Watching your lawn slowly die …

At a recent “Conversations with the Mayor”,  a resident asked why we are still developing when we are in a drought, and where the water is going to come from.  Mayor Bob responded that the water districts have not asked the City Council to stop developing.

While that may be true, EBMUD has declared a Stage 4 critical drought and set a community-wide goal to reduce water use 20% compared to 2013.  The Contra Costa Water District Board of Directors set a water conservation requirement of 25% compared to 2013.

There are currently 1,525 new units approved or already under construction in just eight major projects downtown.  That represents almost a 5% increase in the City’s housing stock over 2013.

Think about it as you watch your lawn slowly die.

Moratorium Mirror ...

At their March 17th, 2015 meeting, the City Council considered passing an interim urgency ordinance to prohibit the issuance of conditional use permits (CUPs) for multifamily residential development in commercial land use and zoning districts.  It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the proposal failed - after all, it is the City Council themselves who are ultimately responsible for this most recent development trend.

The New Definition of Charitable Giving

The Walnut Creek Library Foundation, the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, the Diablo Regional Arts Association and other similar “friends” groups are all well-intentioned, publicly-minded volunteers banding together to raise money from benevolent donors who support their cause.  Right?   That may not be the whole story.