CCMIN052008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Councilmember McGovern referred to the west Foothill overlay and confirmed with Mr. Iserson that this was an ordinance approved by the Council, and that a majority of the Council could change this to remove it. Mayor Hosterman invited public comment. Mary Roberts said protections have been in place and what the Council is doing right now is an after-the-fact action, given what has occurred with Oak Grove. One of the reasons the Council did not move on at the time was because property owners and neighbors were still in discussions regarding the Linn property and it was the Council's preference to see the conclusion of negotiations rather than introduce a new land use policy at that time. Then the Initiative came along. Patrick Castanos, Greenbriar Homes, said the City regulates hillside development, encourages preserving trees and habitats, many existing regulations were the result of well-thought out processes and if it is determined additional regulations are needed, a similar process should be used to create such regulations. He encouraged the Council to create a process to create city- initiated hillside protection regulations to augment existing policies and place this on the ballot in November. He believes the PUD process has been successful, believes the vague initiative presented tonight threatens such carefully planned communities and discussed location of units and issues affecting their development. Anne Childs supported an Initiative on the ballot in November, expressed her personal admiration and thanks to Councilmembers McGovern and Sullivan who have been supportive of putting the issues out for public scrutiny. Bill Hirst said he along with 8 other families have owned the Castle Ridge properties for many years, urged the Council not to adopt a regulation that would deprive them of the opportunity to construct up to 9 homes on the property which consists of 230 acres and he urged the Council to reject the option reflected in the bullet on page 5. Kevin Close voiced concerns which included streets and roads getting to developments in the 25% slope restrictions, the Happy Valley Specific Plan, the bypass road for the golf course, and the proposed development in the flat areas, as even the alternate route will be graded at greater than 25% slope. He said the bypass road is mitigation for the development's homes and the golf course and the developer only has rights to 102 units if it dedicates 50 acres of dedicated open space. Karla Brown said the Initiative qualified and it will be on the ballot in November, said voters need the ridgeline ordinance a part of the General Plan, discussed protections needing to be in place and Oak Grove development slopes. Carolyn Newton urged the Council to approve the proposed hillside Initiative and if there is a delay, developers will rush to move forward and get their plans approved, expressed her appreciation to Councilmembers McGovern and Sullivan for their work in saving the City's hills. Julie Testa thanked staff for the visual presentation of what a 25% slope looks like, supported a hillside ordinance, and said the citizen activism process corrects the oversight of the restrictions currently in place. City Council Minutes 9 May 20, 2008