On Feb. 5, Yuba County gets to make an important choice on whether or not to allow Yuba Highlands to be built. I recommend voting "no" for several reasons.

The first is the dramatic increase in traffic on our roads that 5,100 new houses will generate. The roads that serve Beale Air Force Base and its neighboring areas will be the hardest hit with more than 6,600 new car trips per day on Spenceville Road and nearly 14,000 new car trips per day on Hammonton-Smartville Road. In addition to the added traffic congestion, this can only result in a degraded air quality for our community.

The 6,600 extra trips on Spenceville Road will make the Spenceville Wildlife Area a major highway that will severely damage its character, if not destroy it altogether. As our state and neighboring areas incur rapid growth, the qualities offered to us by places like the Spenceville Wildlife Area become increasingly important to help keep Yuba County great.

Then there is Beale Air Force Base, the largest employer we have. Beale has made it through round after round of base closures with its remote, rural location. Tampering with that by building this large community immediately adjacent to the base is a dangerous gamble.

Please vote "no" on Yuba Highlands. Thank you.

Roberta Hill

Yuba City