Editorial: Poway Measure A vote a referendum on obnoxiousness

On Tuesday, voters in Poway will decide the fate of Measure A, the “Poway Open Space and Recreation Preservation Initiative.” It would rezone some of the struggling 117-acre StoneRidge Country Club site in north Poway to allow for construction of up to 180 condominiums on 25 acres for residents 55 and older. Because such a change would increase the housing density on the site, a public vote is required by Poway’s Proposition FF, a slow-growth initiative city voters overwhelmingly approved in 1988.

If Measure A passes, property owner Michael Schlesinger would keep operating the club’s golf course and build a new clubhouse and restaurant, under a side agreement he reached with Poway Open Space, a group of country club members and area homeowners. Their deal would also commit Schlesinger to sign a deed restriction they say would ensure the remaining 92 acres of the StoneRidge site be permanent open space even under a new owner.

Opponents are correct when they say the side deal cannot be enforced by the city. But proponents argue that because the City Council must approve development plans, it would retain leverage to ensure Schlesinger follows through on the pact. And Measure A backers note that Schlesinger has economic motives to honor the deal. If the condos were next door to a first-rate golf course, they would attract golfers at or near retirement age.

Proponents also have a strong case that north Poway needs recreational facilities and would suffer if Schlesinger closes the course and refuses to consider new proposals should Measure A be defeated, as his spokeswoman warned in September. Proponents are on similarly solid ground when they question some Poway residents’ calls for the city to buy StoneRidge — perhaps using eminent domain — and operate the golf course as a municipal asset. Given the perilous economics of golf courses, that would be a risky and dubious move by city officials.

A final argument in favor of Measure A is that it would add housing stock — without an impact on area schools — at a point in the Golden State’s history where that should be perhaps the top priority of government. The extremely high cost of housing caused by a shortage in housing units is why California is the epicenter of American poverty.

But if Measure A is rejected Tuesday, as The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board expects, that would be a defeat that Schlesinger has richly earned. The best argument that the measure’s opponents have against giving the Beverly Hills developer what he wants is that his my-way-or-the-highway history of bullying makes him utterly untrustworthy. This history goes far beyond the threat to shutter StoneRidge if Measure A fails.

His behavior in another development battle involving the Escondido Country Club stank — literally. He closed the club in 2013 and sought to build hundreds of homes on the site. But in 2014, after Schlesinger met staunch opposition, 5 tons of chicken manure were spread over parts of the golf course, with most placed adjacent to homes along fairways. Schlesinger’s claim this was not an act of vengeance but a landscaping mistake that accidentally created a horrible stench for weeks has always seemed ludicrous. Schlesinger got off easy when his company and the course operator were only fined $100,000 by the county’s air pollution control board.

This history makes Measure A a referendum on obnoxiousness. If Poway voters treat Schlesinger like he treated neighbors of his Escondido Country Club, that would be an act of karmic justice.

See also:

Commentary | Why Poway’s Measure A benefits property values

Commentary | Why Poway’s Measure A is bad deal for residents

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