Saturday, August 12, 2017

Consultant finds Measure T's building height increases completely unnecessary and number of upzone sites vastly more than required

Del Mar Times:
Lower building heights and fewer units than what were proposed in Measure T could be possible in Encinitas' next housing element update, a consultant told the city's Housing Element Task Force in a meeting Aug. 10 at city hall.

Dave Barquist, project manager for the Orange County-based Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., whom the task force hired as its consultant earlier this year, analyzed potential scenarios at the meeting to see what could fit in a cap of 30 feet or two stories, suggesting overlays could mean the number of parcels goes down from 195 — the number proposed in the failed Measure T — to as little as around 70.

This would eliminate any site that would yield fewer than 16 units, including smaller sites downtown and in Leucadia that were included in Measure T. Although the sites are the same ones proposed in Measure T, which have already been through environmental review, Barquist noted this plan would reduce the total number of sites.
So why didn't the city council get a second opinion before trying to cram Measure T down our throats?

And is Marco Gonzalez going to apologize for calling Measure T opponents liars?

And does Lisa Shaffer still want to impose unnecessary, unaffordable high density on Encinitas?

17 comments:

  1. Where are all the greedy sell out clowns now. MFers should be thrown in jail and have to pay back all that money they wasted. Encinitas citizens vs. BIA and Coast Law and shitty council. City attorney needs to be fired and investigated too. Oh and SANBAGers should be sued to for making up housing numbers. Who paid whom to get those numbers?

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    1. City attorney charges the taxpayers over $1M each year. And he is consistently wrong. Dr. Lori where are you??

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    2. 9:30, do Dr. Lorri and the rest of us a favor and trot yourself down to the city and ask at a council meeting. It's fine to call her out, but get off your duff at the same time.

      The heavy lifters don't appreciate everyone looking to them every time. Get involved! If you are, good - if you're not, call Dr. Lorri after you've delivered your own message.

      Meant sincerely and not maliciously. Now is the time to keep the pressure ON.

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    3. Sabine's continued presence assures the special interests (developers) will be accommodated and given inside information. He is their mole. He needs to be dumped.

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  2. The height restriction is meaningless west of the 101. The City is approving massive cuts into the bluff to allow builders to build 28' tall structures. 10' of that height is carved from the bluff. If built at grade - these would be 40' buildings. Look at the Rincon garbage. Diana St. , W. Leucadia Blvd., W Jason St. - these carpetbagging, posing-as-local dirtbags own Encinitas Planning and Engineering. This is a criminal enterprise.... the City only hesitates when lawyers are deployed.
    Otherwise- every project is green-lighted.
    Planning and Engineering could not care less about current homeowners / taxpayers...
    Greedy fucXs

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    1. Prop. A requires that height measurements must be done from the original grade or the finished grade, whichever is lower. I don't know of any recent projects where this has been violated. Before Prop. A planning staff allowed it because the code allowed it if findings were made.

      If anyone sees a violation in their neighborhood with a new project, one or more people need to call attention at the CPP meetings, Planning Commission meetings, or appeal to the Council. An appeal probably won't be necessary because PC Commissioner Bruce Ehlers, who understands Prop. A, will make an issue of it.

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    2. In the meeting of the task force there was no mention of surgery on the bluff line. The possibility of underground parking was mentioned. In that part of Leucadia drainage is sometimes a problem, that would have to be addressed in the application and planning process.

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    3. 10:20, the only reason there have not been Prop A violations is watchful residents went to city hall to remind staff about the height measurement rule. They just can't seem to remember how it works. Guess it's hard to hear over the din of Meyer screaming for his "rights" and staff has to make a choice as to who they serve.

      Without residents watching, staff was and still is more than ready to violate Prop A. Don't rely on Ehlers to be a one-man police force. Keep your eyes open and speak up when needed.

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  3. This new plan won't work - check it out! They eliminate setbacks, etc., etc...

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    1. HCD doesn't ask for setbacks, etc., etc. Virtually none of that reduced standards crap the builders got our planning department to put in the plan was required by HCD. It might not "work" for the Meyers of the world, but it works for the State.

      Word got out that T was nothing more than a developers' gift and not a "State mandate" as claimed by the city, so voters said no.

      The new plan could well pass if it stays honest and locks out developer interests.

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    2. The new plan doesn't eliminate setbacks and FAR (Floor Area Ratio), it changes them to make R-25 zoning and 2 stories acceptable to HCD. These reduced building standards would only apply to properties chosen for upzoning in the HEU, not city wide. Whatever is decided on by the Task Force and Council will still be subject to a public vote, thanks to Prop. A.

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    3. Good clarification, 10:33.

      9:25 sounds like a disgruntled developer or city employee unsuccessful at influencing on the BIA's behalf. Hard to tell the two apart, you know?

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  4. Why is the Del Mar Times telling us information?? Where is our local fish wrap?? Where is the Coast News?? Why aren't they breaking this story?? Has Mr.Kidd become a tool of the city?? Has Mr. Kidd become a pawn of the developers?? Perhaps the smell of too much pizza dough has turned his mind into a calzone.

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    1. Check the byline of the article. The local reporter from the Advocate attended this meeting and was able to put it on the web site. The task force meets in a small room and there were empty chairs. This report is part of a continuing series of meetings that won't be very newsworthy until it becomes a recommendation to the City Council.

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    2. The Del Mar Times, the Encinitas Advocate, the San Diego Union-Tribune and about 40 other big, medium and small city newspapers are owned by Tronc, which used to be called the Tribune Company. Their headquarters are in Chicago.

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  5. Apparently, the Del Mar Times owns and publishes the Encinitas Advocate, which is local.

    This story sounds like good news.

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  6. To answer your questions, WC:

    Gonzalez will not apologize. He's paid to say and do whatever the developers pay him to say and do. The BIA pulls his strings.

    Of course Shaffer still wants to impose high density on us. She absurdly believes that will create truly "affordable" housing. She absurdly believes if you live in high density, you will suddenly come to the realization that you can commute to work on your bicycle. And anyway, it's not in her nature to change her opinion, no matter what facts are presented to her. She is committed.

    "Staff" who pushed the lies are mostly gone, although there are a few good developer foot soldiers left at city hall. Don't think for a minute they won't try to undermine this consultant's opinion.

    I'll add a question: will Blakespear begin to distance herself from Marco now that she's presented with this new information, or will she continue to worship the ground he walks on?

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