PLAN Role Clarified

The Sept. 29 article (“Slow-Growthers Want Planning Panels Purged”) on the city’s policy regarding community planning was generally excellent. However, two small quibbles: First, PLAN (Prevent Los Angelization Now) is not a group of “slow-growthers,” as the headline said. Rather, PLAN advocates growth planning. We recognize that San Diego will continue to grow--we just want some thought given to how it will grow.

The city’s plan is out of date and not evenly enforced. PLAN wants to see guidelines strengthened and enforced. Even city Planning Department Director Robert Spaulding has noted that, in many unurbanized areas, builders are making the plans. The fox is guarding the henhouse. That is why we are short of schools, police and fire protection and are facing horrible traffic on the northern edge of the city.

The second small caveat regards the quote from Carol Landsman, the excellent chair of the Community Planners Committee, that a member of the developer segment of our population could not be a resident member of a planning committee. There would be no bar to developers holding commercial seats on planning committees. PLAN’s intent is to prevent developers form dominating planning committees, not from serving.

As eight-year chair of the Pacific Beach Planning Committee, I benefited greatly from the expertise of our builder and architect members. Pacific Beachers owe much to such developers as Doug Kingma, a builder who served for about six years in Pacific Beach, and real estate broker Keith Behner, an eight-year member who oversaw the planning of the Cass Street commercial district. All PLAN wants is a balance on planning committees, not domination by either side.

CATHERINE A. STROHLEIN

Vice chairwoman, PLAN