The Planning Commission has decided to meet this week. One of their first issues on the agenda is their meeting schedule that calls for 2 meetings per month from January through October, and then once in November and December, but don’t plan on showing up at all these meetings and be sure to check the City’s website in advance because they often cancel meetings. Indeed the year has barely begun and already one meeting (Jan 23) was cancelled.
Tonight’s agenda has some pretty routine items -
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HIDING ROOFTOP EQUIPMENT (Item #4)
Improvements were made to the old Western Digital building on Lake Forest Drive, but apparently the rooftop equipment (e.g., water heater, exhaust fan, HVAC unit) that was supposed to be screened from public view wasn’t, and after nearly a year of back-and-forth between the City and the new occupant, Alcon, the change has been set for a public hearing. The City has received complaints about the unsightly equipment (which is against City code); but Alcon argues that setting up a rooftop screen will be very costly requiring them to reinforce the roof. Their proposal requires the PC to set aside the recent code changes and allow a modified screen.
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PS – This building is right across form Mayor Pro Tem Nick’s property, so the Planning Commission better get it right.
SETBACKS IN SHEA BAKER (Item #5)
Shea Baker is asking that a 4 foot setback for mechanical equipment (a/c) be reduced to 3 feet in an area where they are going to build 150+ new homes. They want to create more back yard space, and feel that the a/c unit increased closeness to the next door neighbor will not create so much more noise that moving the unit will outweigh the gains made by the extra space. In Lake Forest 3 feet is within the code.
REMODEL OFFICE BUILDING (Item #7)
Owners of a 2-story office building at 23161 Lake Center Drive (it’s the old City Hall building) that houses the Adoption Network Law Center want to remodel. The area itself is a hodgepodge of styles from different eras, some of which are updated. The remodel will increase the height of the building by only 4 inches, with an additional 6 feet for the ”three roof projections” that are decorative. Everything is within code requirements.
These items should be easy to handle. That will leave the commissioners a lot of time to discuss some of the pressing issues facing the City. For example -
- With the start of Baker Ranch and the new sports park, how will traffic in the City be impacted and what can be done to reduce the problems?
- What do we do with the vacant land still left in the City? What future needs must be met? What alternative uses should be considered?
- What are the projections for future supplies of water and electricity to the City and how will the 4,500 new homes impact this.
- Why is our estimated sales tax revenue less than half of the other cities in OC and what can we do about it? What measures are we taking to attract new businesses and to keep the existing businesses? What measures are we taking to spend more of our budget here in the City?
- How can we accommodate to the new changes in the waste management contract in terms of the new traffic problems caused by increased trucks, the new demands for recycling, etc.?
