PLANNING COMMISSION WRAP-UP

WHAT HAPPENED:

The Planning Commission went against staff recommendation and, by a

narrow margin, postponed voting on a proposed fee increase to developers

in Huntington Beach.

WHAT IT MEANS:

A group of planning commissioners and staff will meet and return to

the April 23 meeting with a recommendation to vote on staff’s proposal or

vote on an alternate proposal.

City staff proposes to have developers pay a fee that would be based

on 100% of the appraised acre value of a property instead of paying 60%

of the average land value for residential property in the city they do

now.

Developers and residents are angry with the rising costs proposed by

city staff.

The fee the developer pays is called a “park in-lieu” fee. These fees

pay for developing new parks or refurbishing existing neighborhood

community parks. They do not pay for park maintenance.

City officials cite the varying land values as a reason for the

proposed fee hike. The new fees would be site specific instead of being

based on a citywide average land value.

In addition to the increased fee, developers would be required to pay

an additional 20% for any off-site improvements such as curbs, gutters,

sidewalks and traffic signals.

Director of Community Services Ron Hagan said the new fees are

necessary to maintain the city’s ratio of providing five acres of

parkland for every 1,000 residents.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“This will stifle recycling in older areas,” said Dick Harlow,

representing the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Vote: 4-3

IN FAVOR / AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

The Planning Commission approved construction of two story townhomes

on 30,000-square-feet of land on Holly Street in Huntington Beach.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The 10 attached townhomes will be located on less than one acre at

19081 Holly. St. in Huntington Beach.

Developer PLC Land Company will build five-foot high patio walls

within seven feet of the front property line.

Vote: 6-1

IN FAVOR / AGAINST

WHAT HAPPENED:

The commission unanimously voted to postpone voting on adding

religious assembly as a permitted use for the Ellis-Goldenwest section of

Huntington Beach to the May 14 Planning Commission meeting.

WHAT IT MEANS:

About 20 speakers, most from Praise Christian Church, which meets

Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings outside a landscape building in the

area, spoke in favor of the zoning change that would allow religious

assembly as a permitted use for the area, but were against restrictions

they claim are unfair.

Church members had gathered inside the building, but church officials

received a cease and desist order from the fire marshal in December

citing safety hazards inside the building, and have been holding services

outside ever since.

City planners said allowing religious assembly in the area complies

with the Land Use Institutionalized Persons Act enacted by Congress in

2000.

Currently the area is low-density residential with a permitted use for

a school.

Church members claim the restrictions would hamper them in their quest

to reenter the building they used to occupy and possibly add-on to the

existing building to attract more people to their church.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“We like this place but want to build another place, and the way this

is going that won’t happen,” said Roseanne Delarosa, a 44-year-old

Fountain Valley woman who attends Praise Christian Church.

Vote: 7-0

IN FAVOR / AGAINST

NEXT MEETING

When: 7 p.m. April 23

Where: Council Chambers, 2000 Main St.