Sierra Madre is a charming foothill village unlike anywhere else in LA County. A NO vote on Measure M overturns the Sierra Madre City Council’s approval of Ordinance 1461, which allows construction of a massive tract housing project of 42 McMansions called “The Meadows at Bailey Canyon.”
The project would be built into the hillside adjacent to Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park, destroying the natural slope of the land and the tranquility of the surrounding communities.
If approved, The Meadows will be the largest tract housing project ever built in Sierra Madre and does not conform to our residential zoning ordinance or the general plan developed by city residents to reflect our values regarding our neighborhoods and environment.
Instead of abiding by the rules that apply to the rest of us, an exclusive “Special Plan” governs the project. Thus, the developer can pack large, multimillion-dollar houses on small lots that are not affordable for most families.
Measure M is bad for our environment: The Meadows would destroy the habitats of native animals while cutting down more than 100 trees onsite and in adjacent Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park.
Measure M will allow this project to be built in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, Cal Fire’s highest severity designation. We do not need increased fire danger in Sierra Madre.
Measure M will increase traffic dramatically in the surrounding area where sidewalks are rare—endangering residents.
Measure M will impact our water supply with more demand during a drought, raising concerns and possibly raising rates.
Measure M sets a dangerous precedent for future development.
Measure M arose from the Sierra Madre City Council ignoring the concerns raised by residents over the past two+ years.
Vote NO against a Santa Monica developer with special interest funding that doesn’t share our concerns or values.
Let’s ensure that Sierra Madre is preserved, and we maintain our quality of life.
Please VOTE NO ON MEASURE M.
Our rebuttal argument:
The Yes for Measure M argument seems designed to threaten voters about the prospect of an even worse construction project if they vote No.
It’s simple! A NO vote on Measure M will stop “The Meadows at Bailey Canyon” project (“The Meadows”).
Stopping “The Meadows” is what Sierra Madre is voting on in this election—not what could happen in the future with another potentially worse housing project that is still largely a pipedream.
The facts are:
• A No vote on Measure M will stop construction of “The Meadows”: a subdivision of 42 oversized, multimillion-dollar McMansions on Passionist Retreat Center land.
• “The Meadows” doesn’t conform to our General Plan or R1 Residential zoning, sets a dangerous precedent for future developments, and doesn’t follow the zoning rules that all other residents of Sierra Madre must follow.
• “The Meadows” destroys the meadow and wildlife habitat, removes every existing tree on the 17 acres, markedly increases traffic and fire risk, and will look nothing like the adjacent neighborhoods.
The City and developer negotiated ”The Meadows” behind closed doors and presented it to Sierra Madre residents as a done deal as Covid lockdowns went into effect. Little of significance about the project has changed. We will continue to fight any development in the future that does not adhere to our Sierra Madre General Plan and zoning rules. But first we must defeat “The Meadows” by Voting NO.
Let’s continue to PROTECT Sierra Madre.
Vote NO on Measure M. Preserve our community and send a message that Sierra Madre residents can’t be bought or intimidated by an out-of-town developer.
We deserve better. We can do better.