Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 20, 2013

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 20, 2013 

City of Sierra Madre

ORDINANCE NO. 1336

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIERRA MADRE AMENDING CHAPTERS 
17.20 “ONE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONE” AND 17.68 “PARKING” OF TITLE 17 OF THE SIERRA MADRE 
MUNICIPAL CODE. 

WHEREAS, the R-1 One Family Residential Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 17.20 of the Municipal Code) was adopted 
for numerous reasons including to encourage development that preserves the small town character of the community, and to 
promote architectural diversity while maintaining neighborhood consistency; 

WHEREAS, the Parking Ordinance (Chapter 17.68 of the Municipal Code) was adopted to regulate parking in the City with 
respect to number of required parking spaces for various land uses, location of parking spaces, design of parking facilities, 
parking lot landscaping, and other related provisions. 

WHEREAS, the proposed amendments to Chapters 17.20 and 17.68 of the Municipal Code have been drafted to address a 
number of development standards that have been proven to be contradictory, difficult to apply, or inconsistent with the City’s 
development goals. 

WHEREAS, staff has worked with the Planning Commission during the course of several meetings regarding R-1 development 
standards, which have culminated in the subject municipal code text amendment to address these concerns;

WHEREAS, the Planning Commission at its February 7, 2013 regular meeting recommended the amendments to Chapters 
17.20 and 17.68 of Title 17 of the Municipal Code to address those issues; 

WHEREAS, these proposed changes are consistent with the General Plan in that they will help preserve the City’s 
neighborhoods characterized by single-family dwellings; 

WHEREAS, the amendments are generally consistent with the goals, policies, and objectives of the General Plan in that it 
would help protect low-density single-family residential uses in the City.

WHEREAS, the Initial Study for this Ordinance concluded that the amendments will not have any significant effect on the 
environment;

WHEREAS, a Negative Declaration was prepared pursuant to the provisions of Section 15070 of the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA); and

WHEREAS, the City Council held a public hearing at its regular meeting of March 26, 2013 and continued it to April 9, 2013, 
to take public testimony on the proposed amendments.

THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIERRA MADRE DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Code Amendment. Chapter 17.20, entitled “R-1 One-Family Residential Zone”, is hereby replaced with Chapter 
17.20 as provided herein as Exhibit “A.”

 

Section 2. Code Amendment. Subsection A.1 of section 17.68.020 of the Municipal Code, entitled “Parking spaces 
required”, is revised to provide: 

For R-1 Zones: Two spaces per dwelling unit in a garage or carport; Three spaces per dwelling unit in a garage or carport 
for dwelling units with five or more bedrooms; Each space in a garage or carport shall have a minimum interior dimension 
of 10’ x 20’, with a minimum floor-to-ceiling height of 7 feet.

Section 3. Code Amendment. New subsections S, T and U to section 17.68.080 of the Municipal Code, are hereby added 
to provide: 

S. Properties subject to the R-1 zoning standards: All driveways and parking spaces shall be paved with either asphaltic or 
concrete pavement, or a pervious paving material subject to the approval of the Development Services Director. Asphaltic 
pavement shall be placed to a minimum depth, after compaction, of two and one-half inches and a seal coating of coal 
tar pitch emulsion shall be applied to all asphaltic surfaces. This requirement shall not exclude the utilization of brick or 
special stones for decorative purposes.

T. Properties subject to the R-1 zoning standards: The planned circulation of vehicles in parking areas shall be arranged 
to permit vehicles to move into and out of the parking area. For residential parking spaces, a minimum 24 feet of 
unobstructed back-up distance shall be provided; the back-up distance shall include the combination of private property 
and public right-of-way (street or alley) to allow for sufficient maneuvering. For garages that are located at the rear of the 
lot, minimum back-up clearance shall be provided as shown on Exhibit D. 

U. Unless otherwise noted in this Chapter, a tandem parking arrangement shall not satisfy the required off-street parking 
requirements for properties subject to the R-1 zoning standards.

Section 4. California Environmental Quality Act. The City Council has considered all of the evidence in the record, 
including the staff reports, the initial study, the testimony received during the public hearings on the matter held by the 
Planning Commission and the City Council, and hereby determines that pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15070, there 
is no possibility of a significant impact on the environment, and hereby adopts the Negative Declaration. 

Section 5. Severability; Continuation of Provisions. If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or 
phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not 
affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or 
phrases of this Ordinance or the rules adopted hereby. The City Council of the City of Sierra Madre hereby declares that 
it would have adopted each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of 
the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases hereof be 
declared invalid or unenforceable. To the extent the provisions of the Sierra Madre Municipal Code as amended by this 
Ordinance are substantially the same as the provisions of that Code as they read immediately prior to the adoption of this 
Ordinance, then those provisions shall be construed as continuations of the earlier provisions and not as new enactments. 

Section 6. Effective Date. This Ordinance shall take effect thirty days after its passage and adoption pursuant to California 
Government Code section 36937.

Section 7. Certification. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause the 
same to be published according to law.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED, this 9th day of April 2013.

AYES: MAYOR JOSH MORAN, MAYOR PRO TEM NANCY WALSH, COUNCIL MEMBERS JOHN CAPOCCIA, 
JOHN HARABEDIAN, AND CHRIS KOERBER NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Log

Search and rescue activity in our local area continues at a very modest level with the Sierra Madre 
Search and Rescue (SMSR) Team responding to three calls for assistance in March. 

Submitted by Chuck Stoughton

Siezure, Big Santa Anita Canyon, Chantry Flat: The Team received a page at 11: 54 a.m. on March 
17th to respond on reports of a hiker experiencing a medical emergency in the Fern Lodge area 
below Chantry Falt. Search and rescue team members responded along with fire department units 
from Los Angeles County and Sierra Madre. Crews were able to quickly reach the subject and assess 
the situation. The subject was stabilized on scene and wheeled out via litter to a point where vehicle 
access was possible. The hiker was transported back to Chantry Flat and transferred to ambulance 
for the trip to a local hospital. The operation was secured at 2:00 p.m. and all units released from 
the incident.

Lost and Stranded Hiker, Mt. Wilson: At 3:22 p.m. on the 2nd , SMSR responded to a mutual aid 
request from Altadena Mountain Rescue to assist in the rescue of a hiker over 4.5 miles above the Mt. 
Wilson Toll Road. Limited communications prevented rescuers from determining the hiker’s exact 
location. Along with SMSR and Altadena Mountain Rescue, air and ground units from LA County 
Fire responded on the call and a command post was established at the Toll Road gate off of Pinecrest 
Drive in Altadena. SMSR personnel began working search assignments along the Mt. Wilson Trail 
and Manzanita Ridge where they respectively intersection with the Toll Road. The hiker was spotted 
by helicopter shortly after crews began their field assignments. The hiker assessed for injuries and 
was airlifted off of the mountain. The rescue was secured at 4:22 p.m. 

Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) California Region Snow/Ice Reaccreditation, June Lake: 
Over the weekend of March 2-3, eighteen Search and Rescue teams from across California including 
the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team, participated in various hands-on rescue scenarios in areas 
such as: snow/ice rescue techniques; avalanche beacon rescue; winter litter evacuations and medical 
treatment. These scenarios are designed to assess the skills and preparedness of the respective rescue 
teams to support operations in winter conditions. 

The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) was established in 1959 on Mt. Hood, Oregon, and is the 
oldest search and rescue association in the United States. It is an organization of teams dedicated 
to saving lives through rescue and mountain safety education. SMSR is a fully-accredited member 
team of the MRA and successfully completed the reaccreditation process.

____________________

For over 60 years the all-volunteer Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team has been responding to calls 
for help in the local mountains and beyond. Funded entirely by private donations, SMSR provides 
a range of public programs on wilderness safety in addition to its search and rescue activities. The 
Team never charges for any of its services. 

For more information, including how to arrange a wilderness safety demonstration for your school 
or group, visit www.smsr.org.


PUMPKIN SECRETS REVEALED AT MAY GARDEN CLUB MEETING

 Just in time to plant those Halloween globes, Sierra 
Madre Pumpkin Guru Doug Parker will share his experience, 
tips and tricks for a successful crop. Doug has 
been raising pumpkins since 1998 when the leftovers 
from his Halloween carving sprouted into pumpkins 
where they had landed in the back yard. He decided 
to try his hand at growing large pumpkins and has experimented 
with different varieties, watering systems, 
soil ph, and locations in his yard. The process starts in 
May and culminates on Halloween evening with a fantastic 
display of creatively carved masterpieces decorating 
the Parker home on Alegria. In 2012, Doug harvested 
45 giant pumpkins; the largest weighing about 
800 pounds. For 2013 he is raising Atlantic Giant, Big 
Max, and Prizewinner varieties.

 In October the pumpkins will be harvested and 
moved, with the help of friends, neighbors and special 
tools, to the Parker’s front yard for carving and 
display. Doug and his brother-in-law Chris Roberts 
work for four to five days, carving the giants; creating 
everything from fancy Tiffany lamps to unusual faces 
and characters. Heather and Doug’s home is one of the 
famous stops along the Alegria trick-or-treat trail with 
visitors coming from throughout the greater San Gabriel 
Valley to enjoy the extensive displays.

 Anyone interested in raising pumpkins or gardening in general is invited to attend the May 13 meeting 
of the Sierra Madre Garden Club. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the program at 7:15 
p.m. The catered dinner is $10 and reservations for dinner must be made by May 7, at 626-836-4945. 
There is no charge for attending only the program. Location: Hart Park House, Memorial Park, 222 
W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. For more information, call the reservation number 
or visit www.smgarden.org.