The Seal Beach City Council removed the Shops at Rossmoor from the list of potential affordable housing sites at the agency’s Monday, April 9 meeting.
The council also removed the Bay City Partners property from the list.
State law requires cities to list potential locations for affordable housing as part of the Housing Elements of their General Plans. The Planning Commission recently approved a list of seven properties.
District 1 Councilwoman Ellery Deaton said this was not about low income housing. She said the term was false advertising. She said a better term would be “entry level” housing.
City Attorney Quinn Barrow said approving the Housing Element would not require the city to change the zoning for all of the properties on the list. However, because Seal Beach had a short period of time before the next approval cycle began, the city would have to change the zoning for one of the sites on the list.
District 2 Councilman David Sloan said the Shops at Rossmoor was in his district. He said he didn’t want the shopping center on the list and the residents didn’t want the shopping center on the list.
District 3 Councilman Gordon Shanks, however, opposed removing the shopping center. He was concerned because three of the sites on the list were located in his district.
Deaton said the first version of the Housing Element was evenly balanced throughout the city.
District 4 Councilman Gary Miller said that when Seal Beach annexed the property that is now the Shops at Rossmoor, the city agreed that it could not change the zoning for the property without the owner’s permission.
Miller expressed concern that changing the zoning for the shopping center would expose Seal Beach to a lawsuit.
The council voted 3-2 to remove the Shops at Rossmoor from the list.
Deaton made a motion to remove the Bay City Partners property from the list because the city was still in negotiations with the owners of the property. Earlier, Shanks had said he assumed that particular property would be removed from the list.
His prediction proved accurate: the council voted unanimously to remove the Bay City Partners property from the affordable housing list.
Consultant John Douglas said state officials were concerned about the inclusion of the State Lands property because it is government owned.
That left the Marine Park Expansion Site, the Accurate Storage building, the Boeing parking lot and the county-owned Sunset Aquatic Park.
City OKs urgent short term rental ordinance
The council also approved an urgency ordinance that regulates vacation rentals, also known as short term or “summer” rentals.
By state law, an urgency ordinance stays in effect for 45 days unless the council extends it. There will be a public hearing in May to consider a permanent ordinance.
City Attorney Barrow said Seal Beach included regulation of short term rentals in the 2011 Zoning Code, but Seal Beach still had problems with vacation rentals that were not addressed by the code.
The ordinance now requires, among other things, an on-site manager of any property that rents out more than two units to short-term visitors.
Deaton said the ordinance applies to properties rented for 29 days or less at a time so the law will not effect owners who rent month-to-month.
Barrow said the existing ordinance requires a conditional use permit for future short-term rentals.
However, he said Seal Beach has a number of rentals that were “grandfathered” into the code.
He said the new ordinance would take away the “grandfathered” rights of existing temporary rentals.
First street beach area project near complete
By Harry Wiewel
The Seal Beach First Street parking lot located at the North West end of the City of Seal Beach is getting a complete make over. Construction crews have been busy transforming the parking lot and surrounding area popular with surfers, windsurfers, kite boarders and cyclists.
Improvements include the addition of concrete benches, picnic tables and concrete walls, which are about 18 inches high.
The concrete walls serve as both a barrier to blowing sand and a place to sit.
The parking lot itself has been reconfigured to both make parking easier as well as look much better with the addition of islands planted with shrubs and trees. The old rinse area, popular with surfers, standup paddle boarders and windsurfers, was replaced with a concrete pad, rinse racks and a hose outlet.
New sod was placed in the old grassy area located on the south side of the parking lot as well as well at a new grassy area located at the west end of the lot.
It is interesting to note that there were no concrete barriers placed at the west end of the lot.
It appears by looking at the original plans that these walls were to be part of the make over. Since the prevailing winds at this location come from the west-south-west direction and blowing sands typically occur when the wind speeds reach 18-20 MPH, barriers would have made a lot of sense.
Last Tuesday (March 27), the wind did reach the 18-20 MPH range and, not surprisingly, a lot of sand was deposited on the new grass, covering a significant portion of it.
Thursday morning, a work crew hastily erected a temporary “blowing sand” barrier and was busily removing the sand off the new sod using rakes, brooms and shovels.
All in all, the First Street parking lot improvements are a welcome addition for the city of Seal Beach.
Seal Beach residents and visitors who use the parking lot to eat at the River’s End Restaurant, participate in water sports such as surfing or kite boarding, take a break from cycling, or just relax and sun bathe on the sand, may be pleasantly surprised at the new improvements made by the city of Seal Beach.
The Seal Beach City Council removed the Shops at Rossmoor from the list of potential affordable housing sites at the agency’s Monday, April 9 meeting.
The council also removed the Bay City Partners property from the list.
State law requires cities to list potential locations for affordable housing as part of the Housing Elements of their General Plans. The Planning Commission recently approved a list of seven properties.
District 1 Councilwoman Ellery Deaton said this was not about low income housing. She said the term was false advertising. She said a better term would be “entry level” housing.
City Attorney Quinn Barrow said approving the Housing Element would not require the city to change the zoning for all of the properties on the list. However, because Seal Beach had a short period of time before the next approval cycle began, the city would have to change the zoning for one of the sites on the list.
District 2 Councilman David Sloan said the Shops at Rossmoor was in his district. He said he didn’t want the shopping center on the list and the residents didn’t want the shopping center on the list.
District 3 Councilman Gordon Shanks, however, opposed removing the shopping center. He was concerned because three of the sites on the list were located in his district.
Deaton said the first version of the Housing Element was evenly balanced throughout the city.
District 4 Councilman Gary Miller said that when Seal Beach annexed the property that is now the Shops at Rossmoor, the city agreed that it could not change the zoning for the property without the owner’s permission.
Miller expressed concern that changing the zoning for the shopping center would expose Seal Beach to a lawsuit.
The council voted 3-2 to remove the Shops at Rossmoor from the list.
Deaton made a motion to remove the Bay City Partners property from the list because the city was still in negotiations with the owners of the property. Earlier, Shanks had said he assumed that particular property would be removed from the list.
His prediction proved accurate: the council voted unanimously to remove the Bay City Partners property from the affordable housing list.
Consultant John Douglas said state officials were concerned about the inclusion of the State Lands property because it is government owned.
That left the Marine Park Expansion Site, the Accurate Storage building, the Boeing parking lot and the county-owned Sunset Aquatic Park.
City OKs urgent short term rental ordinance
The council also approved an urgency ordinance that regulates vacation rentals, also known as short term or “summer” rentals.
By state law, an urgency ordinance stays in effect for 45 days unless the council extends it. There will be a public hearing in May to consider a permanent ordinance.
City Attorney Barrow said Seal Beach included regulation of short term rentals in the 2011 Zoning Code, but Seal Beach still had problems with vacation rentals that were not addressed by the code.
The ordinance now requires, among other things, an on-site manager of any property that rents out more than two units to short-term visitors.
Deaton said the ordinance applies to properties rented for 29 days or less at a time so the law will not effect owners who rent month-to-month.
Barrow said the existing ordinance requires a conditional use permit for future short-term rentals.
However, he said Seal Beach has a number of rentals that were “grandfathered” into the code.
He said the new ordinance would take away the “grandfathered” rights of existing temporary rentals.
First street beach area project near complete
By Harry Wiewel
The Seal Beach First Street parking lot located at the North West end of the City of Seal Beach is getting a complete make over. Construction crews have been busy transforming the parking lot and surrounding area popular with surfers, windsurfers, kite boarders and cyclists.
Improvements include the addition of concrete benches, picnic tables and concrete walls, which are about 18 inches high.
The concrete walls serve as both a barrier to blowing sand and a place to sit.
The parking lot itself has been reconfigured to both make parking easier as well as look much better with the addition of islands planted with shrubs and trees. The old rinse area, popular with surfers, standup paddle boarders and windsurfers, was replaced with a concrete pad, rinse racks and a hose outlet.
New sod was placed in the old grassy area located on the south side of the parking lot as well as well at a new grassy area located at the west end of the lot.
It is interesting to note that there were no concrete barriers placed at the west end of the lot.
It appears by looking at the original plans that these walls were to be part of the make over. Since the prevailing winds at this location come from the west-south-west direction and blowing sands typically occur when the wind speeds reach 18-20 MPH, barriers would have made a lot of sense.
Last Tuesday (March 27), the wind did reach the 18-20 MPH range and, not surprisingly, a lot of sand was deposited on the new grass, covering a significant portion of it.
Thursday morning, a work crew hastily erected a temporary “blowing sand” barrier and was busily removing the sand off the new sod using rakes, brooms and shovels.
All in all, the First Street parking lot improvements are a welcome addition for the city of Seal Beach.
Seal Beach residents and visitors who use the parking lot to eat at the River’s End Restaurant, participate in water sports such as surfing or kite boarding, take a break from cycling, or just relax and sun bathe on the sand, may be pleasantly surprised at the new improvements made by the city of Seal Beach.
Councilman David Sloan
The Seal Beach City Council removed the Shops at Rossmoor from the list of potential affordable housing sites at the agency’s Monday, April 9 meeting.
The council also removed the Bay City Partners property from the list.
State law requires cities to list potential locations for affordable housing as part of the Housing Elements of their General Plans. The Planning Commission recently approved a list of seven properties.
District 1 Councilwoman Ellery Deaton said this was not about low income housing. She said the term was false advertising. She said a better term would be “entry level” housing.
City Attorney Quinn Barrow said approving the Housing Element would not require the city to change the zoning for all of the properties on the list. However, because Seal Beach had a short period of time before the next approval cycle began, the city would have to change the zoning for one of the sites on the list.
District 2 Councilman David Sloan said the Shops at Rossmoor was in his district. He said he didn’t want the shopping center on the list and the residents didn’t want the shopping center on the list.
District 3 Councilman Gordon Shanks, however, opposed removing the shopping center. He was concerned because three of the sites on the list were located in his district.
Deaton said the first version of the Housing Element was evenly balanced throughout the city.
District 4 Councilman Gary Miller said that when Seal Beach annexed the property that is now the Shops at Rossmoor, the city agreed that it could not change the zoning for the property without the owner’s permission.
Miller expressed concern that changing the zoning for the shopping center would expose Seal Beach to a lawsuit.
The council voted 3-2 to remove the Shops at Rossmoor from the list.
Deaton made a motion to remove the Bay City Partners property from the list because the city was still in negotiations with the owners of the property. Earlier, Shanks had said he assumed that particular property would be removed from the list.
His prediction proved accurate: the council voted unanimously to remove the Bay City Partners property from the affordable housing list.
Consultant John Douglas said state officials were concerned about the inclusion of the State Lands property because it is government owned.
That left the Marine Park Expansion Site, the Accurate Storage building, the Boeing parking lot and the county-owned Sunset Aquatic Park.
City OKs urgent short term rental ordinance
The council also approved an urgency ordinance that regulates vacation rentals, also known as short term or “summer” rentals.
By state law, an urgency ordinance stays in effect for 45 days unless the council extends it. There will be a public hearing in May to consider a permanent ordinance.
City Attorney Barrow said Seal Beach included regulation of short term rentals in the 2011 Zoning Code, but Seal Beach still had problems with vacation rentals that were not addressed by the code.
The ordinance now requires, among other things, an on-site manager of any property that rents out more than two units to short-term visitors.
Deaton said the ordinance applies to properties rented for 29 days or less at a time so the law will not effect owners who rent month-to-month.
Barrow said the existing ordinance requires a conditional use permit for future short-term rentals.
However, he said Seal Beach has a number of rentals that were “grandfathered” into the code.
He said the new ordinance would take away the “grandfathered” rights of existing temporary rentals.
First street beach area project near complete
By Harry Wiewel
The Seal Beach First Street parking lot located at the North West end of the City of Seal Beach is getting a complete make over. Construction crews have been busy transforming the parking lot and surrounding area popular with surfers, windsurfers, kite boarders and cyclists.
Improvements include the addition of concrete benches, picnic tables and concrete walls, which are about 18 inches high.
The concrete walls serve as both a barrier to blowing sand and a place to sit.
The parking lot itself has been reconfigured to both make parking easier as well as look much better with the addition of islands planted with shrubs and trees. The old rinse area, popular with surfers, standup paddle boarders and windsurfers, was replaced with a concrete pad, rinse racks and a hose outlet.
New sod was placed in the old grassy area located on the south side of the parking lot as well as well at a new grassy area located at the west end of the lot.
It is interesting to note that there were no concrete barriers placed at the west end of the lot.
It appears by looking at the original plans that these walls were to be part of the make over. Since the prevailing winds at this location come from the west-south-west direction and blowing sands typically occur when the wind speeds reach 18-20 MPH, barriers would have made a lot of sense.
Last Tuesday (March 27), the wind did reach the 18-20 MPH range and, not surprisingly, a lot of sand was deposited on the new grass, covering a significant portion of it.
Thursday morning, a work crew hastily erected a temporary “blowing sand” barrier and was busily removing the sand off the new sod using rakes, brooms and shovels.
All in all, the First Street parking lot improvements are a welcome addition for the city of Seal Beach.
Seal Beach residents and visitors who use the parking lot to eat at the River’s End Restaurant, participate in water sports such as surfing or kite boarding, take a break from cycling, or just relax and sun bathe on the sand, may be pleasantly surprised at the new improvements made by the city of Seal Beach.
