KSWT: Local News, Weather, Sports Yuma, AZ El Centro Imperial Valley, CA | Estancia Project Under Fire

Estancia Project Under Fire

Reported By: Rob Hughes (rhughes@kswt.com)

Yuma, AZ November 20- The Estancia Project is under fire. A group of citizens are forming a petition to let the people decide.

The group is calling themselves "The Committee For The Spirit Of Yuma." They are forming a petition to overturn the City Council's 5-2 decision Wednesday night to approve the Estancia project. Officials say it should get interesting as both sides dig in for a long fight.

"We're trying to make the Deomcratic process work," said Charles Epley, Spirit Of Yuma Treasurer.

Epley says the group's first issue with the Estancia Project is taxes.

"The taxes, the infrastructure, we don't know anything about it; are the taxpayers of Yuma going to foot the bill? I don't live out there, I don't know anything about it, am I going to have to pay for the school out there," said Epley.

President Doc Birdick says the Estancia Project will encroach on Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, creating a potentially deadly situation.

"The important thing is that if a plane goes down, or the engine stops, you may kill a pilot, but at least you're not going to kill a lot of people in houses down below," said Birdick.

Ron Rubino does not live in city limits, but is supporting the petition. He believes people's sovereignty is going down the drain.

"A lot of people, I probably speak for dozens of people out there in the county, move out into the county to be out in the country, get away from a lot of the city rhetoric, and the traffic and noise, they like the sky at night and everything," said Rubino.

Rubino points out the City's Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to reject the Estancia Project, but has heard arguments that they weren't informed.

"I find that to be an untruth, because I know some people in that Planning and Zoning Commission, and they even took a ride out there to look at the whole situation; we're not talking a normal housing development, we're talking an entire city," said Rubino.

The group plans to collect 1,000 valid signatures the next 30 days. If successful, the petition will force the City Council to withdraw the resolution, or put it on the next ballot in 2010.