Opponents of Valley’s Edge had news to celebrate shortly after the polls closed last night. A gathering of around a dozen organizers watched as the unofficial results rolled in.
About 30 minutes after polls closed, preliminary results already showed that nearly two-thirds of the votes were against both measures O and P — just what the Stop Valley’s Edge organizers had hoped for.
“We're a group of people who've come to know each other and care about each other and sharing this experience together is kind of extraordinary,” said David Welch of the Stop Valley’s Edge organizing committee.
The results determine the fate of Valley’s Edge, the controversial housing plan that was proposed for southeast Chico.
Welch said that even though votes aren’t fully counted, he doesn’t think the results will waver much when the count is finalized.
“This is enough of the votes counted that I think there's no real chance of this result turning around,” Welch said.
Stop Valley’s Edge has been rallying against the development plan, which they say would encourage sprawl, destroy open space and pollute the area’s natural habitat.
Smart Growth Advocates organizer Eric Nilsson said that with little funding, volunteers put up signs and went door to door sharing their concerns about Valley’s Edge.
“It just made us all proud to be a part of this community and to be involved with people who care that much,” Nilsson said. “So thank you to all the volunteers.”
Valley’s Edge advocates say the plan could bring much-needed housing stock to the city. More than 2,700 homes are planned to fit into the development. The Valley’s Edge website promises a range of affordability and housing types.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the unofficial results show that about 62% of voters chose “no” on Measure O, and about 61% voted “no” on Measure P.
A final no-vote means the large housing, green space and commercial development would not be built.
Official results will be available in a little more than a month.
County election officials have 30 days to count every ballot and do an audit of their results. Then, officials report those results to the California Secretary of State’s Office, which has 8 days to certify the election.