A lot for developers to consider

Deirdre Newman

Two years ago, the City Council set guidelines to control explosive

growth after officials noticed small lot developments running rampant

on the Eastside.

Despite the guidelines, developers often try to circumvent the

rules. The fate of the two projects, which happen to be on the same

block of Elden Avenue, represents how tough those guidelines can be.

On Monday one developer who reduced the size of his project to

abide by the guidelines was rewarded with approval by the Planning

Commission, while another who requested a slew of exceptions to

requirements for his project was not.

The project that was approved Monday calls for a three-unit

development at 2459 Elden Ave. Architect Bruce Stookey of Andrade

Architects, representing property owner Ferguson/Day Properties, had

originally suggested five units, but that was not blessed by the

planning staff, said Planning Commission Chair Bruce Garlich.

Neither was another version for four units, Garlich added.

Finally, Stookey came back with a plan for three units, which

proved to be the magic number for approval Monday. Stookey and

company representatives were not available for comment.

One of the reasons these guidelines relating to the Eastside were

adopted in July 2001 was as a response to concerns regarding

residential development on narrow, deep lots. They call for a minimum

lot size of 3,000 square feet with an average lot size of 3,500

square feet. They also recommend four parking spaces per unit -- two

covered and two open spaces -- to prevent parking on the street.

The project that didn’t fare so well called for a five-unit

project at 2441 Elden Ave. The individual lot areas would only have

been 2,205 square feet minimum, with an average of 2,506 square feet.

The number of parking spaces proposed was six shy of the requirement.

Property owners Doug and Tim DeCince also asked for other exceptions

for things like open space and rear yard setback.

The DeCinces did not return phone calls for comment Tuesday, but

before the meeting, Doug DeCince was adamant that the exceptions were

justified. He said he was not amenable at that time to dropping the

number of units to four.

“We’re trying to enhance the area and put some reasonably priced

homes [in] so people can buy and live in the area,” Doug DeCince said

Friday. “I think we have a very reasonable request. I think that

having four permanent parking spots for homes that have three

bedrooms and most likely will be [lived in] by younger people, and

not renters, seems a little hard to grasp.”

Commissioner Bill Perkins staunchly supported the project,

agreeing with DeCince that the parking requirement was extreme.

“Most of the cities in Orange County and throughout California

require three parking spaces,” Perkins said. “If that [were] the

case, DeCince would be under-parked by one parking space. For some

reason, Costa Mesa requires four parking spaces. I tried to make that

change during the discussion on the residential guidelines, but it

was shot down.”

Garlich did not support the project but eventually backed

continuing the item, which passed 4-0 with Commissioner Katrina Foley

absent.

“The motion [to continue it] was in the spirit of trying to make

it easier to bring back,” Garlich said. “It was continued until Sept.

8 with the expectation that [the DeCinces] will bring it back with a

less dense design that alleviates some of the density concerns.”