City of Dublin Annexation of Doolan Canyon, Measure T (November 2014)

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A City of Dublin Annexation of Doolan Canyon, Measure T ballot question, also known as the "Let Dublin Decide Initiative" was on the November 4, 2014 election ballot for voters in the city of Dublin in Alameda County, California. It was defeated.

If approved, this citizen-initiated measure would have authorized and urged the city of Dublin to annex a 1,650 acre area called Doolan Canyon to be included in the city boundaries. Measure T would have also given the city council of Dublin authority to approve development of the area after approving an Eastern Study Area Comprehensive Plan. The area consisted of mostly agricultural and open space lands. The development plan would have had to be compatible with certain restrictions summarized in the city attorney's impartial analysis below.

Election results

Measure T
Result		Votes	Percentage
d No		8,494	83.80%
Yes		1,642	16.20%

Election results via: Alameda County Elections Office

Background

Measure M

An initiative featured in Dublin's 2000 election, called Measure M, established that the foothills to the west of Dublin could not be rezoned and approved for residential development without voter approval. The Dublin Open Space Initiative, which was opposed to Measure T and is outlined below, was partially modeled after Measure M. The measure was approved by about 60 percent of Dublin voters.

Competing Open Space Initiative

A citizen-initiated measure called the “Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014," which was adopted directly by the city council, was designed to preserve both the Doolan Canyon area to the East of the city and the area to the West of the city as agricultural or open space land and prevent any residential or commercial development. The measure removed authority from the city council to control the property, preventing any development without approval from voters. Measure T was a competing initiative that would have invalidated the Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014 by giving the city council authority over development in the Doolan Canyon area.

Text of measure

Ballot question

The question on the ballot:

“

Shall an ordinance be adopted that directs the City to pursue annexation of an area, called Doolan Canyon, beyond the City’s adopted urban limit line and immediately east of the current city limits and consisting of approximately 1,650 acres of primarily agricultural and open space lands; and would allow the City Council to approve future development in that area without further voter approval, but only after it approves a comprehensive plan incorporating specified development restrictions?

”

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis of Measure T was provided by the office of the city attorney:

“	Measure T (titled the “Let Dublin Decide Initiative”) was placed on the ballot by a petition signed by Dublin voters. The Measure’s stated purpose is to ensure that the City of Dublin controls what happens to a predominately rural 1,650-acre area (commonly referred to as Doolan Canyon) immediately east of the City’s boundary (the “Eastern Study Area”). As a result of the Dublin City Council’s adoption of another voter initiative, the “Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014,” the City Council does not have authority to approve urban development east of the City’s current eastern boundary, including within the Eastern Study Area. Presently, only Dublin voters could authorize Dublin to approve development in this area. Measure T would direct the City Council to apply to the Local Agency Formation Commission to bring the Eastern Study Area into the City. Measure T would authorize the City Council to approve residential and commercial development in this area only after approving an Eastern Study Area Comprehensive Plan (the “Comprehensive Plan”). The Comprehensive Plan must incorporate certain specified requirements that are detailed below. It would also remove the existing restrictions on the City’s ability to extend City services to the Eastern Study Area. Presently, the Alameda County General Plan limits development in the Eastern Study Area to agriculture and open space uses. If the area were annexed to the City of Dublin, Measure _ would maintain the existing County restrictions until such time as the City Council approved a Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan would be required to comply with and include the following policies: Sixty percent (60%) of the land must remain permanently protected, such that it remains open space or for agricultural use. Development would be precluded in areas at or above 770 feet above sea level, in order to protect ridgelines. No future residential structures may be visible from a residence in the City of Dublin that existed on the date that the initiative takes effect. Local wetlands, streams and wildlife habitats, including Cottonwood Creek and other seasonal wetlands, would be protected, in conformance with local, state and federal laws. Future development must pay for its own infrastructure and public services, so that the burdens of development are not borne by the rest of the City. Multi-use trails must be included in development plans, providing connection points to nearby regional parks. The land and improvements for such trails must be provided by the future development. If the City receives an application to change a land use designation on any property in the Eastern Study Area that would allow more development than is allowed under the existing County designations, the City Council would be required to appoint a 15-member Citizen Oversight Committee. The Committee’s conclusions, comments, and concerns would be presented to the City Council before a decision on adopting the Comprehensive Plan or changing land use designations.	”
—John Bakker, Dublin City Attorney

Full text

The full text of the initiative is available here.

Support

Supporters

The initiative and the group behind it was called Let Dublin Decide.

Former mayor Janet Lockhart served as the Let Dublin Decide spokesperson.

The three petitioners that signed the initiative when it was submitted to the city clerk were:

• Claudia McCormick
• Mona Lisa Ballesteros
• Gregory M. T.

Certain developers had approached the city and requested the annexation of Doolan Canyon, hoping the city would change its zoning from open space and agricultural to residential and allow for the construction of new homes and developments.

Arguments in favor

Supporters believed the land in Doolan Canyon would be put to better use by developing it and making it a functioning part of Dublin City, rather than letting it remain open space or agricultural land, or worse yet, become a part of the neighboring city of Livermore.

Supporters said that Dublin must annex the Doolan Canyon area to prevent Livermore, which had already submitted a formal request to include the land in its own city boundaries, would scoop up the canyon, preventing Dublin voters from having any say in the fate of the canyon whatsoever. Supporters also argued that Measure T contains provisions protecting the land against over-development, including protections for hillsides and view corridors.

Former mayor and Let Dublin Decide spokeswoman Janet Lockhart said, “Only the Let Dublin Decide initiative will allow the people of Dublin to decide for themselves the future of the land around our city. The competing initiative, the so-called Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014 (DOSI), would block Dublin from having a say on the land east of our city limits, pushing control into the hands of Livermore. That’s why it is vital that Dublin voters have the choice that the Let Dublin Decide Initiative will give them.”

Supporters also said that opponents' fear for the loss of open space due to Measure T is groundless, pointing towards protections of open space and agricultural land that were built into the Let Dublin Decide Initiative, including:

• Requirements demanding 60 percent of land must remain protected against development;
• Prohibitions against development on ridgelines, in areas visible from residences in Dublin and in areas with wetlands, streams or wildlife habitats; and
• Provisions requiring that trails and parks must be an essential element of any development plans

Supporters also responded to arguments from the opposition's campaign that posit new development would cause a burden on the public safety services, utilities and infrastructure of Dublin by pointing to a provision in Measure T requiring future development areas to pay for their own public services.

Opposition

Opponents

Dave Bewley and Morgan King were the chief petitioners for a competing initiative called the “Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014," which required voter approval of any development on the Doolan Canyon property.

The website of the opposition campaign, which supported the Open Space Initiative, called Friends of Dublin Open Space, provided the following list of supporters of their initiative, making the following organizations and individuals opponents of the Let Dublin Decide measure:

Organizations

• Save Mount Diablo
• California Native Plant Society
• Greenbelt Alliance
• Friends of The Vineyards
• The Sierra Club
• Ohlone Audobon Society
• Alameda Creek Alliance
• Center For Biological Diversity
• Tri-Valley Conservancy

Civic Leaders

• Allan Brown - former Chairman of the Dublin Planning Commission
• Dan Scannell - former Chairman of the Dublin San Ramon Services District
• Kerrie Chabot - board member of Dublin Commercial Development Task Force
• Morgan King, former Chairman of the Dublin Planning Commission
• Kasie Hildenbrand - former Vice-Mayor & Dubin City Council member
• Dave Bewley, member of Dublin Bike Trail Study Group and Measure M proponent
• Anita Carr - Alameda County Arts Commissioner
• Ann Crawford - involved in prior petition drive
• Faye Guarienti - member, Senior Center Advisory Committee in Dublin
• Kathy Campos, President of Sorrento HOA
• Rameet Kohli - current member of Dublin Planning Commission
• Tim Sbranti, Mayor of Dublin
• Don Biddle, member of Dublin City Council
• Abe Gupta, member of Dublin City Council
• Kevin Hart, member of Dublin City Council
• David Haubert, member of Dublin City Council

Arguments against

Opponents, who largely supported the already approved, competing Open Space Initiative, believed the Doolan Canyon area should be protected from all development and should remain agricultural and open-space land.

The Friends of Dublin Open Space website listed the following values of the Doolan Canyon area:

“

Doolan Canyon is a virtually pristine open space located adjacent to and east of the current eastern Dublin city boundary. It is the last open space between Dublin and Livermore on the North side of Highwy 580. It has been and is currently zoned as agricultural, and is under the jurisdiction of the County of Alameda. This property creates an open-space buffer zone between Dublin and Livermore, as well as habitat for endangered species and a lovely visual resource for the Tri-Valley.

”

The group also listed the following harmful effects that, according to Friends of Dublin Open Space, could result from the approval of Measure T:

“	Add to traffic on the main streets of Dublin; Exacerbate the water situation; Burden the City with the cost and responsibility to provide infrastructure as well as fire, police, and medical services; Essentially destroy the canyon forever, and further reduce the rural quality of life for all of us in the Tri-valley area. Impair visual resources for the area; Kill or remove endangered species	”
—Friends of Dublin Open Space

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

Both Measure T and the "Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014" were initiated by signature petition drives. Both petition campaigns were successful in collecting the required number of signatures to qualify for the ballot. This gave the city council the opportunity to either enact the initiative ordinances directly or put them before voters in November. The council members voted to directly enacted the "Dublin Open Space Initiative," but they voted to put Measure T, known as the "Let Dublin Decide Initiative" on the ballot for a voter decision.

See also

• Incorporation, merging and boundaries of local jurisdictions on the ballot
• Alameda County, California ballot measures
• November 4, 2014 ballot measures in California

External links

Suggest a link

• Alameda County Elections Office website
• "Dublin Opens Space Initiative of 2014," accessed August 20, 2014