"Cannot block development' letter to green valley news and sun, february 8, 2008

Editor:

This letter is to correct a statement by reporter Jim Lamb in his February 6, 2008 article in the Green Valley News “Who pays for new Madera bridges?”  In a disjointed article purportedly reporting on who will pay for the safety improvements to the existing bridges in Madera Canyon Road, your reporter makes the unrelated, throw-away statement that the Friends of Madera Canyon and its committee, the Defenders of Madera Canyon “want to block the development” currently proposed by the Kettenbach family at the entrance to Madera Canyon.  FOMC very well knows that it cannot “block” a development that is authorized by existing law. 

 

While FOMC and many other residents of Green Valley and greater Pima County feel that the property and its surrounding parcels are of such environmental significance that they should be preserved if at all possible, FOMC knows that the Kettenbachs have the right to develop their property in compliance with the land use regulations of the County and State.  If the Kettenbachs are intent on developing the property, they clearly have that right, provided the development meets all required regulations.

 

However, FOMC and other concerned citizens have a free speech right to express their opinions regarding the effect the proposed development will have on the area’s ecology, wildlife and the roadway system leading up to the Canyon, in the hope that the property owner will takes these concerns into consideration.  They have a right to express their concerns regarding the inadequate roadway system leading up to the Canyon, and their fears that the danger of the area’s not infrequent wildfires may be increased by an urban development injected into rural grasslands.  They also have a right to insist that the development complies with existing County regulations, and to point out the areas where it does not meet existing requirements.

 

The next time your reporter wants to include a negative, conclusionary statement in his article, he should first check with FOMC to see if his conclusions are accurate. It’s a local call, Jim.

 

Luis Calvo

Friends of Madera Canyon

Defenders Committee

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