-- Compiled by Lolita Harper INSIDE CITY...

-- Compiled by Lolita Harper

INSIDE CITY HALL

HOMES ON THE RANCH

The City Council on Monday approved plans for the residential

portion of the Home Ranch site that call for a gated community,

complete with a park and recreation area.

Council members endorsed designs proposed by Standard Pacific,

whom the Segerstroms chose to design and construct 60 single-family

homes and 83 townhomes on the northeast portion of the 93-acre Home

Ranch site. Although some portions of the proposed housing tract call

for the bending of city rules, leaders said the accommodations were

painless to grant because they made for a better overall project.

Major aspects of the project fall in line with existing city

building codes, but the builders asked for exceptions in parking

requirements and in building heights for the free-standing homes.

Councilwomen Libby Cowan and Karen Robinson each had concerns with

details of the project, but could not sway their colleagues to vote

with them.

Cowan applauded the project but asked if the council would

consider a private community just without the actual gate at the

entrance. Cowan said she understood the need for added security but

had very strong opinions about gated communities. Her motion died for

lack of a second.

Robinson was concerned about deviations from the city’s standard

parking requirements and asked that council members vote on that

issue separately. She was on the losing end of that vote, as the

tract’s parking proposal was approved by a 4-1 vote.

The Pacific Standard project’s parcel is on the northeast portion

of the Home Ranch site, on the corner of Sunflower Avenue and Susan

Street. It lies alongside the administrative offices of the Auto Club

of Southern California. The gated community would consist of a mix of

townhomes and single-family homes, as well as two community parks, a

pool and a recreation center.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Standard Pacific will have the go-ahead to build the residential

portions of the large development.

STREET SWEEPING

Council members said they needed more time to evaluate the

possibility of a citywide street sweeping program despite a general

survey that shows some residents have warmed to the idea.

In January, the City Council authorized street sweeping for

specific parts of the city to serve as a test for a possible citywide

program.

Council members chose streets that Public Services Department

staff recommended, including the streets surrounding College Park

School -- Pomona Avenue between 17th and 18th streets -- and Darrell

Street between Pomona and Meyer Place. Mayor Linda Dixon also added

Plumer Street to the test run.

Residents in the survey area were more supportive of an “alternate

side” parking prohibition, instead of barring cars from both sides of

the street at the same time for sweeping, according to a staff

report. Residents also said they would be more supportive of a

citywide program instead of specific targeted areas, test results

show.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Council members will discuss the issue at the next available study

session, which is yet to be announced.

ART IN PUBLIC PLACES

The council of the City of the Arts shelved a public arts program

proposal, saying it needed answers to some questions and

clarification of concerns.

Councilman Gary Monahan and Councilwoman Karen Robinson asked that

the item be continued to the council’s next study session to allow

staff members to justify various aspects of the extensive program

that would require developers of commercial or industrial projects

valued at $750,000 or more, not including the land, to spend or

donate at least 1% of the worth for some sort of permanent outdoor

artwork.

City Planner Claire Flynn has said that any exterior improvements

or remodeling, repair or reconstruction projects costing more than

$750,000 would also qualify, she said.

Dixon said she wanted to know why the program disqualified murals

and fountains as public art. She also wanted to ensure that some of

the funds generated from the program be dedicated to add art to

existing public facilities.

Robinson said some of the program’s aspects were vague and others

seemed to contradict each other.

Cowan said she wanted to make sure the city’s Cultural Arts

Committee had a chance to weigh in on the process.

The public arts program was one of the Planning Commission’s

community objectives, and commissioners had voted unanimously last

month to recommend it, saying it was extremely important to promote

visual art, especially in a city that touts its dedication to such

endeavors on the official city seal.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The council will further review the art program at the next study

session.