Dear Butte Environmental Council (BEC) Members and Friends:

This is an urgent call to action to stand in opposition to the proposed Valley’s Edge Specific Plan (VESP) – the sprawling development plan poised to adversely impact 1,448 acres of foothill oak woodland to create primarily inequitable luxury housing units and commercial buildings in the fire-prone area between Stilson Canyon and Honey Run Road. The Final Environmental Impact Report has been released and the Chico Planning Commission will be considering the FEIR and the plan itself on December 1, 2022 for recommendation to the Chico City Council.

City Council will likely meet soon after the December 1 Planning Commission meeting to decide whether or not to approve the plan for annexation. 

BEC is collaborating with Smart Growth Advocates and Sierra Club to oppose this development. While there are multiple approaches for pushing back against the plan, one thing is very clear: we cannot make a stand without the support of our community. This is why you are receiving this message. 

There are several issues we have with this plan, which spans concerns from environmental, social, and economical perspectives. For example: this development will cause an additional 23,000 plus vehicle miles traveled (VMT’s) per day and result in the permanent loss to our community of open space and natural habitat.  

Additionally, this development as planned will strain our already threatened water system, add additional greenhouse gases to our air and further degrade the pristine and natural land in our area. The plan recognizes that many hundreds of old-growth native oaks will be removed from the natural landscape within the plan area, potentially around 800 oaks are doomed under this plan. These fire-resilient species are vital to our continued sustainability in the face of climate change and provide invaluable services to our groundwater, fire resiliency, food source, and habitat that we are only just beginning to truly understand.

We don’t need the same-old, same-old urban sprawl, sprawl that benefits the few people that can afford it and yet has negative consequences for the majority of regional inhabitants. Consequences like greater traffic congestion and increased health hazards, as well as loss of habitat for a number of endangered species.  

We are asking you to be part of a vision of development that enhances clean transportation – walking, biking, and public transportation – focusing on infill and multi-use developments that subvert the need for the automobile and ensures clean air, water, and land. The housing policy focus of the city, to meet these goals, should be on redevelopment and rezoning in currently developed areas of the city that have the infrastructure already in place rather than developing further and further from the city core and exacerbating the strained infrastructure finances the city currently experiences. Improving city infill and focusing on redevelopment and rezoning strategies to increase housing density closer to the city core will have the greatest positive impact on the three pillars of a sustainable society - social, environmental, and economical viability.

WE NEED ACTION! HERE’S HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

1. Prior to December 1, 2022… Send a letter/public comment to the Chico Planning Commission (TEMPLATE – Letter to Chico Planning Commission – VESP Opposition LINK)
2. Send a letter/public comment to the Chico City Council (TEMPLATE – Letter to Chico City Council – VESP Opposition LINK)
3. Write a letter to the editor to the Chico Enterprise-Record and Chico News and Review prior to December 1 (TEMPLATE Letter to the Editor LINK)
4. Copy and paste to Post to your social media immediately (LINK)
5. December 1 - Attend the Chico Planning Commission Meeting (WE NEED BIG NUMBERS!) – likely to be on December 1, so please mark the date and we’ll confirm
6. Attend the Chico City Council Meeting (WE NEED BIG NUMBERS!) – this will follow the Planning Commission decision, but it is uncertain exactly how soon after December 1 the item will appear on the agenda for the Chico City Council
7. Engage your friends, family, and neighbors to take the same actions above
8. Be prepared for the next phase of opposing the Valley's Edge Plan...

Should the City Council approve the Valley's Edge Specific Plan for annexation, we will need to pivot quickly and help to gather signatures for a ballot referendum. That means that referendum organizers will need 8,000 verified signatures from voters registered in Chico to get it on the ballot. To be successful, organizers will need as many people as possible to sign up to gather signatures in a relatively short window.  

When you take any of the above actions, please let us know at BEC by emailing us at advocate@becnet.org and letting us know what you did. 

We know that what’s good for the natural environment is good for humans. VALLEY’S EDGE IS NOT GOOD FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND IS NOT GOOD FOR HUMANS, OR FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

All of us share the mission of protecting our air, water and land. Opposing Valley’s Edge development is doing just that. Our ACTION will make all the difference. Please join us in ensuring that Butte County and Chico are communities where we live in harmony with the earth and where we are engaged to advocate for a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for us and all the natural beauty around us.  

You will find links below to access information from Smart Growth Advocates about Valley’s Edge, BEC’s comments to the Environmental Impact Report and how you can donate money to BEC to help us successfully oppose the Valley’s Edge development.

Deep thanks and appreciation for your care and participation.

Butte Environmental Council

View BEC’s press release HERE

Visit the Smart Growth Advocates site at www.smartgrowthchico.org

BEC Comments on the 2021 Draft Environmental Impact Report HERE

Donate to BEC here: Donate — Butte Environmental Council

Can we count on you to take action? Click the button below to pledge your support in opposing the Valley's Edge Specific Plan.