The VOTERS UNION
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE OPPOSES DDR MEGA MALL INITIATIVEPAULIN.JPG
April 14, 2009 • 2008 photo rj
    New Citizen Coalition Will Oppose DDR's Attempt to Buy Approval of Zoning Change to Allow for Mega- Mall
    A new coalition has formed to lead local opposition to a ballot initiative funded by Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty, Inc. (DDR) that would change the zoning of the former Masonite site to allow development of a mega-mall.
    Save Our Local Economy (SOLE) will counter the corporate funding of DDRís campaign with grassroots organizing, education, and fundraising. SOLEís website is "http://www.NoMegaMall.com" and e-mail is SOLE@pacific.net.
    SOLE includes local business owners, farmers, attorneys, and elected officials from throughout the Mendocino County who are concerned that a giant mall on the outskirts of Ukiah will economically drain locally-owned shops around the county, and cause a host of adverse environmental and traffic impacts.
    When last November's elections resulted in a majority of the Board of Supervisors opposed to DDRís plan for a mega-mall, DDR decided to circumvent local review by sponsoring its own ballot initiative.
    "We're confident that most voters will take offense at DDRís attempt to use outside money and influence to undermine the general plan process for land use planning," said Mari Rodin, Ukiah City Council member and a spokesperson for SOLE.  "When the voters of the Ukiah area elected Carre Brown and John McCowen last November, and the future of the Masonite site was a major campaign issue, they were expressing support for the maintenance of the site for new industrial jobs.
    DDR kicked off its campaign on April 9 with dozens of paid signature-gatherers stationed outside major stores throughout the county. They are being paid $2 for each signature they get on an initiative petition in favor of a General Plan amendment exclusively for DDR's 76 acres.
     The General Plan amendment would enact a 310-page Specific Plan that was written for DDR by an Orange County consultant.  It would give DDR the right to build up to 800,000 square feet of big box stores and 150 townhouses, in any combination or any configuration that DDR chooses.  The parking lot would exceed 3,000 cars and North State Street would need seven traffic lights in a stretch of only a 1/2 mile.
    If DDR gets a sufficient number of valid signatures of registered voters, the Initiative will go on the countywide ballot in November 2009 or June 2010.
    SOLE spokesperson Cliff Paulin says, "The Masonite site is the largest remaining industrial-zoned parcel in inland Mendocino County.  It must stay available for new light industrial businesses that will bring well-paying jobs, like we have seen from the Rose Industrial Park just to the north.  DDR has been keeping the Masonite site unavailable to new industry since it bought it in 2005, and that should stop.ß
    "We don't need DDRís new shopping mall to get new stores.  There are already 95 acres of retail-zoned land available in the Ukiah Valley.  These sites are properly located and wonít squeeze out new industrial jobs.  A giant new shopping mall at Masonite would simply cannibalize our downtown Ukiah shopping areas and turn them into ghost towns.  New jobs from DDR would come at the expense of existing retail jobs all over Mendocino County.
    "DDRís ballot measure would bypass all environmental review since it is exempt from the requirement for an Environmental Impact Report.  There wouldn't be any way to require mitigations of impacts on our scarce water supply or the traffic bottleneck that would develop on North State Street.
    "DDR is counting on its big money to get a blank check to do anything it wants to our community.  For example, their ballot measure would give them the right to put up giant signs without any restrictions on height, size and lighting.  Local government would have no control over any development on the site."
    SOLE has supporters throughout Mendocino County and hopes that local public officials will take a strong stand.  
    Second District County Supervisor John McCowen has written:   "DDRís initiative takes over 300 pages to say: 'If we trick you into voting for this, we get to build whatever we want and you get stuck with the impacts."
    DDRís paid signature gatherers, working under the name of ìMendocino County Tomorrow, have been using misrepresentation and false statements to induce poorly informed voters to sign the petition.
    A typical opener heard from their signature collectors is, "This petition is for the cleanup of the Masonite site."
    "These sorts of misrepresentations are not surprising given that Mendocino County Tomorrow is actually Astroturf, (fake grass roots) backed financially by DDR," says Rodin. County residents should be aware that if they signed the petition they can write to the County Elections office to request their name be removed.
    In a contrasting spirit of openness and transparency, SOLE is dedicated to educating County residents about the reality of the initiative. As a first step, SOLE will post on its website an electronic copy of DDR's proposed initiativeósomething which Mendocino  County Tomorrow has refused to do thus far. =
    DDR, based in Ohio, is one of the largest shopping center developers in the country with $10 billion assets.  It has encountered business setbacks and its stock fell to about $2 per share last year and its debt was downgraded to junk bond rating.  There is some question whether DDR has the financial resources to actually build its proposed shopping mall.  
    SOLE spokesperson Guinness McFadden said that it is possible that if DDR succeeds in getting approval of its ballot measure, it would simply sell the site to a better-financed developer for a profit.  
    "DDR could get a good price because its ballot measure would give the property owner the right to do anything it wants without any local government review," he explained.
    For more information For additional information contact spokespersons:  Cliff Paulin  707-463-0413
                           Mari Rodin 707-272-1937
                           Guinness McFadden 707-743-1122 or see "http://www.nomegamall.com" or email "sole@pacfic.net"
 Save Our Local Economy (SOLE), P.O. Box 1530, Ukiah, CA 95482 .

                                           
    UVTV News also has the complete DDR General Plan initiative documents available as pdfs. Go to <http://www.ukiahvalley.tv>www.ukiahvalley.tv.. then "shows" then "UVTV News," then "UVTV News 4-13-09."
    Click on "Related Docs' on right side of video.