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On the City Council Agenda, October 2, 2012
Just a few things happening on the Tustin City Council agenda this week. Aside from the usual suspects in Closed Session, there are two Public Hearings to contend with. Also, one or two of the items from the Consent Calendar may be pulled.
For our money, the city council may want to discuss the noise abatement level report from John Wayne Airport. The agenda says average levels at the monitoring station have remained constant for three of four quarters. They should move that monitoring station to my house. Seriously, there have been complaints in every quarter of the reporting period but the numbers say the noise is below acceptable levels. Not much there, unless you want to wade through a 56 page report, but enough the Three Amigos may want to pat themselves on the back about.
Both of the Public Hearings, may generate some discussion. The hearing on Redhill Lutheran Church is the second public hearing on the matter. On September 11, 2012, the Tustin Planning Commission held a lengthy hearing on the proposed General Plan Amendment, Zoning Change and Conditional Use Permit for several residences that are actually the property of the church. The commission recommended approval of the changes to the city council on a 4-0 vote.
The sole opposition at the meeting was a resident who lived across the street from the church and who was concerned the changes would impact traffic and parking in the area. The pastor of the church said the residences had, in essence, been operating the same way for several years and there would be no change to their use. The purpose of the GPA and CUP were simply to bring it in to compliance with city requirements.
This will be the second Public Hearing on the matter. There may be discussion as this will give others who may not have known about the requests to come forward with their concerns.
The second Public Hearing is one we wrote about yesterday. It is an appeal from an approval for a CUP for Goodwill Industries of Orange County to establish a high end retail outlet store and donation center in Larwin Square. The Planning Commission approved the CUP 4-0 on August 28, 2012. Surprisingly, Tustin Councilmember Deborah Gavello filed an appeal, stating simply “based on location”. When we attempted to contact Deborah about her concerns, she refused to speak with us. So, I guess we will all be waiting with bated breath until Deborah speaks.
Closed Session
Conference with Legal Counsel re: two cases of exposure to litigation and two case of initiation of litigation
Liability Claim – Marbella Perivan and hector Tapia Bravo Claim No. 12-24
Conference with Legal Counsel Existing Litigation – City of Tustin v. Keybank, N.A.
Open Session
Public Hearing – Redhill Lutheran Church, General Plan Amendment, Zone Change and Conditional Use Permit for several residence properties adjacent to the main church property.
Public Hearing – Appeal of Panning Commission Decision to Approve Use Determination for retail space to be use by Goodwill Industries in Larwin Square.
That’s it. We probably won’t make the meeting but we will report back on anything worth reporting. Of course, YouTube for really good repartee is always an option.
On the Planning Commission Agenda, September 11, 2013
Depending on the uproar or lack thereof, the Tustin Planning Commissioner could make a quick $150 for a short night’s work.
The sole item on the agenda is a public hearing item for Redhill Lutheran Church. The hearing is on whether to allow zoning changes and a conditional use permit to allow the church to use certain neighboring residential properties for church business. According to the staff report, the houses surrounding the church property, which appear to be owned by them, have had a variety of uses that do not conform to the current zoning.
Apparently, the installation of a few storage sheds on the properties involved got the attention of the city code enforcement way back in February, 2010. In addition to the sheds, the church had been using one of the residences as a youth ministry home. But, you know how it is. We can’t have churches or businesses running around doing things not in keeping with the Community Development Department. In this case, it only took a year-and-a-half to come up with a plan.
No one here at OTT is calling the Lutheran Church a bunch of scofflaws. In fact, I have attended events there and find it to be a very nice church settled into an established neighborhood of Tustin. So, I guess the real issue will be whether the neighbors are in tune with what amounts to a city-blessed church expansion. And, that may be the problem. The city recommends the approval of the zoning changes and the CUP based on a variety of findings including the fact the uses as outlined are consistent with zoning standards, the use is consistent with the adjacent single family residences and the belief there will be no impact on current area parking.
Great, but, did anyone ask the neighbors?
Our Town Tustin 