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.
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