Since most of your readers may not be familiar with the Knolls development issue, I feel the need to clarify certain points made in this article, specifically those regarding safety.

The Acorn quotes developer Gary Gorian as saying, "At the end of the day, this is an issue of safety. . . ."

To the reader who is unfamiliar with this particular proposal, this would seem a reasonable and cooperative attitude on the part of the developer. However, once you do your homework and understand the disastrous impact this proposal will have on our community, one realizes that a quote made in the newspaper needs to backed by truth.

Some background knowledge is necessary to understand the seriousness of this particular proposal.

First, the Knolls' residents are not opposed to development of the property as it is currently zoned. Most articles fail to remind us that this developer is seeking approval to rezone to high density, which is incompatible with this rural area.

Secondly, this high-risk fire area is located at a railroad crossing that is often blocked during the frequent fires that rage through our area.

The developer's proposal to add 300 or more vehicles to the traffic trying to escape a firestorm could have disastrous consequences, creating a safety hazard of incredible proportion.

Thirdly, his plan to resolve the safety hazard is to "step up to the plate and fix those roads." Sounds great in the newspaper, but I invite you to actually drive through the Knolls on Katherine Road and look at where his site is located. This road widening is supposed to meet the requirement he needs of providing a secondary access out of his development. It does not.

His plan to widen the road by less than 10 percent is like a movie theater owner locking his front doors and widening his only fire exit by 3.5 inches in the hopes that he can get the fire inspector's approval.

Anyone in a position to form an opinion on this matter needs to do more than read canned quotes. I invite you to visit the site, contact the Susana Knolls Homeowners Association and find out the real facts behind the safety issues of this unreasonable proposal.

We know that at the end of the day, the issue is safety- because we live here! Susan Selvaggio The Knolls