Proposal to Annex Devonshire Canyon Open Land
Into City of San Carlos for Development

[revised text of leaflet distributed January, 2003
to canyon residents and surrounding neighborhoods]

The Proposal

A proposal to annex for development the wilderness canyon located along the dirt road accessible from Chesham Avenue or Winding Way has been approved by the City of San Carlos Planning Department.

** Hearing may be rescheduled. See bottom of page for how to find out if it is rescheduled.

There will be a Public Hearing at the City of San Carlos Council Chambers, City Hall, Monday evening January 13, 2003** at 8:00 pm. for the purpose of hearing and considering comments of interested persons.

The Lots

The hearing will consider the proposal by three developers to have the City of San Carlos prezone and annex 5 parcels from the County of San Mateo for the purpose of residential development. City documents show one lot is at the bend in the dirt road at the deepest point in the canyon, while the other 4 lots are contained in the natural drainage area surrounded by the road beginning at the same bend and going up toward Winding Way.  This would appear to require extensive fill and earth moving.

The Access

Traffic to this development would travel on Chesham Avenue, a narrow and winding county road.  The developers would be responsible to improve the dirt road that begins at the bend in Chesham to a rural paved road 22 feet wide from Chesham up to the five lots. See small map or download large map.

Some Issues of Concern

• Open Land Preservation
  This is the some of the little remaining open land in our beautiful wilderness canyon. This canyon land is currently used by hikers, dog walkers and nature lovers, is covered with vegetation natural to the area and is a refuge for wildlife. Our current understanding is that it will be very difficult to develop this land unless it is annexed by the City because the County will not make additional sewer hookups available. The City may, in effect, preserve this land simply by refusing to annex it. While it is not reasonable to expect developers to allow their land to be used for public purposes without compensation, it is reasonable to give the community an opportunity to find a way to purchase this land with private and public funds.
  
  If these five parcels are annexed, other contiguous parcels of undeveloped county land in the canyon could be annexed and developed.  One questions whether the continuing destruction of open space and the additional traffic it brings represents the best interest of the people.
   
• Traffic
  Although the proposal is for 5 houses an Initial Study was prepared in April 2001 for the City addressing “the development potential in the Devonshire Canyon Area. The study anticipated approximately 15 new homes,” including these 5 parcels.  Chesham Avenue is a very narrow winding street where two cars can barely pass abreast. It is not adequate for the traffic it currently carries and completely inadequate for additional traffic.  Many people on this street have no yard and their children frequently play on this street. There is no access by City streets or by streets meeting City standards to this proposed development.
   
• Residents Not Notified
  Because the parcels proposed for annexation are not located near existing houses, most residents in this area have not been informed of this proposal, given an opportunity to study it, access the impact on our community and respond.  Most people receiving this flier are learning about this issue for the first time shortly before the City Council meeting. This proposal has a tremendous impact on all the residents of the Canyon, and we should have adequate time to study it and respond.
  
  Only 27 property owners in all of Devonshire Canyon were notified by the City of San Carlos, many of them receiving the notice the day of the Hearing, before the October 21, 2002 Planning Commission Public Hearing on this matter – resulting in the Planning Commission adopting a resolution unanimously recommending that the City Council adopt the Prezoning Ordinance leading to annexation of these five lots into the City.
   
• Developers Representation of Situation
  The developers are misrepresenting the situation in the Canyon to the City Council.  The following are quotes from their packet regarding annexation.

“For the past several years the site has been acting in the capacity of the local dump for some residents – as for approximately eight (80) yards of debris ranging form automobiles, washers and dryers, tires, bicycles, flooring materials, hot water heaters, etc were removed from the property.  The road is used today by the occasional dog walker.”

Although there has unfortunately been some irresponsible dumping in a small corner of the area, most of that canyon area is clean, beautiful natural land.  In December of 2001 the developers, in clear violation of County ordinances which require permits before cutting any trees, began clear cutting the canyon land. They were forced to stop by the County.  Their representation of this situation is “The removal of years of undergrowth (fuel) was well received by C.D.F.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Attend the Meeting

If the development of this natural canyon is of concern to you, please plan to attend the public hearing at the City of San Carlos Council Chambers, City Hall, Monday evening January 13, 2003 at 8:00 pm.  The more people who turn out and speak up the more likely the City Council will be to really take our concerns seriously.

Become More Informed and Involved

For the short term our goals for the January 13th meeting are: 1) make the City Council aware by a good showing of residents that many county and city residents are truly concerned about further development of this beautiful natural canyon, and 2) ask that they vote to continue this matter for a reasonable time to allow the residents, the City and the owners/developers of these 5 parcels to consider alternative options such as purchasing, re-zoning, and preserving this land as “a hiking trail/open space/park” for the enjoyment of all San Carlos residents.  For the longer term, the Devonshire Canyon Open Space Alliance has formed with the goal of preserving this open land for the use and enjoyment of people in Devonshire Canyon and the San Carlos area.

To become more informed about the Alliance’s work, consider the Devonshire Canyon Open Space Alliance email discussion list. Read the archived messages. To join the discussion, please subscribe yourself.  You can also visit the Devonshire Canyon Open Space Alliance web site at www.devonshirecanyon.org for more information.

To get involved, volunteer, or request specific information, you can email DevonshireCanyon@yahoo.com for a direct response - someone will get back to you within 24 hours.

Contact the City Council

You can contact your City Council members prior to the meeting with your questions and concerns. They are reachable through the City of San Carlos web site at:
http://ci.san-carlos.ca.us

Go to this web address, under the heading City Departments click on City Council and then click on individual Council members.  In the lower left corner of each members’ page there is a “For More Info” box that gives their phone number. If you click on their name in that box you will bring up an email screen with a message addressed to them from you and you need only fill in the content.

** To Determine if Annexation Hearing Has Been Rescheduled

• Subscribe to the email list as described on the previous page. An email will be sent to the list on January 10, 2003 letting people know whether the Hearing will be January 13 or has been rescheduled.
   
• Call the City Clerk’s office at 802-4219 on 1/10/03 or 1/13/03 and ask.