To the residents of Pismo Beach: There has been a giant development project brewing under our noses kept quiet between the developers and the Pismo Beach Planning Commission. It covers nearly 1,000 acres of pristine land above our neighborhood. It will increase traffic directly in our quiet neighborhood to nearly 1,000 car trips a day. It will increase the size and population of Pismo by 43 percent, taxing our already scarce water supply. We need at ask ourselves, “Is this what Pismo needs?”

There is a need to improve Pismo Beach. However, where we need to start is cleaning up the downtown area of Pismo with a master plan. We need to create a downtown where residents can take pride in and enjoy supporting its businesses. The only new businesses to open their doors downtown have been tattoo parlors and tobacco shops, not better restaurants or shops that tailor themselves to actual residents of our town.

The Pismo Planning Commission has cozied itself up to an out-of-town developer trying to slip one past us — a giant mess of a project that negatively impacts our quality of life here — and has ignored any attempts to do what needs to be done by cleaning up our downtown.

Please show up at the Pismo City Council meeting tonight to say no to this mess of a project.