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Tag: colleen McDuffee

  • 42-unit townhouse project proposed near Sylvan Corners

    Bearpaw Village
    A proposed 42-unit development near Sylvan Corners will be considered by the Citrus Heights Planning Commission on Jan. 24, 2018.

    Sentinel staff report–
    Plans to bring a 42-unit townhouse project to a 2.5-acre vacant parcel behind the Bearpaw Village shopping center at Sylvan Corners will be heard by the Citrus Heights Planning Commission on Jan. 24th — and a vocal neighborhood association is not happy.

    Update: This project has been approved by the Planning Commission 

    The townhouse development proposal was submitted in 2014 by Bearpaw Shoes owner Thomas Romeo, who owns the shopping center and adjoining vacant land on the southeast section of Sylvan Corners. The project has slowly made it through the planning process and is now seeking planning commission approval for construction of nine new buildings for rental units, along with a 2,300-square-feet clubhouse, a pool, and a community garden with 20 raised beds. Planning division staff also recommend that commissioners approve a condition to require the development to have an on-site manager, along with an additional two parking spots for a total of 86 spots.

    According to a planning division staff report, each of the proposed units are about 1,200-square-feet in size, with two bedrooms and a small private rear yard. Each unit would also have an attached one-car garage, as well as one outdoor parking spot. Primary vehicle access would be off Old Auburn Road, next to Vice’s Collision Repair, and residents would also have egress through a gated exit leading into the existing shopping center on the Sylvan Road side.

    In a letter submitted to the city last month, Romeo described the proposed development as “the transformation of an empty lot into peoples’ homes, complete with new trees and manicured green spaces.” He further envisioned that his shoe company, which is headquartered at Sylvan Corners and employs a staff of about two dozen, will continue to grow and the Bearpaw Village Townhomes will present “an amazing opportunity for employees to minimize their commutes,” by living next door and walking to work.

    Jayna Karpinski-Costa, president of the area’s Sylvan Old Auburn Road neighborhood association, said her group is opposed to the project and submitted a letter of opposition to the city’s planning commission. A copy of the letter acquired by The Sentinel cites concerns about traffic on Old Auburn Road, limited green space in the plan, and concerns about too many rental units in Citrus Heights.

    “It is clear that jamming [that] many buildings on that lot is motivated by greed/profit,” the letter states. “There is no sense of community on this project. It is exactly how the building on Sayonara were originally planned – small lot, small house rentals… and look at how many resources the city spends there now.”

    Asked for comment on the objections, John Richey, spokesman and general counsel for Bearpaw Equities, the property division of Romeo’s shoe company, said he believes traffic impacts will be “completely nominal,” due to the number of housing units proposed and entry and exit points being close enough to the intersection to not affect other residential side streets. He also said the plan focuses on building a “walking community,” where tenants would hopefully walk to work or grab a bite to eat at Sylvan Corners, rather than drive a car.

    Acknowledging common problems with absentee landlord’s, Richey said “there’s always a challenge of renting these properties,” but added that the housing being situated next door to Bearpaw’s headquarters would make it easier to keep an eye on and would be “a point of pride” for the company. Richey said the company also has a track record of keeping up other rental properties it owns, citing Garfield Village Apartments, located just outside Citrus Heights on Garfield Avenue.

    He also said the townhouse aspect will likely attract different tenants than a standard apartment and said additional greenbelts and lawn areas are still being discussed.

    Image: See rendering of proposed Bearpaw Village Townhomes

    Asked about the percentage of rental units in Citrus Heights, Planning Division Manager Colleen McDuffee said about 58 percent of housing in the city was owner-occupied, and 42 percent renter-occupied, as of 2010. She said the numbers have likely changed slightly in the past eight years, but called the figures “a pretty good estimate for now.”

    Karpinski-Costa previously called the 42 percent rental figure “plenty” for the city and said, in her experience, homeowners tend to be the ones who are more involved in her neighborhood. On Friday, she sent an email to her neighborhood association members, encouraging them to attend the upcoming planning commission hearing.

    Planning commissioners are slated to holding a public hearing on the proposal at 7 p.m. on Jan. 24 at city hall.  Commissioners will consider four motions related to the project, including adopting a mitigated negative declaration and monitoring plan, approving a minor use permit for the project, and approving a design review permit and tree permit.

    More information about the project can be found in the Planning Commission’s Jan. 24 agenda packet. (Viewable by clicking here)

    Want to share your thoughts on this housing proposal? Click here to submit a letter to the editor for publication.

  • Residents pack out meeting to oppose new ARCO on Sunrise Blvd

    ARCO, Citrus Heights
    Mayor Jeannie Bruins addresses a standing-room-only audience of residents concerned about a new ARCO proposed on Sunrise Boulevard. // CH Sentinel

    Updated Nov. 30, 3:30 p.m.–
    A standing-room-only audience of concerned Citrus Heights residents filed into a small room at the new Citrus Heights city hall Monday night, eager to make their voice heard about a controversial proposal to build a new ARCO gas station and car wash at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Sungarden Drive.

    The proposal was submitted by Barghausen Consulting last month and includes plans to demolish the existing multi-story office building and construct a 3,000-square-feet AM/PM convenience store, a 42-feet-by-110-feet covered area for eight gas pumps, and a small car wash. Sacramento County Assessor’s records indicate the nearly one-acre parcel at 7056 Sunrise Blvd. is owned by prominent real estate developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, with the existing 9,500-square-feet structure built on the site in 1981.

    Monday’s meeting, attended by about 80 residents, was called on short notice by Mayor Jeannie Bruins to address what she described as a “flood” of emails and questions from the community about the proposal. Bruins told attendees that such a meeting was “unusual” to have happen so early in a proposal’s process, but was necessary to address concerns and clarify the city’s process for handling new development proposals.

    Resident concerns raised at the meeting included blight, increased crime from alcohol sales and a 24-hour convenience store, traffic, “noise pollution,” and general opposition to having a gas station at the location. Led by Sunrise Oaks Neighborhood Association President Nancy Graham, the group vowed to continue opposition to the project following the meeting — their goal being to completely stop the gas station from ever being built.

    “We’ll do anything we can do to make this stop, because that’s our goal,” said one resident during the meeting, later providing only her first name as Cindy. Other comments ranged from “I never even thought in a million years there’d be a gas station there,” to “I guarantee crime is going to go up.”

    The process
    Although many residents present at the meeting seemed largely eager to hear what they could do currently to get the project stopped, the city’s planning division manager, Colleen McDuffee, said the project won’t face an up or down vote until it is heard by the planning commission “in several months.” In the mean time, McDuffee said community input is “welcomed,” but she said developers have a legal right to go through the city’s process before a vote is taken.

    She said the development process begins with a proposal and site plan being submitted by an applicant, followed by extensive review and comment from the city’s planning division, which sends the proposal out for comment from more than a dozen agencies and also publicizes the project with public notices and a “development proposal” sign on site. She said agencies involved include engineering, Metro Fire, the water district, and neighborhood associations potentially impacted by the proposed development.

    [Document: see proposed site plan]

    McDuffee said planning department staff then compile agency and community responses, which are then sent back to the applicant along with comments from the planning department. After corrections and any specified conditions are met, the applicant can then re-submit the proposal, which — if adequate — is then forwarded on to the seven-member planning commission for review, a public hearing, and a vote.

    The planning commission’s vote can also be appealed by either the applicant or community members, which would then send the proposal to the full city council.

    “We’re at least several months away,” said McDuffee, referring to a planning commission hearing. “At that point they will make their decision.”

    >>Get local news updates: click here to sign up for The Sentinel’s free Weekend e-Edition

    An environmental review, which includes assessing potential traffic and noise impacts, is also conducted during the process and completed before the planning commission hearing. As the plan proposes beer and wine sales, a state Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) license will also be required for the convenience store and a “letter of public convenience/necessity” will have to be obtained from the city council before a license is issued.

    Associate Planner Nick Lagura later confirmed with The Sentinel that a letter from the council is needed due to the area already having above the number of alcohol licenses set by the state.

    QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

    What stage is the process currently at?
    Currently, McDuffee said an initial response letter was sent back to the applicant about two weeks ago and “the ball is in their court” to resubmit a plan.

    Does the planning commission vote the same night a public hearing is held?
    McDuffee said typically commissioners will vote on a proposal the same night as a public hearing, but they have discretion to move the vote to a further date.

    Has an applicant ever pulled out?
    McDuffee said “it’s rare” for an applicant to pull out and the mayor said she could only think of one such example. An audience member’s question was followed by laughter from the audience as she asked, “what would make them want to pull out?” Bruins responded with a smile that she would have to leave the room if that question were to be answered.

    Does public opinion matter?
    McDuffee said staff will compile each comment received and forward it to the planning commission, who will receive existing comments plus future comments as part of a packet related to the project. Mayor Bruins also affirmed the role of public input and said the proposal “is not a slam dunk.”

    Former planning commissioner Jack Duncan, who is opposed to the proposal, spoke up during the meeting to confirm McDuffee’s assertion. “We listen to everything you have to say,” said Duncan, referencing his 9-year term as a commissioner. “Just keep hammering, and hammering, and hammering… the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

    >>See a map of the neighborhood boundaries and learn more about Citrus Heights’ 11 neighborhood areas: “Neighborhood groups REACH out to connect Citrus Heights residents”

    McDuffee also said the city encourages developers to contact neighborhood associations directly for input on their projects, but former councilwoman Jayna Karpinski-Costa, who was also in attendance, objected that developers “just want to shove it down your throats… they really don’t want to listen.”

    In replying, McDuffee gave an example of a 15-home development on Antelope Road where she said the developer met with nearby residents and modified plans in order to accommodate privacy concerns about the placement of several proposed two-story homes.

    Where should comments about the project be sent?
    McDuffee said all comments will be compiled and submitted to planning commissioners in a project packet prior to their vote. She said commissioners can be contacted directly and also gave out the planning division’s phone number, (916) 727-4740. The planning division’s email address is planning@citrusheights.net.

    Mayor Bruins told attendees the city council can also be contacted by email at citycouncil@citrusheights.net, which will send a message to the council as a group. Asked by a resident how many times they should contact the council about the project, Bruins replied with a smile, “You can email me as many times as you want, but I read the message the first time.”

    What about neighborhood compatibility?
    Asked during the meeting to explain how “neighborhood compatibility” applies to the proposed ARCO, McDuffee said “compatibility” is listed in the zoning code, but not defined. In her short answer, she said the term generally relates to looking at adverse impacts of a proposed project on nearby uses, but she referred to the zoning code for more details.

    [View the city code online: click here]

    A review by The Sentinel of the city’s online zoning code found 42 references to “compatibility,” with a recurring emphasis on promoting or ensuring compatibility with adjacent land areas and uses. The only reference specifically to “neighborhood compatibility” applied only new residential subdivisions.

    Will there be a crime impact analysis on the proposal?
    Addressing a question from resident Kyle Hasapes about whether crime impacts would be assessed, the mayor and planning manager said a security plan is required to be submitted and reviewed by the police department.

    Who is the applicant?
    The applicant is Barghausen Consulting in Roseville, but an ARCO franchisee would own the building, according to McDuffee.

    What kind of “conditions of approval” can be imposed on the project?
    McDuffee said the planning commission can impose conditions of approval on development projects and often review recommendations on conditions like hours of operations restrictions and delivery times. One conceivable outcome could be for the project to be approved, with a condition that it not be open 24-hours-a-day.

    What is the location zoned?
    McDuffee said the center is zoned Shopping Center (SC) commercial, which allows a wide range of uses that do not need a use permit. While some categories of businesses have a permit “by right” to operate under SC zoning, McDuffee confirmed that a gas station requires a special use permit.

    How are planning commissioners appointed?
    Each of the five city council members appoints one commissioner to the seven-member commission. Two additional members are appointed at-large by the entire council. Four commissioners’ terms are set to expire at the end of this year, and applications are currently being accepted through Dec. 12. No experience is required to apply.

    Share your thoughts on the proposal: Submit a letter-to-the-editor here