Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Banning Ranch Crisis Point


COASTAL COMMISSION VOTES ON OCTOBER 7TH
For those who have been following the Banning Ranch drama, it's possible it might be soon over depending on how the California Coastal Commission votes at their meeting next Wednesday, October 7, 2015 in Long Beach.

STAFF RECOMMENDS DENIAL OF THE PROJECT, BUT...
The Banning Ranch Conservancy, HERE,  has been leading the charge against the proposed development on that site, which includes 1375 homes, a shopping venue and a hotel among other things, for years.  The Coastal Commission meeting might mark the most significant milestone in the history of this project.  You can read the text of the 316 page Coastal Commission Staff Report HERE.  Don't let the size of the document put you off.  The summary contained in the first five pages should be enough.  The staff is recommending denial of the project, but the commission is NOT obligated to follow their recommendation.  A large public presence at the meeting is important to provide an exclamation point to this process.
BUSES TO THE MEETING
To provide that public presence at the meeting the Banning Ranch Conservancy is sponsoring buses to the meeting at the Long Beach Convention Center, Seaside Ballroom, in Long Beach, which begins at 9:00 a.m.  You can also reserve a seat on one of the buses HERE.  Additionally, they also have provided a link to a petition opposing the project that can be filled out and automatically sent to the Coastal Commission, HERE.

ORGANIZATIONAL/INFORMATIONAL MEETING TOMORROW
They are holding an organizational meeting tomorrow night, September 30, 2015 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Mesa Verde United Methodist Church, 1701 Baker Street.  See the map here.  Click on it to enlarge it.  Everyone interested in this project is invited to attend to get more information.
IMPACT ON COSTA MESA
You may recall that this project will generate an estimated 15,000 car trips each day, the vast majority of which will funnel onto Costa Mesa streets and most will end up at the tip of the funnel - the corner of 19th Street and Newport Boulevard, which is already one of the busiest streets in our city.
INSUFFICIENT MITIGATION
The developers, Newport Banning Ranch, agreed to pay the city around $4 million to mitigate the traffic impact, but those dollars will barely pay for a study, much less mitigate the traffic.  Add that traffic to the new cars being generated by recently approved Costa Mesa projects and you'll understand what a nightmare driving on the Westside AND the Eastside of Costa Mesa will become if this project is approved and built.

GET INFORMATION AND ACT...
So, go to the Banning Ranch Conservancy website, linked above, and become familiar with the issue.  Attend their meeting tomorrow and, if you're so moved, join them in Long Beach to guarantee the California Coastal Commission will get a clear idea of the opposition to this plan.

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An Early Night At The Planning Commission

SHORT, BUT NOT WITHOUT A SURPRISE
The final Planning Commission meeting of this month was a short one, with all the business completed by 8:15 p.m., barely two hours in duration.  It was a nice relief to be able to get home and re-introduce myself to the sweet and very patient woman who shares my roof.

HALLOWEEN CANDY DRIVE
Beth Refakes, member of the Military Affairs Team, reminded us of the Halloween candy drive for the children of the 1/5 Marines at Camp Pendleton.  Each piece MUST be individually wrapped and placed in the box in the City Hall lobby.
BUILDING INSPECTION REPORT
Item #2 was pulled from the Consent Calendar so Building Official Khanh Nguyen could make a brief report to the commission on the status of the Building Inspection Department.  I showed you this graphic before.  It shows you, in trimesters, the volume of building inspections done by city staff and contractors since 2005 - the year Nguyen began with the city.  He explained that the staff, supplemented by one contract inspector, are working long hours and that the management team also goes out to inspect if necessary.  You can see the dramatic dip during the recession and the rise to current record numbers today, from just over 3100 to over 11,000 today.
 Nguyen went through the permitting process and showed many slides depicting various stages.
EXTENSION OF SEGERSTROM TOWN CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
Public Hearing #1, the request from Segerstroms and Sons for a 20 year extension of the Development Agreement for what is known as the Segerstrom Town Center property.  It took all of six minutes for staffer Minoo Ashabi to make her presentation, Segerstrom representative Justin McCusker to make his and for the vote to be taken - 5-0 - to recommend to the City Council that this request be approved.
HELISTOP REQUEST RESURRECTED
Public Hearing #2, the request for a helistop on the roof of a commercial building at 3132 Airway Avenue, adjacent to John Wayne Airport, didn't go quite so quickly.  This item is a resurrection of the same request from 2011, which was denied by the then-Planning Commission and the applicant did not appeal it to the City Council.  The applicant, Kevin Coleman, explained that this use would actually reduce the number of flights by this private owner, who currently houses his helicopter in a hangar on the John Wayne Airport grounds within 200 yards of this site.
Property owner Denis Labonge stepped up to object to the proposal and said he represented several of the other occupants of the building in question.  He spoke of the noise and dirt that his tenants would be subjected to with this use on the roof of the building - dust being forced down the air vents, etc.
Helicopter Mike Manclark addressed the issue and clarified the uses of his machine currently and the anticipated reduced use if the request is approved.  He spoke of the philanthropic uses of his helicopter throughout Costa Mesa.
MORE DATA NOW
When the original request was denied by the Planning Commission they were missing a Noise Report, which was now available.  When this issue was considered in 2011 the City of Newport Beach sent a long letter suggesting approval of the request might be interpreted as an expansion of the John Wayne Airport footprint and, therefore, was against it.  This time around former Costa Mesa senior staffer Kim Brandt, now a senior planning official in Newport Beach, wrote a letter transmitting that original document, reinforcing their opposition, which members of the commission apparently interpreted as flagging interest in this issue.
BUTT OUT, NEWPORT!
Commissioner Colin McCarthy carried much of the discussion and seemed peeved that Newport Beach would dare insert itself into Costa Mesa's business.  He indicated early in the discussion that he didn't see the problem with the request.
QUIET HELICOPTER
Other commissioners, including Chairman Rob Dickson and Commissioner Stephan Andranian,  had some concern about the current helicopter - an EC 120 - being swapped out for a noisier one in the future.  However, the proposal contains a condition restricting the noise levels to those made by this machine, so any new equipment would be held to that standard.
A THIRD ALTERNATIVE REJECTED
Assistant Development Services Director Claire Flynn told the commission they actually had three alternatives.  They could approve, deny or simply register their opinions and pass the decision on the City Council.  McCarthy balked at that one, and suggested they actually make a decision - which would be sent to the City Council for ratification in any event.  So, he moved approval of the request and Vice Chair Jeff Mathews seconded it.  The commission approved it on a 5-0 vote.
HERE IT COMES... THERE IT GOES!
Public Hearing #3, a two year extension request for a development at 522 and 526 Bernard Street took six minutes flat for the commission to approve.
UNDERGROUNDING AN ISSUE ON ELDEN STREET PROJECT
Public Hearing #4, the development at 2333 Elden Street, took a little longer to flesh out.  Two minor deviations were being requested for this 5-unit Small Lot Development on a long, skinny lot.  The only clinker in the discussion was the requirement for the project to have undergrounded utilities.  The owner balked at this suggestion because a consultant he hired to assess the situation told him that it would be quite costly, even if Southern California Edison approved it - and that was no slam dunk.  For this to happen at least 3 nearby neighbors would have to agree to the undergrounding for their properties and that was complicated by the understanding that Edison would forbid any infrastructure to be built over their undergrounded lines.  Unfortunately, the applicant had no letter from Edison to that effect.  Nor did he have communication from the neighbors involved registering their opposition.  If he had, the staff could have handled it without commission intervention.  Even though they knew that, the commission approved the plan WITH the requirement that the undergrounding move forward, presuming the applicant would get the necessary objections from Edison and/or neighbors which would negate the requirement.  They simply could have NOT required the undergrounding.  Strange.  Now this means more work on the part of the applicant and more staff time taken up on this issue.  The project was approved, 5-0.
MEDIAN AND MONUMENT ON DEL MAR
During staff comments City Engineer Fariba Faseli told the commission that the median and monument work was beginning near the Starbucks at DelMar and Newport Boulevard, near the community garden.

COSTA MESA MOTOR INN PROJECT MOVING FORWARD
Flynn told the commission that the information about the project at the Costa Mesa Motor Inn is now online and the project will be appearing before them at their next meeting on October 12th and will go before the City Council on November 3rd.
(Image courtesy of the Daily Pilot)

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Sunday, September 27, 2015

Public Safety BBQ Thursday

GREAT EVENT THURSDAY
In my haste to provide you with a roster of events for the coming week I completely forgot one of the most positive, uplifting events we have in the city each year - the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Public Safety Recognition and BBQ!

COME SUPPORT THE COSTA MESA PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS
This year the event will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2015 at the Orange County Fair And Event Center from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.  All off-duty public safety folks are welcome to attend, enjoy the lunch and raffles.

PUBLIC WELCOME, TOO
Members of the public are encouraged to participate - the event costs $10.00 for us.

GREAT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
In addition, sponsorship opportunities are available as outlined in the following flyer.  If you have questions, call Patty Mason at 714-516-2766.
 (Click on the image to enlarge the flyer)



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The Week Ahead In Costa Mesa


MORE DEVELOPMENT ON TAP
On Monday, September 28, 2015 the Costa Mesa Planning Commission will meet again for another adventure in Development Land.  The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers and will also be televised live on Costa Mesa Television and streamed live on the city website if you just want to hunker down in your LazyBoy and watch from the comfort of your home - and click back and forth between the meeting and Monday Night Football.  You can read the agenda HERE.

BUILDING INSPECTION HISTORY
The Consent Calendar has a fascinating chart which purports to show Building Inspection Activity from 2005 - 2015, sliced in Trimesters.  Does anyone else chop numbers into trimesters?  I don't think I've ever seen it before.  Anyhow, this chart shows a low of 3,172 inspections for the period Jan-April, 2011 to a high of the most recent trimester, May-August, 2015 of 11,023.  Click on this chart to enlarge it.
TOWN CENTER EXTENSION
Public Hearing #1, HERE, is the request from Segerstrom and Sons for an extension of the development agreement entitlements for  Segerstrom Town Center for another 20 years, until 2035.
HELISTOP ON AIRWAY RESURRECTED
Public Hearing #2, HERE, it a conditional use permit request to install a 40 foot square helistop atop an existing building at 3132 Airway Avenue.  This request was first considered by the Planning Commission in 2011, but was withdrawn by the applicant before the City Council could hear it... they're back.  It's unclear what has changed since their last pass at this request, but I suspect many of the objections contained in the more than 130 page staff report from 2011 and 2012 still exist.
2-YEAR EXTENSION REQUESTED
Public Hearing #3, HERE, is a request for a two-year time extension to October 14, 2017 for a previously approved development at 522 and 526 Bernard Street, at the corner of Charle Street.  The developer is having trouble finding financing for this project - one of those projects with lots of deviations and modifications.
ANOTHER SMALL LOT DEVELOPMENT
Public Hearing #4, HERE, is a Design Review for a 5-unit, two-story small lot subdivision at 2333 Elden Avenue.  The staff is recommending approval.

*****


BIKEWAY AND WALKABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING
On Wednesday, September 30, 2015, the Costa Mesa Bikeway and Walkability Committee meets for their second meeting this month and the first on their accelerated schedule at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 West 19th Street beginning at 6:30 p.m.  You can view the agenda HERE.  Unfortunately, if you want to know what's going on with this committee you'll have to attend or read my report since there is no live or recorded coverage by the City, and usually not by the local media, either.

ON THE AGENDA
According to the agenda, activities that evening will include the following:
  • Introduction to consultant/facilitator Rock Miller
  • Review of Goals/Objectives/Policies/Programs for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
  • Presentation of September 2013 Public Outreach Meeting by Stantec.
The group will apparently also discuss:
  • Committee Vacancies - they have at least one
  • Items for the next agenda
I'LL REPORT LATER
I plan to attend this meeting - they usually last a couple hours and have been very sparsely-attended in the past - and report the progress or lack thereof.  This group is under the gun timing-wise if their efforts are to be considered in the General Plan update.  They have a good attitude and seem to be straining at the bit to get started.  Perhaps this meeting will be the time that happens.

*****

FIRST FRIDAY ROAD SHOW
The latest edition of the First Friday Road Show will be held in the City Hall parking lot at 77 Fair Drive on Friday, October 2, 2015 beginning at 5:30.  This is a great event, is free, usually has wonderful music and some good grub PLUS the chance to see some very nifty classic cars.  It's great family fun on a warm Indian Summer evening.

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Friday, September 25, 2015

Short Parks & Rec. Commission Meeting

SHORT TWO MEMBERS
The Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission, most of them, met Thursday night for what I thought might be a fairly short meeting that actually turned out even shorter!  Commissioners Byron de Arakal and Robert Graham were absent from this meeting.
TWO ITEMS PULLED FROM THE AGENDA
Two tree removal items were yanked from the agenda and moved forward to the meeting of October 22, 2015, which left us only one remaining tree removal item and the always-interesting discussion on lighted fields.  As it was, the meeting ended about 7:40, and could have been even shorter except for the kind of circular waltz that was done with the tree removal request.
MARINE CANDY DRIVE
There was only one speaker during Public Comments.  The omnipresent Beth Refakes, a stalwart on the Military Affairs Team, stepped up and reminded us of the Halloween Candy Drive for the children of 1/5 Marines from Camp Pendleton.  There's a box in the City Hall lobby in which individually-wrapped candy may be placed.  The Military Affairs Team will transport the collection to Camp Pendleton near the end of October, in time for their annual celebration.  Kudos to Beth and the other members of the team.

TEMPORARY FIELD LIGHT ROTATION PLAN
First, the item on the agenda concerning a rotation plan for temporary lights at three different venues over the next three years, which was expected to resolve some of the problems of having one neighborhood burdened with lights near their homes year after year.  The plan was to place lights at Back Bay High School this year, at Harper Elementary School next year and Kaiser Elementary School the following year.  The staff has been meeting with residents near Back Bay High School to smooth out the plan, but a few attended this meeting with questions/concerns.  According to the staff report, an Ambassador will be in attendance every night the lights are required and will turn them off at 7:30, or earlier if the teams depart earlier.  According to Recreation Manager Travis Karlen, the cost for this season - which includes Diesel Fuel, Field Ambassador's Salary, Maintenance and Repair and Sound Curtains to muffle the noise - will be $8,000.

ERRANT BALLS
Resident David Stiffler (sp?), representing the Bayview Terrace Condominiums adjacent to Back Bay High School, expressed concern about errant balls flying into their properties and players trespassing to retrieve them, plus the disruption of their peace and quiet every night.  He complained that these were not little kids playing, but adults.
DENTED GARAGE DOOR
Resident Kathleen Murphy, who lives across the street from Back Bay High School on Monte Vista, worried about the other sports being played there - Lacrosse, specifically, because of the dents in her garage door from misfired balls and the lights from the school late at night.
GOAL PROXIMITY
Derrick Spaulding, also a Bayview Terrace resident, echoed Stiffler's concerns and was worried about the proximity of the goals to his property line because he felt it would result in too many balls flying over his fence.
WHAT ABOUT THE NUMBERS?
Eastside resident Katie Arthur, who has been here before because her property backs up to Harper School, expressed concern because she and others have not been able to get actual numbers on how many children are involved in the leagues using these fields from AYSO 97.  She also observed that an expert that testified a year ago indicated the lights chosen were wrong for the application.  She also wondered how many kids involved are from Newport Beach, and what Newport is doing to help with the situation.
AN ANONYMOUS ECHO
Another resident who preferred not to identify herself echoed Arthur's concerns about the numbers, citing Anna Vrska's difficulty getting statistics during her tour on the Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee.  Regarding the lights, she suggested a technical consultant.

ECKLES RESPONSE
In response to some of the questions, Vice Chair Brett Eckles indicated that only AYSO 97 would be using the lighted fields during the week and those kids were 17 and under.  He had affirmed that their permitted time was from 5-8 p.m., but that the lights would be turned off no later than 7:30.  In response to his questions, Karlen affirmed that the actual numbers of children using the fields have been compiled and that the City has hired 2 auditors to confirm those numbers in real time during field use periods.  Eckles also indicated that he would be in immediate contact with the Lacrosse coach at Newport Harbor High School regarding Ms. Murphy's concerns, but emphasized that it is a school district issue.
BEGIN 10/1
After more discussion Eckles moved to approve the rotation plan as outlined in the staff report, but that instead of beginning on October 15th the start date should be moved ahead to October 1st.  The motion passed on a 3-0 vote.

TREE REMOVAL AT 1653 LABRADOR DRIVE
Next up was the tree removal request by Robert Harrington at 1653 Labrador Drive.  Mr. Harrington has lived at that address for 47 years and has seen two City trees installed.  The first was a Brazilian Pepper, which destroyed the walkway, so the city removed it and replaced it with the tree in question - a 20 year-old Liquid Amber, which is doing the same thing.
OOPS... NEW INFORMATION!
Mr. Harrington is re-landscaping his entire front yard and the parkway where this tree is located to comply with the demands for water conservation.  The tree in question has already begun to raise the sidewalk, in a recent revelation, begun damaging his sewer lateral.  This is important because, as it turns out, had the staff known there was sewer damage they could have - on their on hook - authorized the removal of the tree as a Category 1 removal - for health and safety reasons - and either replaced it with another tree species or not replaced it at all if the property owner chose not to.

TOOK TOO LONG, BUT THEY GOT THERE
Unfortunately, the discussion went round and round and round before this information finally became apparent.  Mr. Harrington had brought with him a video of the inside of his sewer lateral which, he says, shows the root incursion and pipe damage.  We didn't see the video.  The upshot, after much too long a conversation, was that the City will remove the tree as a Category 1 removal assuming the video actually does show the damage and "will work with" Mr. Harrington regarding a replacement tree.  Although not required to do so under those terms, Mr. Harrington said he and his wife would pay for a replacement tree to be installed elsewhere in the city.  Since he made that committment BEFORE the full facts were known, he may not have to do that.  The motion was passed on a 3-0 vote.

RECREATION MANAGERS SUMMER REPORT
The last thing on the agenda, for which we had no staff report, is Karlen's Summer Report.  So, I'll just let you try to get the gist of it from these images I took as he spoke about the very successful summer programs, which served the youth, adults and senior citizens for the past three months.  He did mention that the Concerts In The Park series had an average attendance of 1,500 people and raised over $10,000.  
(PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR EASIER READING)
WRAPPING UTILITY BOXES
The Art In Public Places focused on local artists who produced art that was used to wrap utility boxes, mostly on the Westside.  Plans are for that program to continue throughout the city.
THE CAMPS
 SUMMER R.O.C.K.S
 SUMMER RECREATION LEADERS IN TRAINING (RLIT)
 NCC CLASSES
 NCC RENTALS
 SPORTS, MUSIC AND ART (SMART)
 DOWNTOWN RECREATION CENTER USE
 AQUA CAMP
 SWIM PROGRAMS
 SWIM LESSONS
 COSTA MESA SENIOR CENTER
Membership is up to over 1,600 and participation is up.
MANY NEW PROGRAMS...
...INCLUDING HEALTH AND WELLNESS
FEES?
At the end Eckles asked Karlen about fees, particularly at the Senior Center.  He responded that they seemed to be in line with other senior centers nearby, but that they will be investigating ways to reduce them using grant funding.

NEXT MONTH MORE FUN
Chairman Kim Pedersen adjourned the meeting to October 22, 2015.

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