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NO TRICK OR TREATING ON E. ALEGRIA AVE. IN SIERRA MADRE THIS HALLOWEEN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2021 VOLUME 15 NO. 44VOLUME 15 NO. 44 InSIDE THIS WEEK SECTION A SIERRA MADRE NEWS..........Pgs 3, 4 PASADENA NEWS................Page 5 NEIGHBORING CITIES .........Pgs 6,7 EDUCATION & YOUTH..........Page 8 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.....Page 9 THE GOOD LIFE....................Page 11 SECTION B AROUND SGV......................Page B1 COVID 19 UPDATES.............Page B1 HALLOWEEN HAPS...............Page B2 BEST FRIENDS................,.......Page B3 OPINION.............,,........,.,.....Page B5. LEGAL NOTICES...........,,.......Page B6 NO ADOPTION OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE; CITY TABLES ONCE AGAIN By Kevin McGuire/MVNews Approval of General Plan Amendment 21-03, to adopt the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update has, once again, been kicked down the road deeper into the 120-day grace period, as the set deadline of October 15, 2021 gets smaller in the rearview mirror. The public hearing, held on October 26, brought more of the same— concern, conflict and confusion. This hot topic, which has the com- munity riled up, has become a game of hot potato between City Coun- cil and the Planning Commission. The potato was tossed back to CityCouncil after the Planning Commission and city staff recommended Council adopt the Housing Element Update, minus the Municipal Code Text Amendment 21-04 and 21-05, and the controversial, Zone Change 21-03 to allow for further analyzation. Much of the confusion and overlapping of concerns is derived from the fact that both the Housing Element Update, General Plan Amend- ments and any Environmental Impact reports will have an impact on the proposed Meadows Project in Bailey Canyon. Therefore, at every public hearing, council or planning commission meeting, that contro- versial proposed development dominates much of the conversation. For instance, Under Objective Hz-7 of the Safety Element which ad- dresses development in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, it states: Avoid expanding development into undeveloped areas in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. This became the “a-ha” moment for many community members who oppose “The Meadows” proposal at BaileyCanyon and on the grounds of the Monastery. The argument remains that the areas surrounding the Monastery is just that—undeveloped ar- eas in very high, fire hazard severity zones. But, during the October 7 Planning Commission public hearing, Curtis Zacuto, of Eco Tierra Consulting, presented new language (Objective Hz-5b) which reads: Avoid construction of new development on land currently unimproved and abutted by natural open space areas in VeryHigh Fire Hazard Severity Zones. According to Zacuto, the new lan- guage captures the “original intent” of the authors, which was assumed to mean not adding development to land above the Monastery, as land below the Monastery is “abutted” by houses. The Commission suggested Zacuto re-evaluate his definitions of “abut- ted” and “unimproved.” A very vocal group of residents were quite upset about the edited lan- guage, and made accusations of conveniently changing the language to accommodate the proposed Meadows project. City Council has pushed back several times stating the Housing Ele- ment Update has nothing to do with The Meadows project, as it’s not included in the rezone amendment, though it is mentioned as a “con- templated project” in the update. The Meadows will have its own envi- ronmental review process, according to Associate Planner, Clare Lin. Despite those assurances the fact that the proposed project includes building 42 homes in a “high fire” area, fire fighter safety, water usage during drought conditions and increased traffic. The Safety Element was submitted to CAL FIRE, The Department of Forestry and The De- partment of Conservation. During this latest public hearing, a brief presentation was given byClare Lin, Karen Warner of Karen Warner Associates, responsible for development of an affordable Overlay Zone, and Curtis Zacuto, speak- ing on the State Environmental Quality Act (SEQA). Every eight years, Sierra Madre needs to update the Housing Element of the General Plan as required by California State law. The HousingElement is an analysis of housing needs, taking into considering all in- come levels, and provides strategies for meeting those needs. For Sierra Madre, that request if for an additional is 204 housing units. For details on the state’s assessments, go to: http://mtnviewsnews.com/v15/htm/ n10/p01.htm If the City does not submit the Housing Element Update, it could re- ceive a $100,000 fine and risk losing local control. City Council unanimously voted to table the Housing Element Update discussion until next meeting on November 9, 2021 for a few reasons. First, it was brought to Council’s attention that a section of the SEIR entitled, III REVISIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, AND CORRECTIONS TO THE DRAFT SEIR, was missing on the online version. Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi, noted that she wanted to give people the oppor- tunity to read the missing section. Secondly, Council wants to further discuss the language edits in Objective Hz-5b, which currently reads: … unimproved and abutted by natural open space areas…. STATE SENATOR PORTANTINO VISITS SIERRA MADRE State Senator Anthony Portantino (poses with (right to left), City Man- ager Jose Reynoso, Councilmembers Robert Parkhurst and Kelly Kriebs, Portantino, Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi, Mayor Pro Tem Gene Goss and Councilmember Ed Garcia. At Tuesdays city council meeting, State Senator Anthony Portantino addressed the Sierra Madre city council and residents on the general state of affairs for SD 25, however the topic the audience was most interested in was the newly enacted Senate Bills 9 and 10 and their impact on residential housing in Sierra Madre. It became very clear that those bills are of great concern to those in attendance, so Sena- tor Portantino committed to meet again with residentss on Saturday morning, October 31st in Memorial Park to discuss the bills further. Representing California State Senate District 25 which covers cit- ies and communities of Sunland -Tujunga, Glendale, Pasadena , Altadena, Atwater Village, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta (Montrose), South Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont (San Antonio Heights), Upland and most of Burbank. Photo courtesy City of Sierra Madre CONGRATULATIONS FOR A JOB WELL DONE! Congrats were in order for a job well done earlier this month. How- ever, it's not clear whether the Junior Construction Crew with their Tonka equipment or the Men in Orange from Sierra Madre's Public Works Depart- ment were responsible for restoring the sand and play area in Memorial Park. Regardless, after the fist bumping(above) by Jaxson, the junior crew was definitely ready to check out the new sand's fortitude. Jaxson (inset) in the meantime, is happy that things are back to normal. Photos courtesy of L. Knowles NO TRICK OR TREATING ON E. ALEGRIA AVE. IN SIERRA MADRE THIS HALLOWEEN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2021 VOLUME 15 NO. 44VOLUME 15 NO. 44 InSIDE THIS WEEK SECTION A SIERRA MADRE NEWS..........Pgs 3, 4 PASADENA NEWS................Page 5 NEIGHBORING CITIES .........Pgs 6,7 EDUCATION & YOUTH..........Page 8 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.....Page 9 THE GOOD LIFE....................Page 11 SECTION B AROUND SGV......................Page B1 COVID 19 UPDATES.............Page B1 HALLOWEEN HAPS...............Page B2 BEST FRIENDS................,.......Page B3 OPINION.............,,........,.,.....Page B5. LEGAL NOTICES...........,,.......Page B6 NO ADOPTION OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE; CITY TABLES ONCE AGAIN By Kevin McGuire/MVNews Approval of General Plan Amendment 21-03, to adopt the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update has, once again, been kicked down the road deeper into the 120-day grace period, as the set deadline of October 15, 2021 gets smaller in the rearview mirror. The public hearing, held on October 26, brought more of the same— concern, conflict and confusion. This hot topic, which has the com- munity riled up, has become a game of hot potato between City Coun- cil and the Planning Commission. The potato was tossed back to CityCouncil after the Planning Commission and city staff recommended Council adopt the Housing Element Update, minus the Municipal Code Text Amendment 21-04 and 21-05, and the controversial, Zone Change 21-03 to allow for further analyzation. Much of the confusion and overlapping of concerns is derived from the fact that both the Housing Element Update, General Plan Amend- ments and any Environmental Impact reports will have an impact on the proposed Meadows Project in Bailey Canyon. Therefore, at every public hearing, council or planning commission meeting, that contro- versial proposed development dominates much of the conversation. For instance, Under Objective Hz-7 of the Safety Element which ad- dresses development in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, it states: Avoid expanding development into undeveloped areas in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. This became the “a-ha” moment for many community members who oppose “The Meadows” proposal at BaileyCanyon and on the grounds of the Monastery. The argument remains that the areas surrounding the Monastery is just that—undeveloped ar- eas in very high, fire hazard severity zones. But, during the October 7 Planning Commission public hearing, Curtis Zacuto, of Eco Tierra Consulting, presented new language (Objective Hz-5b) which reads: Avoid construction of new development on land currently unimproved and abutted by natural open space areas in VeryHigh Fire Hazard Severity Zones. According to Zacuto, the new lan- guage captures the “original intent” of the authors, which was assumed to mean not adding development to land above the Monastery, as land below the Monastery is “abutted” by houses. The Commission suggested Zacuto re-evaluate his definitions of “abut- ted” and “unimproved.” A very vocal group of residents were quite upset about the edited lan- guage, and made accusations of conveniently changing the language to accommodate the proposed Meadows project. City Council has pushed back several times stating the Housing Ele- ment Update has nothing to do with The Meadows project, as it’s not included in the rezone amendment, though it is mentioned as a “con- templated project” in the update. The Meadows will have its own envi- ronmental review process, according to Associate Planner, Clare Lin. Despite those assurances the fact that the proposed project includes building 42 homes in a “high fire” area, fire fighter safety, water usage during drought conditions and increased traffic. The Safety Element was submitted to CAL FIRE, The Department of Forestry and The De- partment of Conservation. During this latest public hearing, a brief presentation was given byClare Lin, Karen Warner of Karen Warner Associates, responsible for development of an affordable Overlay Zone, and Curtis Zacuto, speak- ing on the State Environmental Quality Act (SEQA). Every eight years, Sierra Madre needs to update the Housing Element of the General Plan as required by California State law. The HousingElement is an analysis of housing needs, taking into considering all in- come levels, and provides strategies for meeting those needs. For Sierra Madre, that request if for an additional is 204 housing units. For details on the state’s assessments, go to: http://mtnviewsnews.com/v15/htm/ n10/p01.htm If the City does not submit the Housing Element Update, it could re- ceive a $100,000 fine and risk losing local control. City Council unanimously voted to table the Housing Element Update discussion until next meeting on November 9, 2021 for a few reasons. First, it was brought to Council’s attention that a section of the SEIR entitled, III REVISIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, AND CORRECTIONS TO THE DRAFT SEIR, was missing on the online version. Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi, noted that she wanted to give people the oppor- tunity to read the missing section. Secondly, Council wants to further discuss the language edits in Objective Hz-5b, which currently reads: … unimproved and abutted by natural open space areas…. STATE SENATOR PORTANTINO VISITS SIERRA MADRE State Senator Anthony Portantino (poses with (right to left), City Man- ager Jose Reynoso, Councilmembers Robert Parkhurst and Kelly Kriebs, Portantino, Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi, Mayor Pro Tem Gene Goss and Councilmember Ed Garcia. At Tuesdays city council meeting, State Senator Anthony Portantino addressed the Sierra Madre city council and residents on the general state of affairs for SD 25, however the topic the audience was most interested in was the newly enacted Senate Bills 9 and 10 and their impact on residential housing in Sierra Madre. It became very clear that those bills are of great concern to those in attendance, so Sena- tor Portantino committed to meet again with residentss on Saturday morning, October 31st in Memorial Park to discuss the bills further. Representing California State Senate District 25 which covers cit- ies and communities of Sunland -Tujunga, Glendale, Pasadena , Altadena, Atwater Village, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta (Montrose), South Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont (San Antonio Heights), Upland and most of Burbank. Photo courtesy City of Sierra Madre CONGRATULATIONS FOR A JOB WELL DONE! Congrats were in order for a job well done earlier this month. How- ever, it's not clear whether the Junior Construction Crew with their Tonka equipment or the Men in Orange from Sierra Madre's Public Works Depart- ment were responsible for restoring the sand and play area in Memorial Park. Regardless, after the fist bumping(above) by Jaxson, the junior crew was definitely ready to check out the new sand's fortitude. Jaxson (inset) in the meantime, is happy that things are back to normal. Photos courtesy of L. Knowles | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Mountain Views News 80 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. #327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.604.4548 www.mtnviewsnews.com |