MAILBAG - Aug. 17, 2006

Residents at root of tree preservation

In the Aug. 10 edition of the Huntington Beach Independent, the City Council Wrap-Up column noted the City Council 7-0 approval to revise the street reconstruction petition process and Keith Bohr as the “brainchild” of this change. While I commend Mr. Bohr for proposing this revision and the City Council for approving, the root of this change can be attributed to Theresa Chaque and other residents of Brush Drive who for months tried to convince the council not to tear out all the beautiful trees on their street as it was in far better shape than many other streets in the city. The City Council refused to listen to the logic of fixing streets by need vs. petition, and now Brush Drive looks barren, and it will take many years before it will have adequate shade. Anyway, thanks to Theresa for making the City Council aware enough to make this change and saving other neighborhoods the same fate as Brush Drive.

Chris Varga, Huntington Beach

Building permits slowed by Council

It is unfortunate that Howard Zelefsky was forced to resign under the guise that he is responsible for the slow planning process in the city of Huntington Beach. The city’s planning department staff are simply trying to do their job, which is to interpret the convoluted and grey areas of the city’s Zoning Ordinance.

It is City Council politicizing the planning process that slows down the building permit process, not the planning department. City Council votes upon a general plan and a zoning ordinance, but then when a legitimate, conforming project is proposed that may offend the sensibilities of a vocal minority, suddenly the recommendations of planning are tossed aside for a long and arduous political process that usually involves public hearings and elected officials worried about votes.

I’ve seen a simple Walgreens project, which conformed to all Huntington Beach zoning ordinances, delayed because a couple of citizens that make regular appearances in council chambers used floor time to complain about something they knew very little about. My own project took over a year to obtain a building permit simply because neighbors didn’t like the idea that I was going to add on to my home. Planning was helpful to ensure my project conformed well within city standards; however, it was members of the Planning Commission and City Council who decided to ensnare my permit request into a neighborhood political battle. Who knows what litigation costs have occurred to taxpayers from the city’s denial of legal, conforming projects.

Kudos to Mr. Zelefsky for doing the best he could with a messy zoning ordinance. I hope that other members of the excellent planning staff aren’t discouraged and leave over this development.

Alise Clevely, Huntington Beach