Third land-use ballot initiative filed with city

May 06, 2002
Santa Paula News

Santa Paula voters will have yet a third land-use related initiative after a notice of intent to petition - the first step in the initiative process - to allow residential development on a 32-acre parcel on the west end of the city.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesSanta Paula voters will have yet a third land-use related initiative after a notice of intent to petition - the first step in the initiative process - to allow residential development on a 32-acre parcel on the west end of the city.Longtime Santa Paula residents Lucille Sparkman and Elias Valdes put their signatures the petition, backed by property owner Scott Anderson, owner of of Santa Paula-based Del Financial, which has built dozens of homes in the city.Anderson is seeking to change the CURB (City Urban Restriction Boundary) to include his 32.5 acre parcel at the northwest corner of Peck and Foothill roads so the land can be developed with single-family residences.The parcel is immediately adjacent to city limits; Anderson has built homes to the east of the vacant land as well as other homes throughout the city.“This parcel is contiguous to existing developed residential neighborhoods and the infrastructure is in place to the site,” the petition, filed Friday, with the city, noted.
Smart growth is the key to his bid for development, said Anderson. “It promotes orderly expansion of the city’s boundaries and logical expansion of existing neighborhoods which will broaden housing opportunities for Santa Paula residents.”In addition, the scale is “quite moderate, less than 1 percent of the Adams Canyon expansion,” he noted. “It will be a small scale development that will contribute fees toward schools and community facilities, create jobs and enhance the city’s revenue base. It promotes orderly residential development and is smart growth, and I don’t believe that anyone would have a problem with smart growth, whether they are for Adams Canyon development or not. . . .everyone agrees Santa Paula needs more housing built in an orderly, sensible way.”Anderson bought the hillside property 11 years ago, “because the city is right across the street with existing neighborhoods, and I’ve wanted to develop it ever since.”The city has 15 days to prepare the initiative title and summary so the next step - garnering the signatures of 10 percent of registered voters - can proceed. At least 1,070 valid signatures will be needed to qualify for the ballot; the deadline for submitting signatures is July 15.“When we get the initiative back from City Hall we’ll have local supporters - volunteers - outside the Post Office, Vons and Kmart,” to gather signatures, noted Anderson. “I’m confident that this is a residential growth proposal that everyone can support.”



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