Moore, Tania
From: Levin, Shannon
Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 8:22 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: FW: Public Comment on Item 4. Bolsa Chica Annexation Study, 9/6/2022, 6:00PM Attachments: Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve 1.png
From: Zap <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2022 2:12 PM SUPPLEMEMTAL
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment on Item 4. Bolsa Chica Annexation Study, 9/6/2022, 6:00PM COMMRICATION Meeting Defe: 9/6/2022
To City Council from Ben Pickens,
#
Please attach this to Item 4. Bolsa Chica Annexation Study. Agenda Nam No.: 4 (22-729) I appreciate being able to speak about the Bolsa Chica Annexation Study. I'm very familiar with the Ecological Reserve, I hiked and volunteered here and worked for the State Park Beaches and I'm personally more interested in seeing the reserve untainted for other residents to enjoy. I disagree with the city purchasing the Reserve because, respectfully, I question if the city council network is set up to respect it or if the police department is willing to patrol it in hiking shoes. I appreciate the State's incredible water way that was dug out and the lookout hills. If the conservancy wants to sell the reserve I plead for them to sell it to the State Parks Service. I debate that historically the only true issue is that a chain linked fence can't go up in front of the Ecological Reserve because it's too close to the heavily Sun dependent foliage and sensitive water-based flight system and I think the State Park Service is perfectly capable of taking care of this entire area legally and I think the state officers would enjoy doing this and making it work. The final reconnection Phase area is important to everyone and the lakes here are important as freshwater wetlands or lakes for the creatures although some might be able to be reconnected as saltwater wetlands. In the heart of the reserve there are colonies of sea slugs, manta rays, guppies, fish, rare birds including buzzards and hawks, coyotes, goffers, owls, squirrels, skunks, racoons, lizards, rattle snakes, rare insects and plants. In order to appreciate this area you have to actually look at it, it's arguably like a national park. Take note of the City of Irvine completing Wild Rivers 2.0 next to the Irvine Great Park instead of destroying the legacy of the old air base, this is going to make their city very successful. Please match this effort by allowing the Ecological Reserve to be sold to the State Park Service. Respectfully, I guarantee you that a tract of more low-density houses and what have you is not what residents are looking for here and I think will discourage residents. I think it is still very apparent that it is optimal for contractors to learn to build up and not out. Please continue doing the research and staying with the times. We also have an obligation to support the healthiness of the farm systems, military's emergency open space needs and to keep California awesome. Although many different residents elected the city council, I think you will be surprised that what all residents are saying is that it is far from being all about development projects or "city growth" when it comes to the ecological reserve. Whatever other issues or goals are going on in the world I think considering selling the Ecological Reserve to the State Park Service should be an absolute priority. I think building on the ecological reserve further will squander gains made.
I have attached a slide for study of an improved Final reconnection Phase of the Ecological Reserve I have designed. I can design it better in complement with the incredible park but the main point is that I think it can be reconnected and that the dirt trail can wrap around the oil facility and work safely with the neighborhood and 1 that some existing parking can be monetized and include the state park annual pass and benefit the city land value no matter what is said.
I'd appreciate anyone truly in favor of the ecological reserve's sanctity to come forward and speak about item 4 solely for the sake of what is right.
Sincerely, Ben Pickens, HB Resident
2 Edwards St
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Imagery 82020 Gaogle, Imagery 82 020 Data USGS, Maxar Technologies, U.S. Geological Survey, USDA Farm Service Agency, Map data 82020 United States Tems