Opposing yard signs of Measure M in Sierra Madre (Photos – Jean Sudbury)
Measure M is on the ballot as a referral in Sierra Madre on May 9, 2023.
In order to help voters make an informed decision, Colorado Boulevard presents two opposing opinions. A simple majority is required to approve Measure M.
YES on M
I’m voting YES on Measure M, and urge you to vote YES as well.
By John Hutt
No matter how we vote on Measure M, there will be a housing project on Mater Dolorosa. The vote decides which project will be built, but it can’t stop residential development.
The General Plan amendment allowing residential use is final, as is the environmental impact report (EIR) determining that there are no significant environmental impacts. The authors of the petition could have challenged the General Plan amendment and the EIR, but they didn’t. They could have stopped residential development, but they chose not to.
Allow me to get a bit technical to explain. The Sierra Madre City Council approved the Meadows project by adopting Ordinance 1461 (which approved the Specific Plan and Development Agreement), and by adopting Resolution 22-58 (which amended the General Plan to allow residential use and certified the EIR). Voting NO on Measure M will overturn only Ordinance 1461, but not Resolution 22-58. So legally, a housing development is cleared for Mater Dolorosa. What will that housing development look like?
If Measure M passes, the project that was reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission and City Council will move forward. It will be limited to 42 design-reviewed homes, provide a three-acre public park, preserve trees, widen Carter Avenue, and provide significant funding for water, police, and fire departments.
It’s not clear what the development will look like if Measure M fails. The developer has submitted a new plan for 50 houses and no park. Because the Specific Plan and Development Agreement would no longer apply, there would be no design review of the houses, no park, fewer controls on tree removal, and greatly reduced funding for City departments. Hence, the NO-on-M project would have more traffic, more water use, more impacts on the environment and City finances. and limited project review compared to the YES-on-M project.
There will be a housing development on Mater Dolorosa. The question we face is which project we prefer. I prefer the YES-on-M project to the NO-on-M project, so I will vote YES on Measure M.
O O O
NO on M
A NO on Measure M is critical to the future of Sierra Madre.
By Scott Hood
We make Sierra Madre our home, new residents move here, and visitors come for our village character. “The Meadows” McMansion project undermines this—going a long way toward destroying the charm. We owe it to the residents of Sierra Madre past and present to Vote No to resist outside developers with “Special” plans that don’t conform to the housing rules we must follow. Outside developers are focused on profiting from our uniquely lovable town, not on preserving it.
The cynically named “Meadows” project will be the largest, densest tract-housing development in our city’s history. Marketed as a new park, this trojan horse attempts to sneak in 42 McMansions stacked side by side on small lots. In terms of house/lot square-footage ratios, it will be nearly twice as dense as the surrounding neighborhood.
Sadly, this did not have to be the case. The City Council approved this project of 42 houses when it should have been no more than 20 houses based on the City’s zoning ordinances. Aside from the unprecedented size and density, other problems include more than doubling traffic in the neighborhood, increasing fire danger in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, destroying wildlife habitat, negatively impacting our water supply, and setting a dangerous precedent for future projects.
Perhaps the saddest and most painful of practical truths is that the project will cost the city money for decades to come by requiring additional infrastructure and city services that property taxes will not cover. It is no accident there has never been a financial analysis of the project’s impact.
This is the opportunity for Sierra Madre residents to have their voices heard and vote down this tract housing fiasco. Do not believe the Vote Yes propaganda, which threatens that the developer will build more houses if this project is voted down. There is no law that can force a project if it exceeds a city’s general plan, as the proposed 50 homes clearly would, by more than double. We don’t accept 42 houses and we won’t accept 50.
Please help save our city by Voting NO on Measure M on May 9th.
O O O
John Hutt is a real estate attorney and Sierra Madre Planning Commissioner.
Scott Hood is a chairman of global investing company and former volunteer for Sierra Madre Ad-hoc Finance Committee.
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