As we open our Primary Election ballots and cast votes in the coming days, we are helping positively shape the future for Chula Vista residents and our neighbors across San Diego County.
The Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce has been advocating for programs, projects and public policy that adequately plans for the future and protects Chula Vista’s and San Diego County’s quality of life for 93 years. We endorse voting YES on Measure B, the Better Choice Measure, because it will bring thousands of jobs to the region, generate significant tax revenue and most importantly provide a significant amount of affordably-priced homes for working families in San Diego County.
Voting Yes on B on March 3rd would approve a master-planned community with 2,135 homes along the I-15 corridor and expand housing opportunities for San Diego County’s workforce. Guaranteed through a legally binding deed restriction on the property, more than 60 percent of these homes will be affordably-priced for local working families.
If passed, Measure B would affirm the County Board of Supervisors’ unanimous 2018 approval of a plan that has already gone through the required public planning and environmental review process. It’s only on the ballot because the billionaire owners of the nearby Golden Door Spa spent millions of dollars to overturn the project’s approval. They just don’t want any neighbors disturbing their celebrity clientele.
Measure B provides a better choice for the development of 1,985 acres of privately-owned land that will be developed one way or the other. The current General Plan designation allows for the development of a two million square foot commercial and retail center along with 99 luxury estates. Voting Yes on B this March would instead create one of county’s first carbon-neutral residential communities with 36 acres of parks, 19 miles of trails and more than 1,200 acres of permanent open space.
Measure B will also have a positive economic impact in the region, bolstering our regional economy and benefitting our workforce. During the project’s 10-year construction period, the new housing community will create 6,280 jobs and produce $34.8 million in wages. Once complete, the project will generate $3.64 million in property and sales taxes each year. Yes on B will also help families live near their workplace, improving their quality of life, which ultimately affects our businesses and economy.
The Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce is proud to join a diverse, countywide coalition in support of Yes on B that includes California State Senator Ben Hueso, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas-Salas, Chula Vista City Councilmember Jill Galvez, San Diego Union Tribune, Casa Familiar, The Chicano Federation, The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, CALFIRE Firefighters #2881, MAAC and the Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS, among many others.
This March, I ask that you join me and some of our region’s most trusted elected officials, business leaders, affordable housing advocates and public safety officials in standing up for more affordably priced housing options for everyone in our county by voting Yes on Measure B.
Lisa Cohen is CEO of Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce.
