The final vote on Rudyville’s request for increased zoning density on 170 acres of pristine desert habitat will take place Wednesday Sept. 12 at a hearing before the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. The hearing will be held at the County Administration Center at 1600 Pacific Highway in San Diego, Room 310, beginning at 9 a.m.

Any member of the public wishing to speak at the hearing must be present before 9 a.m. to complete a speaker’s request form.

“This is a critical moment in the 12 year saga of Rudyville,” said David Garmon, president of the Tubb Canyon Desert Conservancy (TCDC).

“I encourage anyone and everyone who has an opinion on Rudyville to turn out for this hearing and to sign up to speak. This is the big one. Now is the time to send letters and make phone calls to each of the five Supervisors.”

The prelude to the upcoming Board of Supervisors hearing was the June 22, hearing before the County Planning Commission.

The role of the seven-member Planning Commission is to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on land use issues, such as Rudyville.

At the June 22 hearing, by a vote of 4-3, the Planning Commission rejected its own staff recommendation, which was to deny the Rudyville request in its entirety. The Commission then voted 6-1 to recommend the Reduced Impact Alternative, which would allow increased zoning density on the 20 northern most acres of Rudyville.

“While some may view the Planning Commission’s recommendation of the Reduced Impact Alternative as an acceptable compromise, there is nothing binding about that recommendation.

Just as the Planning Commission didn’t have to follow its own staff’s recommendation, so the Board of Supervisors is not compelled to follow the recommendation of the Planning Commission. The Supervisors may vote any way they chose, including up zoning the entire Rudyville parcel, which is why a large turnout for this hearing is so important,” Garmon said.

“Because of the political support that Rudyville appears to have, TCDC will launch a social media campaign in the weeks prior to the Board of Supervisors hearing,” Garmon said.

“The goal of the campaign will be to provide each of the five Supervisors with as many letters, petitions, and phone calls about Rudyville as possible so they will understand community sentiment on this issue.”

Anyone wishing to get more information and/or participate in the social media campaign may do so by signing up for the Rudyville Mailing List at the Tubb Canyon website (www.tubbcanyondesertconservancy.org.) or by calling TCDC at 800- 204-3656.