COUNCIL TO WEIGH COMPLEX RANCHO VISTA SITE OPPOSED.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer PALMDALE - Controversy over a proposed Rancho ran·cho n. pl. ran·chos Southwestern U.S. 1. A hut or group of huts for housing ranch workers. 2. A ranch. Vista apartment complex heads to the City Council this week amid complaints from homeowners who say it will ruin their quality of life, and the developer who says city conditions imposed on the project are too onerous on·er·ous adj. 1. Troublesome or oppressive; burdensome. See Synonyms at burdensome. 2. Law Entailing obligations that exceed advantages. . The City Council will hear on Wednesday appeals from the Rancho Vista Homeowners Association challenging the city planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. commission's approval of 90 apartments at Rancho Vista Boulevard and Avenue O-8. The homeowners association's appeal states the project should be denied because of the cumulative negative impacts it would bring to the area. ``I had hoped for a compromise on this, but he's left no room to negotiate,'' association president Will Aitchison said. ``Public services Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. are very limited. A multifamily project will stretch services.'' Many of the homeowners moved into the area when the apartment site was targeted for a senior citizen assisted-living complex, a development project that failed to materialize ma·te·ri·al·ize v. ma·te·ri·al·ized, ma·te·ri·al·iz·ing, ma·te·ri·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To cause to become real or actual: By building the house, we materialized a dream. . Aitchison said many of the homeowners have a feeling of ``bait-and-switch.'' ``This development will only diminish the quality of the health, safety and welfare of the residents of Rancho Vista, absent addressing these issues prior to the approval of this particular proposed development,'' the association said in its appeal. ``Our proposed solution to this issue is to refuse the application for development, pending further evaluation by governmental, environmental and community welfare experts.'' The developer, Andrew Eliopulos, also filed an appeal stating the planning commission Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle went too far in imposing conditions on the project. Those conditions including installing a street median along Rancho Vista Boulevard, building a perimeter fence perimeter fence perimeter n → Umzäunung f and installing a decorative entry wall. ``These are conditions I don't feel comfortable with,'' Eliopulos said. ``These were conditions that were imposed at the hearing. We had no time to study or evaluate their impact.'' The biggest concern is the requirement for installing the median along Rancho Vista Boulevard. ``No other projects being built out there are being asked to put in a median. Why are we being discriminated against?'' Eliopulos said. City Council members said they want to see how the debate plays out Wednesday night. ``They (homeowners) have real concerns - it's not a not-in-my-back-yard syndrome,'' said Councilman Richard Loa. ``At the same time, Mr. Eliopulos has his rights. Both sides have a valid point of view.'' Mayor Jim Ledford said he is also waiting to hear the discussion before making up his mind on the issue. ``I'm going to be looking at design issues,'' Ledford said. ``Zoning is a tough one to say no on. There is certainly a perception that the council has discretion on that, but I don't think that's the case.'' The project is located within the Rancho Vista master-planned community of more than 5,000 homes. The project site is covered by the Rancho Vista specific plan, a guideline guideline Medtalk A series of recommendations by a body of experts in a particular discipline. See Cancer screening guidelines, Cardiac profile guidelines, Gatekeeper guidelines, Harvard guidelines, Transfusion guidelines. for development adopted in 1987 and modified and reaffirmed by the City Council in 1999. The land is zoned to allow as many as 26 units per acre. The proposed development has a density of 15 apartment units per acre. Area homeowners fear the apartments will bring more crime, traffic and school overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. . The homeowners say the project requires an environmental impact report because of dramatic changes to the area since the Rancho Vista specific plan was adopted in 1986. Eliopulos said he is planning to build a quality project that will contain far fewer apartments than what is allowed by zoning. Each unit will have its own garage, washer washer Orthopedics A flattened disk of metal with a central hole used to distribute stress under a screw head to prevent thin cortical bone from splitting; serrated washers are used to affix avulsed ligaments, small avulsion fractures or comminuted fractures to the and dryer, and balcony Balcony (from Italian balcone, scaffold; cf. High German balcho, beam, balk; probably cognate with Persian term بالكانه bālkāneh or its older variant or deck space. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. where all the fears are coming from. I was an apartment renter once. I think just about everybody was an apartment renter once,'' Eliopulos said. The apartment project site plan was approved by the planning commission on Aug. 1 by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Bo Bynum dissenting dis·sent intr.v. dis·sent·ed, dis·sent·ing, dis·sents 1. To differ in opinion or feeling; disagree. 2. To withhold assent or approval. n. 1. . While none of the commissioners, including three who live in the Rancho Vista area, wanted the project, the majority of commissioners said they could not deny Eliopulos his rights to develop land that has long been zoned for multifamily dwellings. The commissioners said they tried to put in conditions to make it a better project. Had they voted the project down, it would have gone to the City Council with no recommendations from the commission. The project is the first apartment complex to come before the Planning Commission in three years. A two-year moratorium A suspension of activity or an authorized period of delay or waiting. A moratorium is sometimes agreed upon by the interested parties, or it may be authorized or imposed by operation of law. on such projects ended last spring. Palmdale officials began a review of the amount and location of land zoned for apartments after a 200-unit complex at Avenue R and 42nd Street East drew opposition from nearby homeowners. The Avenue R apartment complex eventually was approved, but the city enacted the moratorium blocking other apartment construction to allow time to study zoning issues. At the same time, the city was participating in a regional housing needs assessment. The city rezoned more than 200 acres, primarily on the east side. The rezoning cut the number of housing units that could be built on the acreage from 3,030 to 1,380 units. CAPTION(S): photo, map Photo: On Saturday, residents protest a planned apartment complex of 90 units near Rancho Vista Boulevard and Avenue O-8. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer Map: Prposed apartment complex |
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