Destruction of a Community

Voice Of San Diego (2008-01-08) Steve Kowit

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More Info: Blackwater, Blackwater West, Local Politics

By Steve Kowit, Potrero

Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008 | As a long-time resident of Potrero, I can only shake my head at Brian Bonfiglio's notion that outside agitators clouded the minds of the 70 percent of Potrero residents who voted to recall the pro-Blackwater planning group and elect a slate of anti-Blackwater candidates. One of the land-use issues is the intolerable noise of 11 firing ranges that will be used all day every day. This alone will destroy the community character of this quiet, peaceful rural community.

The helipad they are planning to erect is another nightmare. Do you know how loud and invasive helicopters landing and taking off are? Because we live a mile and a half from the proposed site, the noise from the firing ranges alone will be enough to force my wife and I to sell our home and relocate. But our home will be worth next to nothing. One nearby resident has already lost a sale because the prospective buyer found out Blackwater might be setting up a military training camp here.

The enormous armory they are planning to build will make Potrero a major disaster in the next big fire. That too is an urgent land use concern.

If the County Department of Planning and Land Use grants their major use permit, it is because Duncan Hunter and political forces in Washington have urged them to. Blackwater will utterly destroy this once-peaceful back-country community!