Foothills Sentry January 2022

Foothills Sentry Page 2 January 2022 A Brighter C HEERS TO 2022! 714 282 0828 | jadtec.com jadtec.com $ 15 95 /mo SECURITY JADTEC aco 4202 Protecting your family, home and business from burglary, fire and medical emergencies. ^ The new STEM Science Center at Villa Park High School, funded by Measure S tax assessments, was introduced to the public at a ribbon- cutting ceremony, Dec. 16. The ribbon was cut by outgoing President of the Orange Unified School District Board of Trustees Kathy Moffatt (third from left) and incoming President Andrea Yamasaki (fourth from left). They are joined by, from left, OUSD Superintendent Gunn Ma- rie Hansen; Trustees Angie Rumsey, Kris Erickson, Ana Page; OUSD Asst. Supt., Educational Services Cathleen Corella; Asst. Supt., Hu- man Resources Ernie Gonzalez; and Asst. Supt., Business Services Da- vid Rivera. The $42 million facility, featuring 12 state-of-the-art labs, two classrooms and two classroom suites for the medically fragile, will be open for students next semester. OTPA membership meeting slated The Old Towne Preservation Association will hold its annual membership meeting on Wednes- day, Jan. 12 at Ruby’s Diner at the Metro Station. The meeting will feature the election of the 2022 Board of Directors and a report on OTPA’s 2021 accom- plishments. City briefings will be provided by interim Orange City Manager Tom Hatch and Coun- cilmember Arianna Barrios. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.; RSVP at otpa.org. New members are welcome. An urgency ordinance, written to lessen the impacts of state leg- islation (SB9) on single-family neighborhoods, was approved by a unanimous vote of the Orange City Council, Dec. 14. The state legislation, slated to take effect Jan. 1, permits lots zoned for single-family residenc- es to be reconfigured to accom- modate two duplexes. Large lots can be split to accommodate four duplexes. Local jurisdictions are required to approve these higher density plans, regardless of their impacts on parking, infrastructure or neighborhood integrity. Further, the state has already directed localities to allow ac- cessory dwelling units (ADUs) and Junior ADUs to be built on single-family lots with little dis- cretion. The legislation will, es- sentially, permit a single-family property to contain eight units. Cities are, however, allowed some flexibility, and Orange’s urgency ordinance enacts every exception/restriction that cities are legally allowed to make. The ordinance is intended to preserve neighborhood character and pri- vacy to adjacent properties. It takes effect immediately, and will stand for 45 days. At that time it may be extended for 10.5 months, and then again for a year. Small concessions The conditions the city is al- lowed to impose include a prohi- bition of SB9 development in his- toric districts, as well as lot splits when an ADU or JADU would result in more than two units on a lot. The city is strengthening its 20-ft. front yard setback require- ment, requiring one garage park- ing place per unit, and establish- ing a minimum of usable open space. Design standards for materi- als, colors, orientation, window offsets and driveway widths are intended to preserve aesthetics, as are requirements that all struc- tures follow setback, height and floor-area ratios spelled out in the existing zoning code. Structures are limited to 16 feet in height, and one story. The maximum unit size for 1,200 to 7,999-sq.-ft. lots is 800 sq. ft., with one bedroom allowed for each 500-sq.-ft. in- crement. In addition, the city will require impact fees to be paid, standard fire codes to be met, utilities to be metered separately and pub- lic safety access and utility ease- Orange passes urgency ordinance to mitigate SB9 ments provided. The property owner must intend to live in one of the new units for three years; homeowners associations will retain authority to review propos- als. Easing the threat Orange’s intent is to impose “reasonable and objective regu- lations” on SB9 applications to avoid “negative and deleterious” effects on public health, safety and welfare that would occur if unrestricted lot splits and second units occurred in r1 neighbor- hoods. Meanwhile, voters across the state are petitioning to get a measure on the November bal- lot that would amend the state constitution and put land use de- cisions back in local hands. The tri-partisan Neighborhood Voices Initiative petition is being circu- lated locally, and can be found by emailing StopSB9@gmail.com or calling (714) 900-2672. Petitions may also be signed or obtained from area captains: Laura Thomas, OPA; Stephanie Lesinski, Mabury Ranch; Tony Trabuco, Old Towne; Dan Slater, Orange; and Chad Zimmerman, Villa Park. The Orange County Sheriff ’s Department presented Mike Knowles, maintenance supervi- sor for Villa Park Public Works, with a cash award for his out- standing service to the city. From left, Captain Gary Knutsen, Mike Knowles and Deputy Sean Mc- Dermott.