactors that were selected by Poseidon Resources go bankrupt during the construction of the Tampa Bay Desal Plant. This is a “red flag” waving since Poseidon was responsible.

Poseidon digs up our streets to build a pipeline and then defaults. Mayor Bohr will then consider these 10 foot trenches as potholes and do nothing as he did not ask for a Performance Bond or a Completion Bond for this project.
Milt Dardis
Ethics; We have no stinking Ethics