Wednesday, May 25, 2016

5/25/16 City Council meeting open thread

The current city council has continued prior councils' practice of not providing written summary minutes of council discussion, but only "action minutes" which state the outcomes. Encinitas Undercover will provide a forum for observers to record what occurs at each council meeting.

Item of interest tonight: neighbors' appeal of the Hymettus Estates density bonus project on Fulvia Street.

Please use the comments to record your observations.

59 comments:

  1. These appeals take up way too much time. YAWN!

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    1. Till a monstrosity decides to move in next door to you. You won't be yawning then. Personally, I can't wait.

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    2. My neighbors are a damn nuisance and a monstrosity. I would be happy to ship them your way if I could find a way to get rid of them.

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    3. Open question:

      I moved into a house in an older neighborhood about a year ago. I have a great neighbor--an older gentleman. I like him. We get along well, and I don't want to create any tension in fence line politics. But he's got a permanent accessory building built right up against the fence with zero setback. I'm pretty sure that was never legal in this neighborhood, as there are zero similar buildings in the hood.

      Ideally, I'd like to let it slide until he sells the house or moves to the great beach town in the sky. At that point, I'd like to challenge the legality.

      My question is: at some point do I lose the right to challenge if I let it go long enough?

      What would you do?

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    4. It's grandfathered in and you lose. Did you not see it when you bought your house?

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    5. 9:28,

      Not sure that's correct.

      I saw it, but how does that make it legal? You mention grandfathering. What are the legal rules for grandfathering an illegal structure?

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    6. Call the city and ask, 10:00. Don't be so lazy. And don't expect a straight answer, either.

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    7. Long before new citizens moved to Encinitas, the kind of units you are speaking of were totally legal. You bought your home knowing this unit was there. Is there a possibility that you wanted to move to a cool beach community and then once you got here you thought you could improve it? Sorry if that sounds harsh, but personally I have little sympathy for this particular case. I live close to the railroad. I certainly don't complain about the noise, as that train was here long before I was.

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  2. Gaspar down the hall with "staff" and developer and lookee how she knows how to ask all the right questions.

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  3. Hymettus/Fulvia project-9 homes on 2.8 acres.Quite a poker game going on right now. Each side is doing a point by point dissection of each other's claims. All well educated, well researched and articulate. All I can say, is a lot of money has been spent because City Mark is insisting on building 9 homes. I wonder if it had been better business to build only 7.

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    1. 2.25 acres. It increased magically to 2.8 when staff and the developer put their heads together to include the streets and artificially increase the pre-construction impermeable surface area.

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  4. Gasparagus is thus far the only council member to challenge city staff. Blakespear is looking for an excuse to justify approving the project while asking about the farm house, Kranz now has stuttering, stammering, lying Masi in trouble so Masi hands it off. Masi said the grading at the hall park was turned out he killed Rossini Creek and he cost taxpayers $ 500,000. Our council sides with staff against residents everytime. Money talks. Vote them all out and take back your town. Government of, for and by the people. Not the uni-party that votes against residents.

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    1. Don't let that crossed eyed GASBAG fool you.

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    2. "Challenge" city staff? Those questions were cut up and fed to her by the very same staff.

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  5. My prediction......council will approve the Hymettus/Fulvia project because staff has convinced them to do so. Then, listen for council to give big kudos to staff for a job well done. Time to give staff big raises.

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  6. BINGO! My predictions were spot on.

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  7. This is depressing. The residents once again were right.

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    1. DUMP BLAKESPEAR DUMP KRANZ DUMP GASPAR (if she tries to get back in).

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    2. Dump Muir too. He is a back-up shill for the developers. He was tutored under $tock$, so far the worst councilman in the 30 year history of Encinitas.

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  8. The delays by residents have only served to increase the property values for City stain Mark, so they haven't lost a thing and have actually been rewarded through this drawn out process. They, the developers, win no matter how much the justification is for denying the scope of this development where it does not belong.

    Hymettus Estates indeed. If there were five true estates being planned, they could be called that. As it is, it is just another pos that is being allowed to degrade our community standards by densification that is a travesty.

    The Planning Dept. raises my bs detector every damn time they perform, and that is what this is, a performance, before the council or commission. Take your choice.

    How their bs is accepted questions every one of our council members or planning commission members on whether they are our representatives or the developers.

    Sadly, the answer is right before our eyes every week.

    Nothing is going to change until we vote in a majority that pledges their allegiance to the residents, including an unflagging support for preserving Prop A.

    None of the potential candidates has expressed this support. Tasha is known to not support Prop A. Tony, the same. Mark ? but really, who would expect any support for Prop A, Kristen, surely not, if she is still considered a viable Encinitas candidate after her doomed run for county commissioner, Lisa is irrelevant at this point. Catherine gets a free ride, since win or lose, she keeps her seat.

    Supporting Prop A should be a litmus test for the upcoming election. Any candidate that hedges their bet is not to be trusted. Yea or nay, says it all. Do all that you can to fight for defending Prop A and you will win with overwhelming community support.

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  9. Fulvia/Hymettus citizens did a fantastic job. Had the vote been made by a council who had not already decided before the meeting and who actually listened to what was said last night, neighbors would have won.

    Manjeet was in his usual performance mode since as lie upon lie was exposed for what it was, he tried to look busy going through papers and messing with his cell phone. Notice that he didn't say a word, but pretended to be busy. He will only communicate in closed meetings or whispers and notes passed back and forth during Planning Commission meetings.

    Massi sat up and lied for at least 20 minutes, then when he couldn't produce the number that was cited on the chart that they supposedly used to determine run off, he passed it to City Mark's engineer. The engineer whined and cried like a victim and couldn't produce the rational for the numbers he used that did not match the chart.

    Engineering Director Glenn Pruim was asked to explain the restroom situation. After years of sketchy performance both in Encinitas and in Carlsbad, we hoped he finally had a job that he could do right. He was not even able to tell citizens where to use the restroom!

    The three people mentioned all are paid six-figures. Encinitas directors and engineers are a team of clowns and would be fired any other place but in our city.

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    1. I learned last night that explanations of 3rd grade arithmetic to council members are not taken seriously unless you are a licensed hydrologist.

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    2. A licensed hydrologist presented to the planning commission and his letter was read last night to council. Licenses mean nothing when you have Roy and Masih running the show with Manjeet pulling their strings and the developer pulling Manjeet's.

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  10. Is there anything else we can do at this point or are we stuck with City Councils decision.

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    1. There is always the option of a lawsuit, but it would be a waste of time and money. Like it or not, this lame council made yet another bad decision.

      GASbag continues to show her true colors. Time for her to go.

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    2. The option may or may not be a waste. Not all was evident to the lay person.

      Stay tuned, as Vina liked to say.

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  11. Leucadia is really in for it with density bogus being applied with cheerleading by our council. Yes it is council that is misinterpreting density bonus, spreading fear of needing a housing plan asap etc. Stay active or Leucadia will be a traffic nightmare with all the salivating developers and a council too timid to back citizens. Be sure to vote out Kranz and the others, F- performance.

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    1. And vote no on the HEU, aka "At Home Encinitas."

      Sounds so much friendlier than "Housing Element Update," doesn't it. And "At Home Zones Encinitas" almost makes you forget it's actually the much more sinister "Floating Zones."

      Finally, let's not forget the switch from "affordable housing" to "attainable housing" that lets the city drop any intention of true affordability for market rate.

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    2. Just call it like it is. Increased density and looking more like Redondo Beach.

      I say no to LA development model. thank you.

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  12. An analysis of the special PAC's flier on Gaspar is that none of the stated issues are championed by her, nor are they relevant to the office of Supervisor. The assumption is that the average voter doesn't have a clue and will blindly accept these misconceptions.
    Gaspar is the epitamy of corruption.

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    1. Yup. Diversifying water supplies and filling potholes, while popular, have virtually nothing to do with the job of Supervisor.

      Gaspar and her backers obviously think we voters are morons.

      Good piece on this on KPBS today.

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  13. Hymettus developers spotted on the council dais before the meeting, conferring with Gaspar.

    Gaspar allied herself at the start of the HEU with Mikey Andreen.

    It's hard to know what's more offensive: her shameless love for the BIA or her shocking lack of judgment.

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  14. Gaspar is an airhead, doing the bidding of the developers. One wonders what's in it for her? Kick backs of some sort- that is a given.

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    1. She gets campaign donations from developers, for one thing

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    2. Of course - substantial ones too! She is willing to sell out her community for personal ambition. There must also be a lot of gratuities that comes one's way when in the Supervisor's office - most given below the radar of disclosure.

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    3. I think GASpar has her eyes on the pay she will receive if she gets on the Board. These people make $200,000 plus per year. Her pay as mayor doesn't come close to that. Time to pay back her sugar daddy.

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    4. $200K - not bad for a "job" that really involves no work - even mental. Since Gaspar has minimal mental capabilities, she will be told what to do and how to vote. Barbie on a stick. Vote for Abed or Roberts.

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    5. When Gaspar is knocked out of the Supervisorial race, she'll have to claw it out with Blakespear for the token position of Mayor. This will be hilarious - the Bimbo Brigade tearing each others' hair out! It'll be Encinitas's version of a cage match - can't wait! The PAC will have to shift their propaganda too - maybe she'll dress as Cat Woman this time!

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  15. There is a mockingbird, 2 mourning doves, a lot of sparrows, and some scrub jays living on this property. I wonder where they will go. *waves*

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    1. Maybe get stuffed and put in museums.

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  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  17. I do not see del mar increasing density along its coast line.

    Vote NO on the housing element.

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    1. "The City of Del Mar has the capacity to accommodate additional housing growth via new construction on vacant residential sites, construction of additional units on High- Density Residential sites, re-designation and subsequent development of vacant properties in the North Commercial Zone, and, to a limited extent, development in the downtown area (Central Commercial Zone). Additional housing opportunities will also be provided via modification of the development standards of the Professional Commercial and North Commercial Zones to allow residential development at a density of 20 du/ac development and via consideration of modifying the provisions of the Public Facilities (PF) Zone to allow residential uses."

      Del Mar Housing Element, as certified by HCD. Page 71.

      http://www.delmar.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/257

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    2. All code for market-rate sardine cans.

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  18. CityMark developer Russ Haley was granted a "Star in the Preservation Crown" for the Historic Designation of his home in Coronado: http://www.coronado.ca.us/egov/documents/633511207460571.pdf.

    The feature article is titled “The Teardown Trend;” here's a notable quote:

    “It consumes not only the original building, but the trees, gardens, greenery, space, light and the very essence of a community’s character. It changes forever its history as more and more of its architecture becomes buried in rubble.”

    Standards are apparently different when it's his neighborhood.

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    1. Sounds like he is the NIMBY!

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    2. Sounds like he wants to avail himself of the tax breaks. Unlike Haley, the owner of the Hymettus Estates property didn't request historic designation.

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    3. The owner, who lives in Orange County, will get far more from 9 houses than he would from one.

      What should NOT have happened was staff pushing this thing through despite significant mistakes in the EIR and Council so scared of CityMark and the BIA that it joined staff in approving this thing, facts be damned.

      What ounded like to anyone who saw the meeting: the fix was in.

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    4. Yup, a dog and pony show. Council members posed questions to staff and the developer, but when given nonsensical answers they just accepted them instead of pursuing the truth. Notice how the residents were NEVER questioned and given a chance to rebut the developer/staff team.

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  19. Shame on GASpar for LYING on her campaign flyer. She states she is an educator and a teacher. This is FALSE.

    She holds no degree in education and she is not a credentialed teacher or educator. What she does, like other parents, is to volunteer at her children's school for no more than six hours per week.

    If she LIES about this, what else will she lie about? She is NOT TO BE TRUSTED. Her resume and track record is very small.

    SHAME ON YOU KRISTEN GASPAR FOR LYING.

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    1. Yeah, back to our council meeting discussion...write EU and ask for a new thread.

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    2. Gaspar is a bonehead. CFO is even a stretch - she organizes the pencils at the chiropractic shop? Her entire resume is puffery - she is a bimbo who is told which foot to put forward.

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    3. I hope Dave Roberts picks up on this and runs with it. That will end her ambitious political career.

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    4. Thanks for respecting the neighbors of Hymettus.

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    5. It's time for our LYING MAYOR to pack her bags and move on.

      GASpar has insulted the teachers and educators who worked hard to get their degrees by claiming herself to be a teacher and educator. She has no such education or degree.

      She needs to undo this fraudulent claim and publicly apologize for lying on her campaign flyer.

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    6. Didn't she go to the Walter Cronkite school of journalism according to her bio? What the hell was that - "and that's the way it is" catch phase gets you a degree. Next, she'll claim a doctorate from Trump University in Pure BS-ism. Gaspar has no credentials other than being a bimbo lackey for the developers.

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    7. 3:44 PM

      "What the hell was that..." I assume you're just being sarcastic but sometimes it's a little hard to tell on this blog.

      From their website:

      "... the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. The Cronkite School is a nationally recognized professional journalism program that prepares students for careers as reporters, editors, producers, orrespondents, anchors, media managers and public relations specialists."

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    8. #5 in the nation, according to HuffPo.

      Hall of Fame includes Al Michaels.

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