Local Blogs
By Tim Hunt
E-mail Tim Hunt
About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add...
(More)
About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in addition to writing editorials for more than 15 years. I have served as a director of many non-profits in the Valley and the broader Bay Area and currently serve as chair of Teen Esteem and on the advisory board of Shepherd?s Gate. I also served as founding chair of Heart for Africa and have travelled to Africa seven times to serve on mission trips. My wife, Betty Gail, has taught at Amador Valley High (from where we both graduated) since 1981. She and I both graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, as did both of my parents and my three siblings. Given that Cal tradition, our daughter went south to the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in international relations. Since graduation, she has taken three mission trips and will be serving in the Philippines for nine months starting in September.
(Hide)
View all posts from Tim Hunt
New heights for NIMBYs
Uploaded: Aug 28, 2014
Many San Ramon Valley residents are taking NIMBY (Not in my back yard) attitudes to new heights.
An estimated 450 people gathered last weekend to protest against the Creekside Memorial Cemetery proposed for an unincorporated parcel in the Tassajara Valley. It's located on Tassajara Road between Windemere Parkway (the connection from the Dougherty Valley) and Highland Road that runs east to Livermore.
Frequently, residents complain about high-density housing or additional single family homes that could add to traffic and more students to schools. They fear their quality of life will be negatively affected by more people.
None of these objections apply significantly to burial plots?yes, there will be traffic from mourners attending burial services. The plans call for only about 30 percent (60 acres) of the 221 acres to be developed for the cemetery and its structures. It will be quite challenging to find quieter neighbors, although there are few residences in the rural countryside.
The cemetery plans have been mired in the Contra Costa County planning process for more than eight years, but a final environmental report was certified last year.
One valid concern is water. There is ground water in the Tassajara Valley, but there is no outside source. If developer Sid Corrie wants to create a traditional cemetery with lots of green grass, then he needs to figure out how to tap recycled water that is over the ridge in the Dougherty Valley. The alternative could be a drought tolerant landscaping of native plants in a different approach to a cemetery.
Opponents claim the cemetery is too big?it's beyond expected demand. It may be, but that's the gamble the developer takes, not an appropriate decision point for agencies dealing with whether the use of the land is suitable.
We need your support now more than ever. Can we count on you?
Comments
Post a comment
Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.