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Combined EditionBreaking News:Inside this Week: Sierra Madre: Letters & More: SM Community Calendar: Altadena · So. Pasadena · San Marino: Arcadia · Monrovia · Duarte: Around The San Gabriel Valley: Education & Youth: Best Friends and More: The Good Life: Opinion: Support Your Local Businesses: Columnists: Recent Issues: |
SIERRA MADRE NEWS & EVENTS...............Pages 2,3 PUBLIC NOTICESLETTERS TO THE EDITOR...Page 4 CALENDAR.................................................Page 5 PASADENA NEWS.......................................Page 6 ALTADENA/SAN MARINO/SO PAS............Page 7 ARCADIA/MONROVIA & MORE................Page 8 AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY.................Page 9 EDUCATION & YOUTH.................................Page 10 BEST FRIENDS...............................................Page 11 THE GOOD LIFE...........................................Page 13 OPINION.....................................................Page 14 LEGAL NOTICES...............................,,,........Page 14 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023 VOLUME 17 NO. 07VOLUME 17 NO. 07 InSIDE THIS WEEKJUST SOLD Listed for $729,000 601EDelMar.com | Pasadena webbmartingroup.com real estate Jan Greteman 626.975.4033 | lic #01943630 Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273 | lic #00541631 Katie Orth 626.688.0418 | lic #00942500 2 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,472 sqft | 5,208 sqft Lot JUST SOLD Sold for $930,000 4921York.com | Highland Park 3 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,374 sqft | 7,025 sqft Lot JUST SOLD Sold for $1,137,000 1039Vinedo.com | Pasadena Represented Buyers JUST SOLD Sold for $2,725,000 1561 Gaywood Drive | Altadena Sold for $1,000,000 0 Gaywood Drive | Altadena 2 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,405 sqft Experts in Representing Buyers & Sellers Eileen Benson 626.278.0187 CalRE# 01880650 Barbara Rogers 626.484.8135 CalRE# 01169115 Not intended as a solicitation if your property is already listed by another broker. Affiliated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2023 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Anywhere Advisors LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. 38 Years of Combined Experience Representing Buyers and Sellers There are lots of things to Wine about…. Buying or Selling your home shouldn’t be one of them. Call us, we would love to meet with you to discuss how we can help you achieve your 2023 Real Estate Goals. CELEBRATING SIERRA MADRE'S MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE: VOLUNTEERS Nominations Sought for OutstandingVolunteer Contributions During 2022 This year marks the 6th Annual Honors Dinner, a joint venture be- tween the City of Sierra Madre and Sierra Madre Chamber of Com- merce honoring those individuals and/or organizations that work tire- lessly to make Sierra Madre a wonderful place to live, work and play! The public is asked to submit their nominees for the following honors: SIERRA MADRE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR - for resident(s) who have benefited the city during 2022 as a volunteer. SIERRA MADRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - for an outstandingbusiness existing in Sierra Madre for more than 5 years that has been an active supporter of the community. GEORGE MAURER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - for a person/entity whose lifetime of service embodies the spirit of volunteerism. PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD -For exceptional service as a city employee. PUBLIC SAFETY AWARD -for an employee/individual for protect- ing and maintaining safety in Sierra Madre. COMMUNITY YOUTH SERVICE AWARD -presented to youth un- der 18 for outstanding service and dedication to the community. To nominate, simply go to: https://form.jotform.com/230385162092149. You can also email your nominee with the reasons why you feel this person or organization is deserving to eithersmadrecc@gmail.com or HonorsDinner@cityofsierramadre.com. Nominations must be submitted by 5:00 pm on March 8, 2023. The Awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. NEGOTIATION DETAILS RELEASED Talks between the City of Sierra Madre, New Urban West (Developers of The Meadows at Bailey Canyon Project and Protect Sierra Madre failed to yield the desired result - withdrawal of the Referendum Petition. As a result, a special election will be held on May 9, 2023 to determine wheth- er or not Sierra Madre Residents wish to overturn the ordinance that authorizes the Meadows Project to proceed. (See Notice of Election on page 4.) For weeks it has been reported that only 5 of the 8 'demands' by Pro- tect Sierra Madre, who support the Referendum had been agreed upon. However, the last offer made by the city and developer exceeded the original 8 demands. Below is a detailed listing of a total of 11 demands agreed upon by the City of Sierra Madre and the Developer. Nevertheless. the concessions were rejected by Protect Sierra Madre and the proponent of the Referendum, Barbara Vellturo, the only person who could withdraw the Referendum, failed to do so by the deadline of February 10, 2023. DEMANDS FROM PROTECT SIERRA MADRE SUPPORTERS OF THE REFERENDUM AND CONCESSIONS MADE BY THE CITY OF SIERRA MADRE AND NEW URBAN WEST: #1. Amendments to the Meadows Project construction hours, which will lessen the impact on neighbors. • No Construction on Sunday• Saturday construction limited to 8 AM to 3 PM • All construction between the months of November and Februaryshall end at sunset. 2. Removal of the direct link to Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park fromthe development. • The City agreed to remove a direct link to Bailey Canyon Wilder- ness Park from the Meadows Development. 3. Traffic study impacts on adjacent roads. • The City will include up to 4 additional intersections in the study• The Traffic Study will go to bid through the City's normal RFP process• The Traffic Study will commence after 11 units are occupied toserve as a representative sample of new traffic impacts. • NUWI will contribute $25,000 toward the traffic study 4. Prioritize sidewalks on one side of Lima St. from West Carter to Grandview Ave. • The City agrees to prioritize a sidewalk program on Lima St. • Sidewalks installation to be coordinated with the installation of new water main and street repair• Requires approval from residents on Lima St. 5. Developer will reimburse attorney's fees – • The reimbursement is a separate agreement between the NUWIand Protect Sierra Madre. 6. Bailey Canyon Park • The Developer shall contribute $25,000 towards Bailey Canyon offsite improvements to Sierra Madre Environmental Action Council (SMEAC) or other approved non-profit. 7. West Side Property line setback • The total setback on the west side property line is 35 feet • West-side property setbacks include a 20-foot no-build easementand an additional 15-foot setback. 8. Restrictions on the development of the remaining Monastery lot • Unless the Monastery is contemplating some institutional use likedormitories, no housing can be built at the site because it is zoned In- stitutional. A change to a residential zone would require an application for a zoning amendment, General Plan amendment, tentative tract map, and design review permit – in addition to conducting a CEQA analy- sis. A Specific Plan and Development Agreement would be at the City's discretion. 9. Restrict new homes from building additions to expand the squarefootage. • Homeowners at the Meadows Project will be treated like anyother homeowner in the City. If they apply for an addition, Planning staff will determine whether the proposed addition will exceed the al- lowable square footage. If it does, in addition to a design review permit, the homeowner will have to apply for a variance under SMMC Chapter 17.60. A few points about the variance procedure: 1) state law doesn't limit the Planning Commission's discretion to deny a variance (unlike other land use entitlements), 2) residents within a 300-foot radius will receive a notice regarding a public hearing before the Planning Com- mission (so they will be informed before a decision is made), and 3) it is difficult to make the required findings for a variance (so the PlanningCommission is inclined to deny variances). 10. Carter widening process 24 feet • The Developer has applied for a tentative tract map and designreview permit. Section 4(a)(i) of the Development Agreement states, "Completion of the offsite improvements discussed in Section 4(i) willbe made a condition of any Tentative Tract Map approval." Section 4(i) (ii) of the Development Agreement states, "Acquisition of the Carter Av- enue Right of Way shall be a prerequisite to the recordation of the finaltract map." Therefore, if a tentative tract map is approved, the final tractmap cannot be recorded, and a building permit cannot be issued untilthe Carter Avenue Right of Way is widened. • The City's refusal to issue a building permit would force the Developer to renegotiate with the City to amend the Specific Plan and Development Agreement. The renegotiation would trigger a new roundof public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council. 11. Protect Sierra Madre's attorney to draft the first draft of the settle- ment agreement. • The City agrees as long as the attorney for Protect Sierra Madre can submit a draft to the City by noon on Monday, February 6, 2023. Oth- erwise, the City Attorney will begin drafting the settlement agreementand provide a copy to Protect Sierra Madre and their attorney by noon on Monday, February 6, 2023 Without the withdrawal of the referendum, the council proceeded with the Special Election on May 9th. The special election will cost the city approximately $400,000. If the referendum passes, the developer will move forward with their alternative larger project that is protected from local interference under SB330. Should that project proceed, the city will not only lose well over a million dollars in improvements that NUW had committed to, the new park and the $250,000 for the new Police Facility will be lost. With Protect Sierra Madre's clear understanding of the conse- quences, it is unclear why the referendum was not withdrawn when their demands were met, having stated their even greater dislike of the alter- native project. S. Henderson/MVNews SIERRA MADRE NEWS & EVENTS...............Pages 2,3 PUBLIC NOTICESLETTERS TO THE EDITOR...Page 4 CALENDAR.................................................Page 5 PASADENA NEWS.......................................Page 6 ALTADENA/SAN MARINO/SO PAS............Page 7 ARCADIA/MONROVIA & MORE................Page 8 AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY.................Page 9 EDUCATION & YOUTH.................................Page 10 BEST FRIENDS...............................................Page 11 THE GOOD LIFE...........................................Page 13 OPINION.....................................................Page 14 LEGAL NOTICES...............................,,,........Page 14 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023 VOLUME 17 NO. 07VOLUME 17 NO. 07 InSIDE THIS WEEKJUST SOLD Listed for $729,000 601EDelMar.com | Pasadena webbmartingroup.com real estate Jan Greteman 626.975.4033 | lic #01943630 Judy Webb-Martin 626.688.2273 | lic #00541631 Katie Orth 626.688.0418 | lic #00942500 2 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,472 sqft | 5,208 sqft Lot JUST SOLD Sold for $930,000 4921York.com | Highland Park 3 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,374 sqft | 7,025 sqft Lot JUST SOLD Sold for $1,137,000 1039Vinedo.com | Pasadena Represented Buyers JUST SOLD Sold for $2,725,000 1561 Gaywood Drive | Altadena Sold for $1,000,000 0 Gaywood Drive | Altadena 2 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,405 sqft Experts in Representing Buyers & Sellers Eileen Benson 626.278.0187 CalRE# 01880650 Barbara Rogers 626.484.8135 CalRE# 01169115 Not intended as a solicitation if your property is already listed by another broker. Affiliated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2023 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Anywhere Advisors LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. 38 Years of Combined Experience Representing Buyers and Sellers There are lots of things to Wine about…. Buying or Selling your home shouldn’t be one of them. Call us, we would love to meet with you to discuss how we can help you achieve your 2023 Real Estate Goals. CELEBRATING SIERRA MADRE'S MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE: VOLUNTEERS Nominations Sought for OutstandingVolunteer Contributions During 2022 This year marks the 6th Annual Honors Dinner, a joint venture be- tween the City of Sierra Madre and Sierra Madre Chamber of Com- merce honoring those individuals and/or organizations that work tire- lessly to make Sierra Madre a wonderful place to live, work and play! The public is asked to submit their nominees for the following honors: SIERRA MADRE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR - for resident(s) who have benefited the city during 2022 as a volunteer. SIERRA MADRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - for an outstandingbusiness existing in Sierra Madre for more than 5 years that has been an active supporter of the community. GEORGE MAURER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - for a person/entity whose lifetime of service embodies the spirit of volunteerism. PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD -For exceptional service as a city employee. PUBLIC SAFETY AWARD -for an employee/individual for protect- ing and maintaining safety in Sierra Madre. COMMUNITY YOUTH SERVICE AWARD -presented to youth un- der 18 for outstanding service and dedication to the community. To nominate, simply go to: https://form.jotform.com/230385162092149. You can also email your nominee with the reasons why you feel this person or organization is deserving to eithersmadrecc@gmail.com or HonorsDinner@cityofsierramadre.com. Nominations must be submitted by 5:00 pm on March 8, 2023. The Awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. NEGOTIATION DETAILS RELEASED Talks between the City of Sierra Madre, New Urban West (Developers of The Meadows at Bailey Canyon Project and Protect Sierra Madre failed to yield the desired result - withdrawal of the Referendum Petition. As a result, a special election will be held on May 9, 2023 to determine wheth- er or not Sierra Madre Residents wish to overturn the ordinance that authorizes the Meadows Project to proceed. (See Notice of Election on page 4.) For weeks it has been reported that only 5 of the 8 'demands' by Pro- tect Sierra Madre, who support the Referendum had been agreed upon. However, the last offer made by the city and developer exceeded the original 8 demands. Below is a detailed listing of a total of 11 demands agreed upon by the City of Sierra Madre and the Developer. Nevertheless. the concessions were rejected by Protect Sierra Madre and the proponent of the Referendum, Barbara Vellturo, the only person who could withdraw the Referendum, failed to do so by the deadline of February 10, 2023. DEMANDS FROM PROTECT SIERRA MADRE SUPPORTERS OF THE REFERENDUM AND CONCESSIONS MADE BY THE CITY OF SIERRA MADRE AND NEW URBAN WEST: #1. Amendments to the Meadows Project construction hours, which will lessen the impact on neighbors. • No Construction on Sunday• Saturday construction limited to 8 AM to 3 PM • All construction between the months of November and Februaryshall end at sunset. 2. Removal of the direct link to Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park fromthe development. • The City agreed to remove a direct link to Bailey Canyon Wilder- ness Park from the Meadows Development. 3. Traffic study impacts on adjacent roads. • The City will include up to 4 additional intersections in the study• The Traffic Study will go to bid through the City's normal RFP process• The Traffic Study will commence after 11 units are occupied toserve as a representative sample of new traffic impacts. • NUWI will contribute $25,000 toward the traffic study 4. Prioritize sidewalks on one side of Lima St. from West Carter to Grandview Ave. • The City agrees to prioritize a sidewalk program on Lima St. • Sidewalks installation to be coordinated with the installation of new water main and street repair• Requires approval from residents on Lima St. 5. Developer will reimburse attorney's fees – • The reimbursement is a separate agreement between the NUWIand Protect Sierra Madre. 6. Bailey Canyon Park • The Developer shall contribute $25,000 towards Bailey Canyon offsite improvements to Sierra Madre Environmental Action Council (SMEAC) or other approved non-profit. 7. West Side Property line setback • The total setback on the west side property line is 35 feet • West-side property setbacks include a 20-foot no-build easementand an additional 15-foot setback. 8. Restrictions on the development of the remaining Monastery lot • Unless the Monastery is contemplating some institutional use likedormitories, no housing can be built at the site because it is zoned In- stitutional. A change to a residential zone would require an application for a zoning amendment, General Plan amendment, tentative tract map, and design review permit – in addition to conducting a CEQA analy- sis. A Specific Plan and Development Agreement would be at the City's discretion. 9. Restrict new homes from building additions to expand the squarefootage. • Homeowners at the Meadows Project will be treated like anyother homeowner in the City. If they apply for an addition, Planning staff will determine whether the proposed addition will exceed the al- lowable square footage. If it does, in addition to a design review permit, the homeowner will have to apply for a variance under SMMC Chapter 17.60. A few points about the variance procedure: 1) state law doesn't limit the Planning Commission's discretion to deny a variance (unlike other land use entitlements), 2) residents within a 300-foot radius will receive a notice regarding a public hearing before the Planning Com- mission (so they will be informed before a decision is made), and 3) it is difficult to make the required findings for a variance (so the PlanningCommission is inclined to deny variances). 10. Carter widening process 24 feet • The Developer has applied for a tentative tract map and designreview permit. Section 4(a)(i) of the Development Agreement states, "Completion of the offsite improvements discussed in Section 4(i) willbe made a condition of any Tentative Tract Map approval." Section 4(i) (ii) of the Development Agreement states, "Acquisition of the Carter Av- enue Right of Way shall be a prerequisite to the recordation of the finaltract map." Therefore, if a tentative tract map is approved, the final tractmap cannot be recorded, and a building permit cannot be issued untilthe Carter Avenue Right of Way is widened. • The City's refusal to issue a building permit would force the Developer to renegotiate with the City to amend the Specific Plan and Development Agreement. The renegotiation would trigger a new roundof public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council. 11. Protect Sierra Madre's attorney to draft the first draft of the settle- ment agreement. • The City agrees as long as the attorney for Protect Sierra Madre can submit a draft to the City by noon on Monday, February 6, 2023. Oth- erwise, the City Attorney will begin drafting the settlement agreementand provide a copy to Protect Sierra Madre and their attorney by noon on Monday, February 6, 2023 Without the withdrawal of the referendum, the council proceeded with the Special Election on May 9th. The special election will cost the city approximately $400,000. If the referendum passes, the developer will move forward with their alternative larger project that is protected from local interference under SB330. Should that project proceed, the city will not only lose well over a million dollars in improvements that NUW had committed to, the new park and the $250,000 for the new Police Facility will be lost. With Protect Sierra Madre's clear understanding of the conse- quences, it is unclear why the referendum was not withdrawn when their demands were met, having stated their even greater dislike of the alter- native project. S. Henderson/MVNews 626.355.1451 IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR CLIENT'S TRUST IS MORE c21village.com VALUABLE THAN THEIR LISTING, Serving the Community since 1980 LIC# 02119245 JOIN THE RELENTLESS | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 |