Devonshire Canyon Open Space Alliance Mission

The Devonshire Canyon Open Space Alliance is committed to preserving our environmental resources and to protecting the little accessible open land remaining in Devonshire Canyon from inappropriate development. We would like to see the Winding Way site preserved and enhanced for future generations to enjoy for hiking, dog walking, and other outdoor uses.

We recognize that the property owner has certain rights which we respect, and that the property owner has made an investment in this land. But purchasing undeveloped land is a speculative venture fraught with risks. In particular, the owner of the Winding Way properties assumed the risk that the land cannot be developed, especially such an environmentally sensitive parcel as this which is surrounded by other public and private lands which will never be developed. In fact, there are parcels throughout San Mateo County that have been zoned for specific uses but have never been developable or useable as such - due to city, county and state regulations and concerns for the safety and welfare of the Community at large. Any experienced developer is aware of these risks when he purchases a piece of land.

We recognize the City of San Carlos Planning Department is obligated to process any application for annexation and development that comes before it, and if the application is found to be compliant with all relevant code and regulations, present a proposal to the City Council for a Public Hearing. In this case, the Alliance does not believe the proposal is compliant. Letters from two different attorneys, as well as our own Letter of Concerns, point out many ways in which this proposed annexation is non-compliant with the state, county, and city policies and codes designed to protect the well-being of all citizens. This information is on the Documents section of this website. We realize the City is incented by the State to increase its residential housing inventory, but we do not believe this inappropriate and illegal development is the way to go about it.

In addition, at the Planning Commission meeting on the Annexation, one reason given for proceeding with this Annexation was that development of these parcels was better done under the City than the County. We believe it is a false assumption that this land can be developed under the County. The parcels proposed for Annexation can not get sewer hook up under the County, and we believe would not be permitted to install septic fields due to soil type and the slope of the land in a watershed ravine of the Pulgas Creek. The developer has come to the City for annexation as a last resort.

The City has written goals emerging from its visioning work to concentrate housing near transportation and jobs to minimize traffic congestion and to look for additional parcels to designate as parks or open space to create more balanced land use. The effort to annex and develop this property is directly contrary to those goals.

We are asking the City to reject the annexation, so that this ill-conceived project will die and more constructive outcomes for the property owner and the community can be pursued. We view this as a situation in which outcomes favorable to everyone involved are possible and desirable.

This position paper is also available in Acrobat format on our Documents page.