In September, City Hall Council Chambers were jammed when the Planning Commission heard a concept review for the construction of 30 homes east of Cliff Drive near the riverbed.Residents of the Oaks complained not only of the proposed 30-house project in general, but that the mix-up in the city’s planning document left developer interpretation wide-open.“The idea of good planning is that as you move out,” home parcels become larger, Barringer told the commission on Feb. 24.The zoning is confusing, he added, and can be easily misinterpreted: the zoning for the subject property is for one home per 10 acres, but can be easily misinterpreted as building parcel sites requirements of only 10,000 square feet.Barringer’s concerns were shared by the Planning Commission, which decided to continue the item and readdress the issue at the March 9 meeting.The Planning Commission has been working to update the Development Code and the official zoning map as well as several chapters of the city’s Municipal Code to bring them into conformance with the General Plan.
Oaks’ General Plan zoning concerns residents, Planning Commission
March 03, 2004
Santa Paula News
An old problem in the city’s General Plan was again addressed when a resident of the Oaks appeared before the Planning Commission and asked that zoning be clarified in the document.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesAn old problem in the city’s General Plan was again addressed when a resident of the Oaks appeared before the Planning Commission and asked that zoning be clarified in the document.Carl Barringer, a former Mayor, told the Planning Commission – which has been studying updating the Development Code and Zoning Map - at the Feb. 24 meeting that he wanted the commission to consider points raised in an October letter from Dave Johnson, also an Oaks resident, which addressed zoning issues.According to Johnson, a former Planning Commissioner, as well as other residents of the Oaks, a specific plan or amendment must be made to the General Plan to adhere to rural agricultural land mandates and create specific zoning categories.“It’s imperative to provide correct maps to developers,” said Barringer, the former owner of a development and construction company.Problems have already been created with land just east of Cliff Drive, he added. Any changes in the General Plan “were never carried through on your maps. . .I think it’s an excellent time to look at it.”The General Plan does state that any future Oaks’ development should fit the needs and desires of the community, Barringer added.
