Pacifica Quarry developer in his own words

The Pacifica Riptide has picked some pertinent quotes from the new book by Don Peebles, the developer who failed to get Measure L passed in Pacifica. They give some insight into the thinking of this East-coast developer licking his wounds over his recent defeat on the Pacific:

"Pacifica is a peculiar town: they like to say no just to say no."

"The concept Trammel Crow had proposed would have greatly benefited the city, but the no-growth side was blind to it."

"Their virulent antigrowth philosophy had almost bankrupted the city."

"Pacifica had a reputation for an antigrowth attitude that was extreme even by Bay Area standards."

"I even held a debate with a former mayor who was against the project because it would bring too much traffic to Pacifica."

" ... she even paraded around the city’s annual arts and crafts Fog Festival, dressed as a big frog. The Pacifica Tribune ran a front-page photo of the frog hugging me."

" ... the opposition fought me literally to win nothing, rather than new opportunities for their community. They were blinded by fear of change, misinformation, and a distrust of developers."

"Without the cap on the number of rooms, we can develop time-share and condo-hotel units and, as business grows, expand the hotel by adding more rooms and suites."

"Ultimately the ‘no’ side will wake up and realize just what they lost, and will likely try to get me back to the table with incentives."

Peebles is right about one thing. Pacificans had to fight like dogs to win nothing.  Merely to maintain their hard-won status quo from any further change.