To the members of the City Council & Planning Commission:
To our surprise, YIMBY Law recently sent a letter to the City warning that placing the Esmeralda project before voters could jeopardize the City's Housing Element certification & violate other state housing laws. These are serious claims.
While we think placing our project on the ballot is a bad idea, we had not previously considered the arguments the YIMBY Law letter raises & are not prepared to weigh in on their merits. That being said, we do want to reaffirm our commitment to an open & transparent public process & provide context on how this conversation got started in the first place.
The YIMBY Law letter notes that Councilmember Marquez requested that the City Attorney deliver a presentation on the City's legal options for placing our project on the ballot, which triggered their letter. We note that the Council unanimously voted to place the item on the agenda to learn more, & that Councilmember Marquez raised the question because his constituents were asking him these questions.
We are glad that Councilmember Marquez raised these questions. He was doing his job & in doing so, he brought to light potential risks to the City that might otherwise have gone unexamined. That is a service to Cloverdale, whatever anyone's position on Esmeralda.
We want the public to have complete information about both the process & the project. That is precisely why we have spent more than two years on public outreach. We believe residents should be able to evaluate our project based on objective, factual, & complete information. Many of the workshops, open houses, & other events we've hosted & attended were encouraged or inspired by conversations with Council members, including Councilmember Marquez.
We believe public debate should stay grounded in facts & focused on the merits. That is the standard we hold ourselves to, & it is what we encourage from supporters & opponents alike.
The City expects to publish the project's entitlements package soon. We look forward to a healthy & respectful conversation about our proposed plan. As always, our door is open to any council member, commissioner, or resident with questions.
Respectfully,
Devon Zuegel
Founder & CEO,
Esmeralda Land Company