SAN MARCOS — San Marcos civic and commercial leaders lambasted the controversial “Growth Management and Neighborhood Protection Act” with two formal proclamations at the July 8 City Council meeting. The initiative, which qualified in March for the November ballot, would require the approval of the majority of San Marcos residents for most zoning changes to the city’s general plan.

Several speakers came to support the proclamations, including former city staff, businessmen and longtime residents.

“This initiative is bad for business and bad for San Marcos,” Rod Jones, chairman of the board of the 600-member San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, said after reading the chamber’s declaration of opposition. “The citizens of San Marcos already have a voice, through the elected officials which make up the City Council. This initiative will stifle that voice.”

Jones argued that voting citizens, lacking the time, expertise and inclination to properly scrutinize a proposal, may vote against a desirable and beneficial project

“That, of course, is the undisclosed intent of this initiative — to stop future development,” Jones said. He added that Escondido, saddled with a similar initiative, has languished as a result.

Planning Commission Chairman Steve Kildoo had a different, though still negative, take on the measure. He contended that the developers will be scared away by a situation where their plans depend on the whims of the populace.

“It is not my concern that people aren’t going to do the right thing,” Kildoo said. “My concern is that people will never get the choice.”

Susan Wait, co-signer on the initiative, rejected the notion that the initiative would put a brake on San Marcos’ growth and the city’s revenue stream by freezing worthy projects and scaring off developers.

“I don’t believe that the people of San Marcos will vote down the Creek Project,” Wait said. “It is a beautiful project. It’s really to improve projects. It is not to eliminate projects ... Most projects will walk completely through.”

Wait also argued that Newport Beach, Poway and Del Mar all have similar Growth Management measures and have not stagnated under them.

Cynthia Skovgard, whose San Marcos Chamber of Citizens drafted the initiative, did not attend the meeting. She described the council’s gesture as “insignificant.”

“I don’t think it’s important to be there, personally,” she said.

Whether the initiative is approved or not, it is already affecting council policy. The General Plan, drafted in the 1980s, is overdue for an update, according to city staff. Councilman Mike Preston advised against starting this update before November.

“If it passes … it could change the landscape tremendously of how we would do a General Plan update,” Preston said. “I really think we should hold off until after this next election.”

The Growth Management Initiative will appear before the voters Nov. 4 in the general election.