Editor:
As some of you may know, I am one of your Planning Commissioners, and I am generally concerned about the decision making processes being used by the Moraga Planning Department.
Next week, on Wednesday, August 24, 2016, the Moraga Town Council will address the recent appeal of the Planning Commission’s effective denial of the GDP (general conceptual plan) application for the Moraga Town Center Homes project. I submitted a letter to the Town Council members as a private citizen that I think everyone in Moraga that cares about planning issues should read. This letter sets forth in detail the reasons for my concerns about the procedures and standards of review that are being used by the Planning Department when reviewing proposed Development Plans, and the issues that I believe are relevant to the upcoming review on the appeal of the MTCH project.
In my approach, we run the dirt through a coarse filter to remove the biggest rocks, which we throw away. Then the next day, we run the filtered pile of dirt (plus any new dirt added to the pile in the meantime) through a medium filter to remove the big clods of dirt and any other large objects that may have somehow gotten through on the first round of filtering, which we throw away. Then the next day, we run the twice filtered pile of dirt (plus any new dirt added to the pile in the meantime) through a fine grain filter to remove any remaining clods or objects that are bigger than a pea (however they got there), so we are left with a pile of smooth dirt that we can use in our garden. Then, we put the pile of dirt in the garden.
With the Planning Department’s approach, we run the dirt through a coarse filter to remove the biggest rocks, which we throw away. Then the next day, if we have more dirt to add to the pile (more details in the plan), we add it to the pile so long as doing so would end up with a pile of dirt that was consistent with how it looked after the first day. Then the next day, if we have more dirt to add to the pile (more details in the plan), we add it to the pile so long as doing so would end up with a pile of dirt that was consistent with how it looked after the second day. Then, we put the pile of dirt into the garden.
If you have any interest in this project, or in planning and development issues in Moraga for the future, please review the linked PDF so you can have additional information at your disposal that may well help you have a more meaningful impact on the Town Council’s decision–which will have ramifications for all future such projects. In addition, please feel free to disseminate this letter and the attachment to any other Moragans that you think might be interested.
The more we know, and the more people that know what we know, the better our planning decisions will be.
Thanks so much!
Best Regards,
Kymberleigh Korpus
She makes a fairly cogent argument for change even though it was deep wading. Driving around Lamorinda lately has left us with a sense of dread for what appears to be coming our way.