Lake Elsinore, California, Alberhill Villages Initiative, Measure A (May 2017)
| Measure A: Lake Elsinore Alberhill Villages Initiative |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| May 2, 2017 |
| Status: |
 Defeated
|
| Topic: |
| Local zoning, land use and development |
| Related articles |
| Local zoning, land use and development on the ballot May 2, 2017 ballot measures in California Riverside County, California ballot measures |
| See also |
| Lake Elsinore, California |
A development plan initiative was on the ballot for Lake Elsinore voters in Riverside County, California, on May 2, 2017. It was defeated.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of overriding the existing plan for Alberhill Villages to add 25 acres and 220 homes to the development, while eliminating 49 acres of open space. |
| A no vote was a vote against overriding the existing plan for Alberhill Villages, thereby keeping the current Alberhill Villages Specific Plan in place and allowing the alternative agreement reached between the city council and developers to move forward. |
Election results
| Measure A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| No | 3,378 | 88.22% | ||
| Yes | 451 | 11.78% | ||
- Election results from Riverside County Registrar of Voters
Overview
Alternative agreement
In February 2017, proponents of the measure came to a separate agreement with the Lake Elsinore City Council about the Alberhill Villages development that city officials and the developers preferred over the plan laid out in Measure A. The agreement was reached too late to remove the measure from the ballot so the developers, Castle & Cooke, joined the measure's opposition campaign to urge a "no" vote. If voters had passed Measure A, this alternative would have been nullified..[1][2]
Financial analysis
An independent financial analysis determined that Measure A would place a substantial financial burden on the city of Lake Elsinore. According to the analysis, the city could be responsible for between $33 million and $243 million over the next 20 years, which would damage the city's ability to provide basic services to the community. Lake Elsinore City Treasurer Allen Baldwin stated that the city could potentially face bankruptcy upon the passage of Measure A. The financial analysis also found that the alternative agreement reached by the city council and the developers could result in a gain of $25.7 million for the city over 20 years.[3][4]
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[3]
| “ |
Shall the Ordinance Initiative Measure Revising the Alberhill Villages Specific Plan Governing the Future Development of Approximately 1,400 Acres Located in Northwest Lake Elsinore, South of Interstate 15 and West of Lake Street be adopted?[5] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Lake Elsinore City Attorney:
| “ |
Measure A, known as the “Alberhill Villages Initiative,” was prepared by the landowner and placed on the Ballot by petition to override the Alberhill Villages Specific Plan already adopted by the City Council. After the Initiative was submitted, the City and the landowner worked together and reached agreement on an Amended and Restated Alberhill Villages Specific Plan and Development Agreement. Consequently, the landowner, the original proponent of Measure A and the Lake Elsinore City Council have submitted arguments urging a “No” vote. Measure A would add approximately 25 acres to the existing Specific Plan area located just south of Interstate 15 and west of Lake Street, allow an additional 220 homes, increase nonresidential development from 3,810,300 square feet to 4,007,000 square feet, and eliminate approximately 49 acres of natural or enhanced open space areas with multi-use trails. Measure A would zone the entire Specific Plan site as “M-3 – Manufacturing” which allows intensive manufacturing and industrial uses. The adopted Specific Plan allows existing mining operations to be phased out over time as new development occurs and permits only residential, commercial/retail, university, professional office/medical and entertainment uses shown in the existing Specific Plan to be developed. Measure A shifts the responsibility to build the 45.9 acre regional sports park to the City of Lake Elsinore and existing taxpayers and gives the land back to the landowner if the City does not complete the park within 5 years. The adopted Specific Plan requires the developer to pay for and complete the regional sports park. All new development in the City of Lake Elsinore, including the adopted Specific Plan, is required to participate in a City-wide public safety services financing district to provide police, fire and paramedic services and in a City-wide maintenance services district to fund maintenance services such street sweeping, landscaping and lighting. Measure A would eliminate this requirement for the Alberhill Villages development. According to an independent financial analysis, if Measure A passes, it would result in a significant financial burden of up to $242.9 million on the City and resident taxpayers over the next twenty years and “would severely and irreparably impact the ability for the City of Lake Elsinore to provide even the most basic of public safety (police and fire) services to the community as a whole.” In contrast, the fiscal impact analysis of the adopted Specific Plan and development agreement concluded that “the City of Lake Elsinore is projected to receive $25.7 million more in revenues than it will incur in expenses to support Alberhill Villages.” If Measure A passes, the Alberhill Villages Initiative could not be amended without a future election and majority vote of the people. A “Yes” vote on Measure A means the voter is in favor of the Alberhill Villages Initiative which would override the existing Specific Plan. A “No” vote on Measure A means the voter is opposed to the Initiative which leaves in place the Amended and Restated Alberhill Villages Specific Plan supported by the City and the landowner.[5] |
” |
| —Lake Elsinore City Attorney[3] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Note: The original proponents of Measure A abandoned it after the developers and the city council reached an agreement for an alternative plan. As a result, there was no formal support for the measure, and the original proponents urged a "no" vote.
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:[3]
- Dana Coon, resident and initiative proponent
- Teresa Kirpluk, secretary of Alberhill Ranch HOA and resident
- Steve Martin, Alberhill resident and business owner
- Susan Vanderburgh, business owner and resident
- Genie Kelley, past Lake Elsinore City Councilmember and teacher
Arguments in favor
In February 2017, proponents of the measure came to a separate agreement with the Lake Elsinore City Council about the Alberhill Villages development that city officials and the developers preferred over the plan laid out in Measure A. The agreement was reached too late to remove the measure from the ballot so the developers, Castle & Cooke, joined the measure's opposition campaign to urge a "no" vote.[1][2]
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[3]
| “ |
Measure A: A yes vote is no longer necessary nor representative of what is best for the Alberhill Villages project, the city and residents of Lake Elsinore. We want to thank Lake Elsinore voters for your support of Alberhill Villages. While Measure A was developed to finally bring the project to fruition through a vote of people, the City and the landowner worked together to reach agreement on an Amended and Restated Alberhill Villages Specific Plan and a new Development Agreement. The resulting agreement reviewed and supported by the City Planning Commission and the City Council will clarify and improve the Alberhill Villages Specific Plan and make the project better for all of Lake Elsinore. As members of the Live Lake Elsinore coalition, we support the creation of new amenities and job opportunities for residents in the city of Lake Elsinore. We have followed the process carefully and we believe that the plan approved by City Council and supported by the landowner is mutually beneficial and will provide needed certainty in the development process. For these reasons, we now urge voters to vote NO on Measure A. Measure A is no longer necessary and no longer represents what is best for our city and its residents. Please join us May 2nd and note NO on Measure A. Thank you.[5] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:[3]
- Robert Magee, mayor
- Steve Manos, councilmember
- Daryl Hickman, councilmember
- Natasha Johnson, mayor pro tem
- Brian Tisdale, councilmember
Arguments against
Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce President Kim Cousins stated that the initiative had significant financial issues for the city and expressed concerns over the legality of some of the provisions. Cousins also feared that not enough voters would show up at polls to vote "no", which would nullify the agreement reached by the city council and the developers.[2]
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[3]
| “ |
Measure A seeks to benefit a wealthy land developer at the cost of Lake Elsinore’s taxpayers. It uses your taxpayer dollars to pay for amenities normally paid for by a developer. Measure A lowers the bar on our community’s normal planning standards while stifling local citizen participation. It moves the burden of providing police and fire services to existing City taxpayers. Measure A shifts the responsibility to build a 46 acre sports park to City taxpayers. At a cost estimate as high as $42 million, under the terms of the initiative if the City fails to build this park, then the land would revert back to the developer with approval for more homes. An independent financial analysis of Measure A concluded that, if passed, the residents of the City of Lake Elsinore (outside of Alberhill Villages) will be responsible for an aggregate deficit of up to $242.9 million over a twenty year period. Development Management Group, Inc. cautioned the City and its residents that the passage of Measure A would: “...severely and irreparably impact the ability for the City of Lake Elsinore to provide even the most basic of public safety (police and fire) services to the community as a whole.” Measure A is not only costly but is simply no longer needed. The City recently adopted a comprehensive development plan for Alberhill Villages that will result in this development contributing $25.7 million in positive revenues for vital City services. This already approved development plan is supported by the developer and Measure A only remains on the ballot because the legal deadline to withdraw it passed. Please join the entire City Council, the Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce, and your neighbors in voting NO on Measure A.[5] |
” |
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a successful initiative petition campaign.
In order to place a citizen initiative on the ballot in Lake Elsinore, measure supporters must gather signatures equal to the amount of 10 percent of registered voters, and 15 percent to trigger a special election. As of May 23, 2016, there were 20,367 voters registered in Lake Elsinore, making the signature requirement 2,037 to qualify an initiative for a regular election and 3,056 to qualify an initiative for a special election.[6]
In December 2016, petitioners submitted 4,078 qualified signatures to place the measure on the ballot and trigger a special election. The initiative was then put before the Lake Elsinore City Council, who had the opportunity to approve the measure outright, set the date for the special election, or ask for a 30-day study. The city council asked for 30 days to analyze the effects of the development plan, and in January 2017, set the date for the election on May 2, 2017.[7][8][9]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Lake Elsinore Local zoning, land use and development Measure A. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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External links
Opposition
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Press-Enterprise, "Lake Elsinore council accepts revised Alberhill Villages development plan," February 15, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Press-Enterprise, "Lake Elsinore residents will vote on measure that neither side wants to pass," March 31, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 County of Riverside Registrar of Voters, "City of Lake Elsinore Special Measure Election," accessed April 5, 2017
- ↑ Valley News, "Bankruptcy looms for city of Lake Elsinore should Measure A pass," March 15, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Report of Registration as of May 23, 2016," accessed April 19, 2017
- ↑ Valley News, "Alberhill Villages qualifies for special election ballot," December 11, 2016
- ↑ Valley News, "City stalls forward movement of Alberhill Villages, requests study," December 22, 2016
- ↑ The Press-Enterprise, "Alberhill Villages Initiative may be headed to the ballot in Lake Elsinore," January 21, 2017
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