Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, October 1, 2022

Mountain View News Saturday, October 1, 2022 

City of Sierra Madre 

ORDINANCE NO. 1461 

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SIERRA MADRE, CALIFORNIA, 

(1) APPROVING A ZONING MAP AMENDMENT; (2) APPROVING A SPECIFIC PLAN; AND 
(3) APPROVING A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE MEADOWS AT BAILEY CANYON 
PROJECT LOCATED AT 700 NORTH SUNNYSIDE AVENUE IN THE CITY OF SIERRA MADRE, 
CALIFORNIA 
RECITALS 

WHEREAS, The Congregation of the Passion, Mater Dolorosa Community (“Applicant”) owns the property 

located at 700 North Sunnyside Avenue, Sierra Madre, California 91024, Assessor’s Identification No. 5761


002-008, consisting of approximately 65 acres (“Property”); 

WHEREAS, NUWI Sierra Madre, LLC (“Developer”), in concert with the Applicant, desires to develop a 
portion of the Property containing approximately 17.3 acres (“Development Parcel”) with up to 42 single-
family detached residential units, public rights-of-way, and public park (“Project”); 

WHEREAS, the Project is commonly referred to as “The Meadows at Bailey Canyon”; 

WHEREAS, the Congregation has applied to the City to:

(1) amend the general plan land use map to change the designation of the DevelopmentParcel from Institutional to Residential Low Density (“General Plan LandUse Map Amendment”); 
(2) 
adopt a Specific Plan setting forth development and architectural standards to facilitatethe development of the Project (“Specific Plan Amendment”); 
(3) amend the zoning map to change the designation of the Development Parcel from
Institutional to R-1 Single Family Residential with a Specific Plan Overlay (“Zoning Map

Amendment”);

(4) approve a lot line adjustment to change the boundaries of the Development Parcel andconsolidate two lots (“Lot Line Adjustment”); 
(5) approve a development agreement with the Applicant and the Developer 
(“Development Agreement”); and 
(6) certify an environmental impact report and approve a mitigation monitoring andreporting program (“EIR”); 
WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Sections 65353, 65856, and 65867, and Sierra Madre MunicipalCode (“SMMC”) Sections 17.64.040, the Planning Commission held a properly noticed public hearing on April 
7, 2022, May 5, 2022, June 2, 2022, July 7, 2022, August 4, 2022 and August 18, 2022 and adopted Resolution 
No. 22-11 recommending approval of this Ordinance to the City Council, included herein as EXHIBIT 1; 

WHEREAS, the City provided notice of the public hearings listed above pursuant to Government Code Sections65090, 65091, and 65094, including publication in the Mountain Views News on March 19, 2022, posting at the 

City Hall and project site and mailings to the Applicant, affected local agencies, and every residence within the 

City’s boundaries on March 21, 2022; 

WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Sections 65355, 65854, and 65867, and SMMC Section 17.64.040, 
the City Council held a properly noticed public hearing on September 15, 2022 and September 20, 2022; and 

WHEREAS, the City provided notice of the public hearing listed above pursuant to Government Code Sections65090, 65091, and 65094, including publication in the Mountain Views News on September 3 and September 

17, 2022, posting at the City Hall and project site, and mailings to the Applicant, affected local agencies, and 

every residence within 300-foot radius from the project site on August 29, 2022. 

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

SECTION 1. Recitals. The Recitals above are true and correct and incorporated herein by this reference. 

SECTION 2. Specific Plan Amendment. Pursuant to Government Code Sections 65453(a) and 65454 and 
SMMC Section 17.64.050(B), the City Council approves the Specific Plan, as depicted in EXHIBIT 
2, finding 
that the Specific Plan Amendment: a. 
Necessitates the public interest, convenience, and necessity because 
adoption of the Specific Plan ensures the development is consistent with the size and character of surrounding 
development and the topography, flora, and fauna of the surrounding environment. b. Is consistent and 

compatible with the General Plan, as amended, including its goals, objectives, policies and implementation 
programs. A detailed analysis of the Project’s consistency and compatibility with General Plan goals and 
policies is provided in Table 4.11-1, Project’s Consistency with the City of Sierra Madre’s General Plan Goal 
and Policies, of the Project EIR, incorporated herein by reference. 

SECTION 3. Zoning Map Amendment. Pursuant to Government Code section 65857 and Sierra Madre 
Municipal Code Section 17.64.050(B), the Planning Commission hereby recommends approval of the Zoning 

Map Amendment, as depicted in EXHIBIT 2, finding that the Zoning Map Amendment: 

a. Necessitates the public interest, convenience, and necessity because the zone change from 
“Institutional” to “One Family Residential R-1” allows the development of the proposed Project, which is 
consistent with the land use designationsof surrounding properties, provides benefits to the City as enumerated 

in the Development Agreement, and ensures the Property is developed consistent with the standards articulated 

in the Specific Plan.

b. Is consistent and compatible with the General Plan, as amended, including its goals, 
objectives, policies and implementation programs. A detailed analysis of the Project’s consistency and 
compatibility with General Plan goals and policies is provided in Table 4.11-1, Project’s Consistency with the 
City of Sierra Madre’s General Plan Goal and Policies, of the Project EIR, incorporated herein by reference. 
SECTION 4. Development Agreement. Pursuant to California Government Code, section 65867.5(b), the 

City Council approves the Development Agreement, included herein as EXHIBIT 2, Attachment E, finding 
that it is compatible with the Specific Plan and the objectives, policies, and land use programs specified in the

General Plan, as amended. A detailed analysis of the Project’s consistency and compatibility with General 
Plan goals and policies is provided in Table 4.11-1, Project’s Consistency with the City of Sierra Madre’s 
General Plan Goal and Policies, of the Project EIR, incorporated herein by reference. 

SECTION 5. CEQA. The relevant CEQA finding is made in Resolution No. 22-58, which was adopted in 
conjunction with the first reading of this Ordinance, on September 20, 2022. 

SECTION 6. Severability. If any sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of 
this Ordinance or any part hereof or exhibit hereto is for any reason held to be invalid, such invalidity shall not 

affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance or any part thereof or exhibit thereto. The City 

Council hereby declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, 
clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that anyone or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, 
paragraph, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid. 

SECTION 7. Recording. Pursuant to Government Code Section 65868.5, within 10 days of the effective date 

of the Development Agreement, the City Clerk must record a copy of the Development Agreement with the Los 
Angeles County Registrar-Recorder. 

SECTION 8. Publication. The City Clerk shall cause this Ordinance to be published or posted in accordance 
with California Government Code Section 36933. She shall certify to the adoption of this Ordinance and her 

certification, together with proof of the publication, will be entered in the book of Ordinances of the City 

Council. 

SECTION 9. Effective Date. This Ordinance shall take effect thirty days after its adoption pursuant to 
California Government Code Section 36937. 

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED on this 27th day of September, by the City Council of Sierra Madre, 
California, at a regular meeting held on the 27th day of September 2022 by the following vote: 

AYES: Mayor Gene Goss, Mayor Pro Tem Edward Garcia, 
Council Member Kelly Kriebs, and Council Member Robert Parkhurst

ABSENT: Council Member Rachelle Arizmendi (excused) 


LETTER: TRUTH continued 

Pgcontinue “without expansion, significant 
physical alteration, or change in use, as a 
nonconforming use.” The key word is “without.” 
Only a city-wide vote can change that.
STOP repeatedly spins the number of units 
that can be built. The courts recently reiterated 
that 68 units can be built under Measure 
HR. End of story. That is 68 separate 
buildings. It will allow at least 34 mansions 
up to 7,300 square feet if they add on an 
ADU. We say: Not in Sierra Madre!
To STOP’s recognition, in last week’s article, 
they conceded some key points. They admit 
that a school or other large institutional 
project could be built on the site and that 
Measure HR will stop institutional development. 
The problem is that the Mater Dolorosa 
Retreat Center is an institutional development 
that gets stopped.
They admit the Passionists can sell the en


tire property for residential development. 
This is an incentive for the Passionists to 
leave the city. Oddly enough, they are trying 
to stop a reasonable low-density residential 
project by allowing even bigger houses 
across more area. Incredibly, allowing Ar-
cadia-style Mansions to be built across the 
entire property is apparently now a selling 
point for Measure HR. We think it is a PR 
disaster! These are the same people whose 
website says, “Don't allow Mountain Mansions 
to spoil the treasure that is Sierra 
Madre!” Sometimes truth is stranger than 
fiction.

 VOTE NO ON MEASURE HR and NO 
ON THE REFERENDUM to protect property 
and religious rights of the Passionists 
and to allow the best development for Sierra 
Madre. 

De and Pat Alcorn 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with 
leaves. We’ve had our summer evenings. 
Now for October eves!” Humbert Wolfe 

“I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 
Anne of Green Gables 

“October: When the earth repays with golden sheaves, 
the labors of the plough, and ripening fruits and forest 
leaves all brighten on the bough. What pensive 
beauty Autumn shows, before she hears the sound, 
of winter rushing in to close the emblematic round.” 
Wordsworth 

OCTOBER 


O…Oh please, oh please, let it cool off. Let us feel 
chilled, shiver, reach for a sweater.
C…Cider. Hot apple cider, with a cinnamon stick in it. 
In a hot steamy mug. Fragrant, delicious.
T…Time to watch for scarecrows, think of goblins, 
imagine witches flying across the moon.
O…Out! Go out and find pumpkins to carve and create 
awesomely awful faces.
B…Be outrageous and try the Pumpkin Wine or 
Pumpkin ale with a cinnamon sugar rim. 
E…Explore all over town and see how many scarecrows 
you can find. Even better, stuff your own and 
make it scary or cute or an alien being.
R…Read a scary story: “Something Wicked This Way 
Comes,” by Ray Bradbury or take your pick from the 
thousands available on Amazon. 

Celebrating October and entrepreneurship, the young 
lady seen in our picture today (courtesy of Leah Davis, 
the Monarch Butterfly whisperer) has set up shop in 
front of City Hall. She is holding an absolutely exquisite 
pie. This pie, possibly containing four and twenty 
blackbirds, is just not all that easy to make. Seriously, 
friends and neighbors, practically anybody can whip 
up a pumpkin, cherry or apple pie, but blackbirds? 
You’ll recall the rhyme from Mother Goose: 

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirdsBaked in a pie. 

When the pie was openedThe birds began to sing—
Wasn't that a dainty dishTo set before the king? 

The king was in the counting-houseCounting out his money,
The queen was in the parlorEating bread and honey, 

The maid was in the gardenHanging out the clothes.
Along came a blackbirdAnd snipped off her nose. 

So, to begin with, she had to find all these blackbirds 
which are often seen on cattails, on telephone wires and 
along boggy roadsides. As Sierra Madre is not loaded 
with those sorts of habitats, except the telephone wires, 
of course, she had to jump in her truck, armed with 
nets, cages and a bag of enticing treats, such as tasty 
bugs, sunflower seeds and maybe some pistachios. 
Then she had to drive to Huntington Beach and visit 
one of the wetland centers there. 

Whistling enticingly, she cajoled her four and twenty 
blackbirds off the cattails and into the four and twenty 
pockets in her apron. She then succeeded in slipping 
past all the security people around the wetlands pro


tecting blackbirds and got back to her truck. By then 
she had been giving all her blackbirds little treats from 
her bag of goodies and had become rather fond of 
them. She did put them into the cages in her truck and, 
as they serenaded her all the way back to Sierra Madre, 
the last thing she could imagine doing with them is 
baking them into a pie. As you can see, they are on her 
shoulder, by her feet, sampling her pie, which is cherry, 
by the way, and just generally enjoying her company. 
In her heart of hearts, our young entrepreneur knew 
perfectly well that there was no way she could compete 
with Mother Moo, who is the queen of pies in Sierra 
Madre, no matter what she put between the crusts. 

October always makes me think of Charles Schulz and 
his immortal comic strip, “Peanuts.” Linus is probably 
already out there in his pumpkin patch, hoping 
that this year the Great Pumpkin will decide that Linus 
has, indeed, created the most sincere pumpkin patch, 
and will rise up and scatter presents all over the place. 
Charlie Brown will be kind but disbelieving, Lucy will 
be scornful, but Linus will always believe. 

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, 
stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and 
loved more than you know.” 

Our young lady entrepreneur believed that she had 
something special to bring so when you see her out in 
front of City Hall, give her an encouraging wave. Who 
knows what she’ll think of next! 

October is here, it’s officially Fall and you might find 
a scarecrow around town that sends your imagination 
flying! 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
Where you’ll find “Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak 
Hope”
And “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of 
Laughter”
Both of these books are stuffed with hope and a good 
recipe or two.
All five of the Emma Gainsworth pumpkin adventures 
are available on Amazon.com 
They’re guaranteed to make you laugh and want to see 
what happens to Emma next. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com