• Planning Commission September 16, 2015

A brief recap of a relatively long meeting.

The first item on the agenda was

2.1 Villa Siena Apartment Project

It is a project of 170 apartments located at the northeast corner of Elizabeth Lane and Prielipp.

There were four resolutions in this. A key one being a GPA (General Plan Amendment) from MHDR (Medium High Density Residential) to VHDR (Very High Density Residential). 

This issue looked like it was headed for a defeat, so the members of the commission elected to continue this to the next meeting.

Here's why.

There were only three commissioners in attendance. At the moment we only have four, and Commissioner Bidwell was absent. The type of vote necessary needed a majority of the body, which is three, and not just a majority of those in attendance.

It was going to take a 3-0 vote to send it to the council, and as Planner Matt Bassi told the commission, if they were to not pass part of it, the other parts would become moot.

Commissioner Gary Brown wasn't comfortable with the density increase, and though a no vote wouldn't have killed the project, they felt it was better to wait until they had Commissioner Dan Bidwell present.

It's never a gimme pick when guessing how someone will vote, but I thought I remember Bidwell not being too keen on high density projects himself.

I guess we'll find out on October 21st when this comes before commission again.

2.2 was asked to be continued
This is a zoning ordinance amendment.

3.1 Taghdiri General Plan Initiation Request 
I learned a long time ago that there is no reason to put any energy into a GPIP. It's not an actual GPA (General Plan Amendment), it's asking permission to have a hearing. I don't know why we still do these.

I spoke to the commission and suggested that they use the Wildomar Rap rule of thumb for GPIPs: Always Approve WITHOUT Comment.

Save the comments for when they are actually asking for the GPA.

Let's see if my cartoon on the topic makes a GPIP any clearer. Princess Peach is playing the part of Wildomar, and Mario is acting as a developer looking to woo the city.

Sure, it might be more direct to nix a bad project from the outset, but a GPIP is before the outset. It doesn't hurt to let a developer know where you lean, but it's simply not the time to ask what kind of amenities the project will have when they haven't even drawn up any blue prints.

The location of this project is on the south side of Bundy Canyon Rd, east of the coming Walmart and west of the esses in the road. There are no specifics, just another request to change the density. This time from MDR (Medium Density Residential) to MHDR. Something tells me that Commissioner Brown won't be green lighting this one once it comes back around.

It's to be a gate guarded apartment complex with between 140 and 180 units. There's no need to get into the details here, because there really aren't any yet. This project could easily be years off.

Last on the agenda.

3.2 Election of a New Vice-Chairman
With the Vice-Chair suddenly being vacated last month, they needed to fill it. This too was tabled until Commissioner Bidwell could be present. I had already put in a speaker card and so they called my name even though the issue wasn't going to be dealt with tonight.

"The last election of Vice Chair wasn't unanimous and there was a bit of an issue due to it. Upon reflection I can now see that those that dissented on the previous Vice Chair nominee, had it right all along. There was reason to be concerned.

With that said, I suggest that you elect Dan Bidwell... it'll encourage 100% attendance in the future."

-Joseph Morabito

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Never look back unless you are planning to go that way. ― Henry David Thoreau

Wildomar Rap believes that ketchup should NEVER go on a hot dog. Not even as a practical joke.

• Planning Commission Meeting Recap

It was a shorter meeting than most. Probably because there were no public comments, and no comments on any of the agenda items either. So let's go down the agenda.

2.1 Revised parcel map for Wildomar Square Retail Center. 

The revision was to take it from six approved parcels to eleven. It passed 5-0. After the meeting I asked Assistant City Manager Dan York about rough time tables for this project. What I got from it, don't expect much movement before the second quarter of next year. 

I asked when commerce might be happening there... and I could see that there wasn't really any definitive answers that could be given since there are so many variables between now and then. So I tackled it this way. 

I asked, "Do you think any of the stores will be opened before Hillary is sworn into office?" (that one always gets the funniest looks) If all goes well, then we'll be able to add that to the list of retail areas sometime in 2016... I think (my words, not Dan's).

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3.1 and 3.2 were Back To School topics. A study session on "Conditions of Approval" and a study session on "Running an Efficient and Orderly Meeting". 

My two pull quotes were these.

As Mark Teague was detailing Conditions of Approval I liked his quip that went something like, "If you can't measure it, it's not real".  Examples of requiring a contractor to "make it pretty" or "respect the surrounding areas" were used to illustrate the point. In other words, if you want to set conditions on a project, be specific.

The other quote came from Assistant City Attorney Erica Vega as she was giving her primer on Running an Efficient and Orderly Meeting. 

It dealt with the point of public comments. 

[About] engaging in back and forth with the people that speak during public hearings. That's a matter of commission preferences. I work with other commissions where they do not really respond to public comments at all, besides with a "thank you for your comments" then moving on.

You might have a clarification question, that's perfectly acceptable, that's up to you —the level of back and forth you want to have. However, I would advise not to engage in debate with public commenters.

The purpose of the public hearing is for the public to air their concerns to the commission, not for the commission to question the public as to why they feel the way they feel. Clarification questions [to the public speaker] are perfectly appropriate. However I wouldn't engage in wholesale, tearing down of people who may have opposing viewpoints.

—Assistant City Attorney Erica Vega

Seems pretty basic to me. The public has concerns, so they speak them to the commission (or the City Council). It's not that our representatives don't want to hear our viewpoints, they do. It's just that at a city meeting it isn't the place to expect debate or the same type of conversation you'd have with them at other venues.

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3.3 Election of New Planning Commission Officers.

This went rather smoothly... especially compared to last year when the choices weren't unanimous. It started with Chairman Stan Smith nominating Vice Chair Veronica Langworthy to be the Chairman for 2015. That was approved without discussion 5-0.

Next was the nomination for Vice Chair. Gary Brown nominated Bobby Swann for the seat, quickly seconded by Dan Bidwell... but before the vote could be taken, Langworthy said she wanted to nominate Gary Brown. Before the tempest in the teapot could boil, commissioner Brown declined the post. The vote was fun to watch though. On paper it was 5-0, but one of those yes votes sounded more like... "well, if you're going to twist my arm... I'll vote aye" after a two second pregnant pause.

This is where my aspie senses betray me. I can't tell if it's just innocent banter up there, or if there's something deeper. I just know that one liners go back and forth that seem a bit chippy at times... but I guess that's what politics are all about.

Now this is where I whip out my crystal ball. Let's talk about the 2016 City Council elections for a second. Unless something unforeseen occurs, there will only be one seat up for grabs in 23 months. I say that because the only way Bridgette Moore won't get another term is if she declines to run. That leaves one seat that is currently held by Bob Cashman.

I haven't heard that he will run again or not. By then he'll be in his mid 70s and I'd hope we'd be prepping a statue (or a plaque) in his honor for all his past service to the city. If not, I see a storm a-brewin' with a crowded field of qualified candidates. Among them, I predict you'll see Bobby Swann, Veronica Langworthy and Gary Brown.

Such a prediction is as bold as predicting that New Years will come a week after Christmas, but just the same... you heard it hear first.

☺

From the Planning Director's Report.

The Oak Creek lawsuit settled (sorry, no details were given out). After a year and a half in the courts, the project is finally going forward after some minor changes. Expect it to be in front of the planning commission in February.

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UPDATE: Click this link to read some details about the lawsuit in the Press Enterprise.

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Also, due to the holidays, the Jan 7, 2015 Planning Commission meeting is cancelled, but there will be a meeting on January 21, 2015 instead. Watch your email for the agenda. If you aren't signed up at the city's website, follow this link to stay connected with city events.

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The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple. —Algernon, The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

If Wildomar Rap were an ice cream flavor, you can bet there would be bittersweet chocolate in it, probably some crushed hazelnuts and a swirl of awesome mixed in for good measure.

• Planning Commission Highlights: Now There Are Five

A couple of things I took away from tonight's planning commission meeting.

First, we have five of five seats filled for the commission again. Council Member Bob Cashman's pick of Dan Bidwell was sworn in.

General business 3.1 Bundy Canyon 38 GPA Initiation Request

According to Planner Matt Bassi, we may be seeing the last of the GPAs (General Plan Amendment) once we get our General Plan done.

Here's a quick run down of how I interpret a GPA.

It's a request by a developer/land owner to change the zoning for a certain area. From what I've gathered, if we were a more established city, that had a General Plan in place, such amendments wouldn't be part of the process. So, in essence, such a request for a GPA at this stage, amounts to nothing more than saying, "sure, make your preliminary plans and get back to us."

All it does is give them the ok to start coming up with details and concepts for a project. 

By the Planning Commission "recommending" that the council ok the GPA, it only allows the developer to start with studies and other preliminary work. Unless the developer was suggesting building a combo Sriracha Sauce/Pampers Recycling plant on the playground of one our elementary schools, I'd always vote yes for a GPA.

It's their money (for the studies, et al), and if they want to try and float a lemon of a project on the planning commission, they can be told "no" then. In the meantime, this is still the USA and landowners have rights that need to be respected.

Public speakers on the matter were Gail and George Taylor. Both made fair points about the potential impacts of the project. Which was said to be between 275 and 300 units, on 36 acres on the north side of Bundy Canyon just west of Tulip Lane. We all know that Bundy Canyon is a nightmare in waiting, it's already pretty challenging as it is. Just wait until the Walmart goes in there... Still, I think George may have exaggerated a wee bit when he labeled Wildomar as the High Density [housing] Capital of the World.



Let's face it, this city is in desperate need of apartments and condos, and I don't mean those overpriced ones that are just now opening behind Albertson's off of Clinton Keith Road.
The younger generation is in need of quality housing, that people just starting out can afford.

Those are called apartments... something that is in short supply here. Still, I don't see how "clustering" up to 300 units (still not determined whether rentals or for ownership) would work on that property, especially before Bundy Canyon is improved.

Standard math here tells us that 36 acres divided by 300 units is about 8.3 units per acre... but like the gentleman said, they weren't going to be disturbing the hill in front, and they were going to "cluster" the units in the center.

I've been to this site, it is rather hilly and seems like quite an undertaking. So, they aren't using all 36 acres to build. It seems that they couldn't really even use half of it for building. That means to get the number of units they have in mind, they'd have to double it to about 16 units per acre. I don't know that that is bad, but it sure is a far cry from what's already zoned there, and that's before the traffic considerations.

I still subscribe to the grassy knoll theory when it comes to building in Wildomar. Meaning, that builders/developers know all too well about the sue happy clicque here, and are smart to suggest something that is off the charts and would never be approved. Then they can come back at a later date, with a more modest proposal, something that they had in mind the whole time (wink,wink), and now everyone is happy because the project is more "reasonable".

The vote was 4-1 in favor of recommending that the council approve the GPA (Commissioner Langworthy voting no, though both Commissioners Gary Brown and Dan Bidwell later said they weren't too keen on such a project as this).

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The balance of the meeting, was finishing up the General Plan Update from the meeting before. It lasted until past 9:30pm. Ouch! It was interesting, but mind numbing at the same time (no offense, nothing personal). 

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I've been on a tear lately, and if you want to keep up with when I post new blogs you can subscribe or follow Wildomar Rap on facebook.

• City Council Meeting Mar 12, 2014

Tonight's meeting had several notable things in it.

Boy Scouts Riley Olson and Mike Ames discussed their eagle projects. Ames is restoring the dog park, and Olson is installing the various painted tiles, that were painted by members of the public as part of a fund raiser, into the snack bar at Marna O'Brien Park. 

Plus the theft of the troupe's trailer that they used to store their gear and other troupe memorabilia. For more info on the theft, click the link and read the article at the Patch.
http://lakeelsinore-wildomar.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/1000-reward-offered-for-return-of-wildomar-boy-scout-trailer

Mayor Marsha Swanson and outgoing chief Shelley Kennedy-Smith

Outgoing Wildomar police chief, Shelley Kennedy-Smith, received recognition for her time as chief. She's being promoted, so though she will no longer be the chief, Wildomar will still be in her territory. The new chief will be Captain Leonard (Lennie) Hollingsworth.

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The real meat of the meeting was
agenda item 2.2  

On the surface it was a builder/developer that wanted to make minor adjustments to a project. Changing the ingress/egress, going from 102 lots to 98 lots and creating additional access for emergency vehicles. Seems like normal adjustments before a project were to begin. But wait, we're talking about Wildomar here, and unless you bow down and grovel to The Unelecteds, you're going to have to deal with the troll under the bridge.


In short, its the same old guy, representing the same old angry people, that keep bringing the same old tired lawsuits. It's not just a Wildomar thing, this kind of crapola is happening all over our state under the false banner of protecting the environment by way of twisting the original intent of the CEQA laws. 

If it weren't for all the lawyers up in Sac-to, real CEQA reform would have been accomplished years ago. It was a great idea in 1970... and I'm thinking it's long overdue for a 40 year tweaking to shake out the fleas that have decided to call it home.

Keep It Real!

None of us want runaway development, but have any of you taken a critical look at our town? Face it, we are like remnants at a carpet factory. We are not the center cut, and being bullied by those that spend their days looking for more things to bitch about is NOT helping us become a better place. We are stagnating, and simply because of a few people,  for who knows what reason , have decided to game the system. 

I was glad to see Council Member Tim Walker respond with, "I am always amazed that one side brings all the information and gives us things —examples, and the other side —I don't see anything." 

"I think anyone can throw things against the wall and see what sticks, but these guys (CV Communities) came in professional, brought their information, brought their [power point] presentation. That's our job, to look at it all, and it looks good to me."

If you've wondered what keeps suing our city, and were thinking "Atticus Finch" or "Perry Mason" or maybe even "Ben Matlock" think again. If you're curious just watch the video. It's twenty-two minutes long, so unless you really want to watch it all, a little dab will do ya.

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Other news had Council Member Bob Cashman nominating Dan Bidwell for the open seat on the Planning Commission. He was approved 5-0. 

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I have a pretty good rapport with Kenny Mayes. He puts a lot of time into things in Wildomar and makes it to nearly every city meeting. Sure, he's a different cat, but that doesn't mean we can't converse and share info about things in our city. Still, he got a bit cryptic at the meeting, and if you'd like to see Mr. Mayes in action, the video is about a minute long. He also has a blog about Wildomar called http://www.wildomarconnected.com/. 

Through his efforts we are in line to get a parks commission. 

His blogs are often filled with things I haven't ever thought about and others have a feel like the video below. We all have our different styles.



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