Foothills Sentry May 2023

Foothills Sentry Page 4 May 2023 JOHNSON MOTORCARS 31 Years of Specializing in the Service and Repair of Mercedes-Benz Gary Johnson 714-997-2567 982 N. Batavia # B13, Orange, CA 92867 gary@johnsonmotorcars.com @ ramblingroseoc Cap and trade Dear Editor: Do we finally see light at the end of the tunnel? I’m referring to Chapman University and its decades-long expansion of its Old Towne Orange campus. My wife and I attended the Old Towne Preservation Association “State of Old Towne Forum.” One of the speakers was Alisa Driscoll, Vice President of Public Rela- tions for Chapman. When asked about a permanent cap on enrollment, she was stra- tegically vague, but did state that the current president of the uni- versity Daniele Struppa is intent on increasing the enrollment from 9,000 students to 10,500 (17%). After which, future growth will be concentrated at Chapman’s Ir- Commentary New neighbors coming to a backyard near you By Scott Logue It was a beautiful Southern California morning when, with that perfect cup of coffee in hand, you went to enjoy the pri- vate morning tranquility of your springtime garden -- only to be rudely reminded of recent events. As you step out to the backyard, your gaze turns skyward to the three-story white stucco apart- ment buildings towering over you on all sides, dwarfing the privacy walls surrounding your house. Several of your new neighbors, some also sporting coffee mugs, smile down at you from their win- dows and wave. Your gaze drags slowly across this new horizon of glass and stucco. One neighbor is watching the morning news, a window covered with tinfoil, an A/C unit perched precariously, beach towels drying in the morn- ing sun hung from balconies – and you note with a disapproving eyebrow that one has blown off into your trees. With your tranquility and pri- vacy shattered, you resign your- self to thoughts of how this came to be. When California politi- cians passed SB9 and SB10 in 2021, most were not aware that this crushed bucolic scene was the inevitable outcome. With the state having secured control of all local zoning, your HOA was helpless, as was your city council and your county. Neighborhood zoning had been ripped from you, your neighbors, and your local elected officials and consolidated to the Sacramento politicians who unleashed a deluge of developers making windfall profits. It was inevitable, really, some- one was going to be the first in your neighborhood to list their home for sale, and then eagerly accept the developer’s incredibly attractive offer over lesser offers from would-be homebuyers. This began the parade of rumbling ce- ment trucks potholing the street, a fleet of subcontractors and ma- terial supply flatbeds, whining power tools, jackhammers and nail guns that slowly eroded your privacy and blue sky view into the glass and stucco of a towering multi-unit apartment building. When your neighbor closed the sale of his single-story family home on your cul-de-sac, the de- veloper quickly tore it down, split the lot, and had to make a choice. He could build four to six more homes where only one had stood before, or a multi-unit apartment building. The noise and street parking have been hell ever since. You’d like to sell your house to another family and move out of California, which is the only way to keep this fromhappening to you again. But the reduced value of a house surrounded by apartments makes it difficult, and buyers with children are concerned the local schools could suffer from overcrowded classrooms. You considered selling and just rent- ing as well, but renters are now struggling with rapidly climbing rents in areas where these devel- opments are happening. You just might have to cut your losses and take that offer the developer made to you, which is lower than what he offered the homeowners around you, as he knows you’re short on options now. You continue to contemplate how you came to be in this situ- ation as you retreat back inside your house, wandering by your windows, pulling shades down, as most of your windows stare into the many apartment windows staring back. Having decided to prevent this from happening to others, you reach out to Re- store Local Control, a volunteer organization in Orange County working with Our Neighborhood Voices (ONV). ONV has drafted an amendment to the California constitution that would enshrine local zoning control forever and would authorize local land use planning and zoning law to over- ride conflicting state law. They ask for your help on a ballot initiative for 2024 that will upend this massive overreach of state power. They need your help to gather 100,000 signatures for Orange County as they work across the state to reach one mil- lion. Through signature gathering or financial support, Our Neigh- borhood Voices will be able to finalize the ballot initiative and give control back to every home- owner and renter in California. To help, please contact info@ restorelocalcontrol.com , our- neighborhoodvoices.com or FCAHome.org. Scott Logue is a North Tustin resident and a board member of the Foothill Communities Asso- ciation. vine campus. Chapman growing elsewhere would be great news for Old Towne, but I don’t see any reason that we need another 1,600 students before that happens. Mitch Faris Orange Three-lane drain The City of Orange is consid- ering adding a third traffic lane eastbound on Katella, from Sac- ramento to Wanda, to improve traffic flow. A letter was sent to some residents, advising that a public meeting will be held if, and when, the city moves forward with the change. Dear Editor: It is very sad that the city has pre-planned this next move for Katella and not informed ALL of the residents in the area. I was not given a letter by the city, but by an individual. As a resident in the area for over 18 years, this DOES affect my home directly, as any cars exiting Katella, or street racers, or drunk drivers will run into my block wall at Katella and Handy. Accidents mainly happen on the opposite side because of speeding cars traveling toward the freeway, and the backup of cars trying to enter the 55 Free- way South ramp. The city’s reasoning that this change will improve the flow of traffic going into Villa Park/East Orange is bogus. The city’s letter states that this will also reduce queuing lengths and rear-end col- lision potential on Katella. Why do we need to accommodate people driving through the area at the inconvenience of the neigh- borhood and the people who live here? Public utility vehicles, highway patrol vehicles and fire trucks constantly park on the side of the current lanes past Handy’s light. Widening to three lanes will make it much more dangerous. I do not approve of this change. In regards to less parking on the residential streets, we have seen a massive increase of cars park- ing in our streets because of the economy and multiple families living in each residence. There is not enough space. If anything, the city should be looking into the traffic light tim- ers that run from Katella and Tu- stin onto the 55 Freeway ramps through Katella and Center. These efforts could be put to use in other parts of the city. Also look into the heavy equipment vehicles that travel on Katella and ruin our street, creating potholes and other risks. Nancy Savage Orange No seat at the table Dear Editor: We in the El Modena Barrio are thrilled that HUD (Housing and Urban Development) came down to meet with the City of Orange staff to investigate my complaints on the CDBG (Com- munity Development Block Grant) program. But we were also disappointed that the meeting did not include Councilwoman Ana Gutierrez, who represents Dis- trict 5 and the El Modena Barrio, and me, the person who filed the complaint. We have important information to include on my complaint and HUD’s investiga- tion. I am requesting HUD set up a meeting with Councilwoman Gutierrez and myself to provide evidence and information on my complaints. We ask for justice and fair treatment in the alloca- tion of CDBG funds. We ask for fairness and justice in this matter. Sammy Rodriguez Orange Building blocks Dear Editor: I'd like to address a few of the distortions in the recent commen- tary on the newer state housing laws and the impacts they may or may not be having on Orange County's single-family neighbor- hoods. Starting with the mislead- ing title itself, the state doesn't want to build in your backyard -- the state wants to provide a pathway for individual prop- erty owners to build in their own backyards if they have adequate space and choose to do so. By any measure, the ADU law has stimulated the production of many modest dwellings that pro- vide housing opportunities within existing neighborhoods for both extended families and unrelated households. SB9 does give property own- ers a path to create a duplex out of their existing homes, and also add an ADU in some jurisdictions, or to split the lot and run the same play on each resulting new prop- erty. Of course, the owner has to sign an affidavit of intention to remain in the property for at least three years. This is one of several restrictions that prohibit, say, a developer from converting sev- eral houses on a block. SB10 is optional, and must be voluntarily adopted by each municipality, so it is very unlikely we will see any 10-unit projects in any single- family neighborhoods. The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) produced by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has higher numbers this cycle because of the massive un- derproduction of housing in Cali- fornia over the last two decades. Even if the need is "overestimat- ed" by nearly a million units, the deficit is still over a million. To clarify another point, People for Housing Orange County has a relationship with CAYIMBY, but is a separate organization with separate funding sources. I am a board member with P4HOC, and while I'm not speaking here as a spokesman for the group, I will agree our objective is to see hous- ing production increase in Or- ange County. Our goal is not "to replace single-family homes with rows of high density, multi-fami- ly units." Our goal is to see well- designed, well located new hous- ing produced at all price points, with an emphasis on affordable products where possible. It is an insult to our organiza- tion to say we "have little under- standing of land-use planning." Our executive director is a plan- ner by experience and a former local planning commissioner; I am an architect who has been designing housing for more than two decades. Daniel Gehman, AIA Orange Board member, People For Hous- ing Orange County Don't stall at mall Dear Editor: I’ve been following the discus- sion about what to do about the Orange mall, and I have to say I’m surprised how some people are so opposed to integrating new, for-sale homes into the mall. I’ve lived in Orange for half a centu- ry. I remember when the Orange mall opened, and I’ve watched it go into its long decline. Common sense tells us that if the mall own- ers could attract new tenants, they would. But every year, the mall grows emptier. As a long-time Orange resi- dent, I support revitalizing the mall with new, for-sale housing. New starter homes for young families will bring new life to a dying mall. Retailers aren’t go- ing to sign leases to be in a mall that’s in decline. But rejuvenating the mall with a vibrant new com- munity will help attract new and better tenants. The property owners have a plan for revitalizing the mall. In- stead of getting in the way, I hope the city council will work with them to make it a reality. Judith Lash Orange