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J Whizz

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Jun 9, 2012, 4:19:41 PM6/9/12
to Sausalito Housing Element on behalf of Jeff Whisennand
For those interested.

I do plan on being at the 6/12 City Council meeting. I hope you can attend as well.

Regards,
Jeff Whisennand

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <jannj...@comcast.net>
Date: Sat, Jun 9, 2012 at 1:07 PM
Subject: housing element news
To: jwhis...@gmail.com


Jeff- I guess the adu is now on 6/12, perhaps I'll see you on 6/12 .

 

I'm trying to get the news out.

If you are so inclined, please forward this on.

Sincerely,

Jann

 

Dear Neighbors,

Multiple issues will be decided June 11-13 which will affect us forever. City Staff has recommended approval and an expedited review of the new housing element plan. This may be our last chance to save our views from obstruction and our neighborhood from overdevelopment to the detriment of our finances and our quality of life.

 

Please come to these meetings  and/or write to all involved and make your voices heard.

ADU Working Group :Monday, June 18, 5:30 pm,  Conference room beside Council Chamber

City Council Meeting :Tuesday, June 12, 7pm,  Council Chambers - 420 Litho Street

Housing Element Meeting: Wednesday, June 13,6:30pm, Council Chambers - 420 Litho Street

 

Please email or write these folks before the City Council meeting on Tuesday, June12.  You can access them on the city web site : http://www.ci.sausalito.ca.us

Did you know the ADU (accessory dwelling unit/ granny unit) working group recently approved the obstruction of 10% of a neighbor’s primary views in order to build ADUs? This may be unchangeable,  but perhaps enough opposition can re-establish  the no obstruction of primary views  we traditionally had. Which 10% of the view is to be obstructed will be determined by City Staff; not the offended property owner. .

This decision contradicts the General Plan which states new development should not impact neighboring primary views. The City also changed notification requirements to properties within 100 feet instead of the usual300 feet, decreasing community participation although the general plan states the City must try to foster community participation.

 

On 5/22 City Council voted to remove 107 2nd St and 217 2nd St from “tweak” rezoning allowing ground floor commercial to be replaced with residential units. The M Group then came up with  new 2 programs: HMU horizontal mixed use voluntary incentives  allowing commercial property owners to use ground floors for residential rather than commercial uses, and VMU , vertical mixed use mandatory incentives mandating   any new upward development  be residential and that it have at least one low-income unit..

 

All  CN-1, CR, and CC districts are to be rezoned to HMU and VMU.

107 2nd and 217 2nd have not been exempted.  ALL OF 2ND STREET HAS BEEN INCLUDED!.  

This seems to designate 2nd Street in Old Town for high-density, multi-unit, affordable housing.  

The same proposal made worse, targeting the same 2 sites, and potentially increasing development beyond them. It potentially places 42% of state mandated affordable housing within a 2 block area of Old Town that is already congested and without parking. Two sites with up to 9 units could mean 72 new residents and 36 or more cars. Many of us favor thoughtfully developed affordable housing, but the impact on our community must be taken into account. Many owners and renters have expressed concerns about the impact of such large-scale development :

 

·         Substantial impact on primary views for at least 20 residences and offices (resulting in decreased home values , devastating effects on owner financial situations ,and realtor incomes)

·         environmental impact in an already closely settled neighborhood ,

·         parking problems : the addition of 12-36 new cars would critically exacerbate  already crowded  streets

·         safety concerns for pedestrians : 2nd St is already dangerous, constricted, congested (aka “the funnel”),

·         elimination of neighborhood-serving commercial space and attack on small local businesses ,

·         sewage overcapacity  and street trash entering the bay,

·         impact on 2nd Street residents and traffic during massive construction in an already unsafe thoroughfare

·         impact on access for emergency vehicles (narrow street with no shoulder)

·         impact on quality of life for neighbors: an increase in noise , commotion ,and a decrease in bay views, light, and serenity ,

·         large 3-story sites are out of context with the character of the neighborhood – we should  preserve the historical character, serenity, and charm of Old Town, Sausalito’s original settlement and the gateway to our historic downtown,

Land -use legal counsel has advised that once sites are approved by the City as “feasible” and passed onto the State (with bonuses and incentives) there is little the City or residents can do to uphold standard restrictions and stop developers. In fact, the State dictates that once a site is designated, aggressive incentives, including marketing events to stimulate interest from developers, relaxation of building, zoning, setback and parking standards, must be provided along with expedited building design reviews. With backing from the State, a developer will overcome any local (neighborhood or City) opposition to the project.

HMU/VMU new zoning will decrease Old Town’s quality of life and should not be considered feasible. The new proposal places the burden of state law on small Old Town without addressing  the problems it will cause nor the negative impact on the quality of our lives.  City Council directed  M Group, City Staff, and the Housing Element Task Force to find low impact strategies. ADUs obstructing 10% of our views and high density development of  2nd St   is not low impact; it is high impact.

The General Plan's Housing Element Policy H-1.3 Public Participation states the city must encourage a high degree of public awareness and involvement from all economic segments of the community. Our community had only 2 weeks notice about the first Old Town rezoning proposal and 4 days notice about the second.

City Council says they listen. We need to keep speaking in opposition.  Please , please ask City Council , the Housing Element Task Force, and the Planning Commission to  stop  zoning for large-scale, high-density development in Old Town . Ask them to

·         reject  any proposal to modify current CN1  zoning regulations for  Old Town Commercial , reject  HMU / VMU, for Old Town

·         completely remove 2nd Street sites from the Housing Element feasible list, and

·         restore our view preservation to 100% as it is now. 

It’s difficult to leaflet Old Town to raise awareness every time new severe impacts are proposed. If you would like to stay informed on developments please send your email address to either myself: jannj...@comcast.net or  Kerryhe...@gmail.com.  We are both live in and are passionate about Old Town and the democratic process and will  keep you informed of developments . We will not use your emails for any other purpose. You can also sign up for https://hurricanegulch.nextdoor.com ,  stay an anonymous and receive the same information.   Thank you for your consideration.  

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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