Less housing doesn’t necessarily mean less time, said Bobkiewicz. “My sense is at the end of the day” the process might be “six to nine months shorter” than that for Fagan Canyon, which took almost two years. “My sense is this probably will take 12 months to 14 months, a little shorter,” due to dealing with a “smaller footprint, less moving pieces.”Bobkiewicz said he has held discussions with Pinnacle’s Greg Boyd on several aspects of the process. The Environmental Impact Report “will probably have to be similar with what we saw with Fagan Canyon,” and although Adams is not proposing residences, just home sites, there are common issues such as acreage and impacts on species. There could be Adams Canyon issues that might not need protracted examination, “maybe on the traffic side, but perhaps more on the natural resources side,” than required by Fagan Canyon, said Bobkiewicz.“I don’t want to put Mr. Boyd on the spot,” but Gonzales said that perhaps Pinnacle could use some of the studies already conducted for the proposed project when the property was under Ventura County jurisdiction.After more comments Bobkiewicz noted that, “I think the council’s direction has been pretty clear... make sure the process is pleasant and expeditious.”But with a “caveat” added City Attorney Karl Berger. The public or the council should not “walk away with the impression that this” proposal is being “green-lighted” without going through proper channels, he noted.
Length of Adams Canyon entitlement process discussed by City Council
June 08, 2007
Santa Paula City Council
Just when Adams Canyon might break ground for custom home sites for up to 495 estates is not easy to gauge, but it should be sooner than the entitlement process for Fagan Canyon, the Council learned at the June 4 meeting.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesJust when Adams Canyon might break ground for custom home sites for up to 495 estates is not easy to gauge, but it should be sooner than the entitlement process for Fagan Canyon, the Council learned at the June 4 meeting. City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said that staff plans to meet with the Pinnacle Group team - part of the meeting will be to craft a city staff reimbursement agreement - and identify what “entitlements they wish to pursue.”In May voters approved moving approximately 6,000 acres of canyon property into the city’s urban development line. But the creation of custom home sites, 200 acres of open space, a 100-acre active park and a resort hotel/golf course on about 6,000-acres of canyon land still must undergo the development process and garner approval from the Planning Commission and City Council.Bobkiewicz noted that the process could lead to plan consideration by the Planning Commission and Council “sometime next summer or fall,” and that the “last piece of the process” is LAFCO-sanctioned annexation of the canyon into the city. At this point, he added, “it’s a very 30,000-feet overview” of the issue.Councilman Bob Gonzales said he had requested that the issue be addressed so the Council would have a better understanding of what the process would be. Although Gonzales said he understood the years-long timeline regarding the proposed Fagan Canyon development, “I thought it would be quicker” for Adams since the number of homes is reduced.The proposed Fagan Canyon development - defeated by voters last year - called for 2,147 homes in six neighborhoods, two elementary schools and parks.
