First published in the Sept. 22 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
I read with some dismay Rev. Amy Pringle’s letter to the Outlook, in which she asserted that St. George’s Episcopal Church had communicated with the city about its interest in building affordable housing as a ruse.
She stated that “since everyone knows” that affordable housing “will never be built,” “what’s the harm” in having St. George’s properties included as “an imaginary” site. This seems to imply that the people who have expressed an interest in being part of the housing element are lying to the city. I do not believe that to be true.
If St. George’s interests were, in fact, simply fabricated, then it is a good thing that this has been exposed, and appropriate adjustments have been made. However, I am convinced that the other people whose parcels are currently included in the site inventory are sincerely interested in exploring the housing possibilities. The draft housing element that the City Council has directed, as of its Sept. 12 meeting, is responsible, forward-looking, and provides great opportunities for intelligent development, consistent with the state’s requirements and the city’s needs. I believe it to be a sincere expression of the interests of the residents, entirely conforming to the state’s mandates, and I wholeheartedly support its adoption.
Linda Deacon
La Cañada Flintridge
