Planning Commission approves
long delayed west side Anderson project
May 06, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
The Planning Commission approved a proposed development with a long history, but the 79 single-family homes still have a long way to go critics of the project were told at the April 28 hearing.
The commission approved the subdivision — located just west of city limits at Peck Road and just north of Foothill Road — 4-0; Commissioner John Wisda was absent from the hearing.
The proposed development by Del Investment Fund and investor Keith Hagaman would be on a 32-acre steep hillside parcel, unincorporated county land that would need to be annexed into the city.
Aside from the 79 homes plans also call for a three-acre public park, walking trails and five acres of open space.
Deputy Planning Director Stratis Perros told commissioners that the planned project has been the focus of many meetings involving the city and the county.
The project was approved by voters in 2003 but never was built due to the death of developer Scott Anderson, the real estate crash and numerous studies required before the land could be developed.
Perros said even if the commission approved the project it would still have to garner City Council support; even if LAFCO then annexed the property the county would still have authority to grant the grading permit.
The April 28 hearing had been continued from a February session where commissioners as well as members of the public had numerous questions and concerns ranging from traffic impacts of new residents to air quality issues resulting from grading and the thousands of truck trips required to move 750,000 cubic yards of dirt to water availability and geotechnical questions.
Joe Power of Rincon Consultants addressed the concerns and Mike Piszker, an attorney for the developers said the project would help stabilize the hillside as well as eliminate flooding that comes from the hillside with each rainstorm.
Representatives of the Santa Paula Unified School District and Blanchard Elementary School Principal Patti Fulbright questioned the transportation of hillside dirt on Peck Road but Perros said the recommendation had been the county’s and not the developers’ who want to deposit the dirt in nearby canyons.
Other speakers noted the already troublesome traffic impacts to those living in the Foothill and Peck area, including speeding vehicles that miss the curve coming off of Foothill onto Peck striking one home numerous times and the havoc caused by Highway 126 closures that clogs surface streets. One speaker noted the impacts of truck vibrations could have on other properties.
Michael Dalo said that although Del Investment has created several good projects in the city the company “in this instance made a mistake and bought a 32-acre train wreck…”
Several audience members allotted their speaker time to Richard Main, a Foothill Road resident, who questioned the viability of using land that is a documented ancient landslide and holding back same with a 20-foot high wall that would top the development.
Main also questioned water and new development in drought conditions.
Later in response to a commissioner’s question Perros noted the water that would have to be used for dust control would likely be tapped from city fire hydrants and charged for.
Munger Drive resident Ali Fox noted several concerns including diesel fumes that would be generated as well as the spores released during construction.
After questions and discussion the commission added several conditions to the project including a ban on using Peck Road to transport dirt and work with the county to improve traffic safety on Foothill Road in general and the intersection of Foothill and Peck in particular.
The motion passed unanimously.
