Notice Letter from City
Huge Red Flags
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“Proposed for Consideration” - but not disclosed to most residents: The City claims this was merely a “proposal under consideration,” yet the process moved forward without notifying the broader Arch Beach Heights neighborhood — only a small group received this notice, creating a false appearance of fairness.
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“Pump Track” language conceals a regional skate/bike park: By calling it a “mountain bike pump track,” the City avoids saying what this really is: a rubberized asphalt park designed for bikes, scooters, and skateboards, identical to San Clemente’s large public skate/bike attraction. The phrase “mountain bikers (and others)” subtly acknowledges this - confirming multi-use, not limited bike training.
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“Rubberized asphalt to minimize sound” - misleading claim: Rubberized asphalt doesn’t reduce crowd noise, yelling, rolling wheels, or clattering scooters and skateboards. This phrase minimizes the true acoustic impact on nearby homes and wildlife.
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“Supervised or unsupervised” - code for unsupervised: By stating it “can be supervised or unsupervised,” the City leaves the door wide open for zero supervision or enforcement, which is the norm. Unsupervised pump tracks bring ongoing issues: night use, noise, vandalism, and unsafe behavior.
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“No parking lot proposed” - ignores real-world parking impact: Saying “no parking lot proposed” hides the obvious outcome: street overflow parking on steep, narrow roads. This is spin, not reassurance.
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“The area is already used by mountain bikers” - false equivalence: Casual trail access is not the same as a built recreational facility. The City blurs this distinction to justify development, ignoring that a constructed track drastically changes the park’s purpose and usage.
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“Early stages of exploring feasibility” - deceptive timeline: The City insists the project is in “early feasibility,” yet the same notice schedules a City Council discussion for July 22, 2025 - suggesting decisions were already being lined up. Residents were misled to believe this was not a final vote.
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“We welcome your input” - but few were ever informed: The invitation for “community input” is meaningless when most of the community never knew to respond. It’s performative participation - a way to claim public engagement without actually allowing it.
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Missing: scale, cost, environmental review, and duration: The Notice omits critical factors:
No mention of track size, square footage, or height.
No estimate of construction cost or funding source.
No details on noise mitigation or habitat study.
No mention of maintenance, policing, or insurance liability.
These omissions make the notice legally convenient but substantively empty - designed to defuse opposition, not inform residents.
The City’s posted letter at Moulton Meadows was written to sound neutral and harmless - calling the pump track “a concept” in “early feasibility stages.” In reality, it downplays the scope, omits impacts, and implies community input will be fairly considered when most residents were never even notified.
The letter frames the project as an “exploration,” yet within weeks, the City fast-tracked it toward approval without transparent outreach. This document has become a symbol of the misleading communication that fueled our outrage as a community.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
This letter is not community transparency - it’s controlled messaging. It downplays scope, hides implications, and creates the illusion of public engagement while fast-tracking a major recreational facility that fundamentally changes the character of Moulton Meadows.
Arch Beach United calls this what it is: a misleading and incomplete public notice that deprived residents of their right to fair participation.
Actual City Letter
