Palos Verdes Peninsula News
Thursday, August 14, 2008
by Chris Boyd 

Developers face multiple requirements

While some residents have complained that it’s easy to build in city, officials look to heap more mandates on projects.

    RHE — City Council members members on Tuesday discussed two ordinances that will impact mixed-use developments in Rolling Hills Estates’ commercial district, as well as projects throughout the city.

    First, council voted 4-1 to adopt ordinance No. 646, which behooves developers in the downtown area, located on Deep Valley Drive and Silver Spur Road between Hawthorne and Crenshaw boulevards, to help the city meet its affordable-housing requirements. It also requires project applicants to show that a mixed-use development provides a general public benefit, such as art or open plazas; to demonstrate that the project enhances the economic viability of the property in question; and to provide written intent to pursue green building practices, among others.

    “I think that this is all appropriate,” said Councilman Steve Zuckerman, who provided the lone dissenting vote. “But I don’t know what basis we would use to make some of these determinations.”

    Zuckerman noted that council members at their last meeting struggled to determine the number of affordable-housing units required in a single downtown development.

    “Once we hear back from the state, we’ll have a little bit better information regarding what we’ll do with our housing element update,” said Planning Director David Wahba.

    “At some point in time we probably need something more specific,” Zuckerman said.

    But the ordinance shows state officials that RHE is “headed in the right direction,” said Councilwoman Judy Mitchell. “There’s very little space left in our city for build-out. I think all of these provisions are good ones.

    “It provides a basis for the public to understand what we’re doing as well,” she added.

    As part of the mandates, the city requires developers to attain certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, green building rating system.

    “There are various levels of LEED certification [including platinum, gold and silver],” said resident Kirk Retz. “One element that should be taken into consideration is the rural [atmosphere] of our city.”

    “We all share that concern,” Mitchell said. “We all recognize that [the rest of the city] is different from our commercial zone.”

    Landscaping plans with trees, plants and maybe even three-rail fencing could make for a rural feel in the business district, Mitchell added.

    “This ordinance pretty much affects 3.6 percent of our city,” said Mayor Frank Zerunyan. “The language that we see here really addresses the need of the state law.”

    Mitchell, who will chair the city’s environmental committee, said that body will consider building standards throughout RHE. “I think this is a good start,” she said.

Silver Spur Court, located at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Silver Spur Road in Rolling Hills Estates, is an 18-unit condominium complex nearing completion. Developers of such projects likely will have to pay a price — and pay back the community — if they want to build locally.


Developers to pay

    Council also got its first look at ordinance No. 647, which would impose fees on developers due to their impact on traffic, damage to streets because of construction and the like. City officials can impose fees for the construction of parks and recreation facilities, library facilities and general plan maintenance, among others.

    Under an impact fee report prepared by MuniFinancial, the city determined it could charge a maximum of $3,233 per unit to developers for single-family units, $2,343 per unit for multi-family units, $4,454 per 1,000 square feet for commercial use and $5,246 per 1,000 square feet for office use.

    Alex Rose of Continental Development, which owns The Village Shopping Center next to the Peninsula Center Library, said his company didn’t agree with many of the underlying assumptions in the MuniFinancial analysis.

    “The study does not take into account the existing general plan, the existing zoning or overlay at all,” Rose said. “There’s a park fee that is extremely high.”

    Major community improvements are “being put 100 percent on the back of new development,” Rose added.

    Zuckerman said all projects, such as the Chandler development that includes a new golf course, country club and houses on the east side of RHE, were brought into the study’s scope.

    “It’s not all being borne by projects in the commercial district,” Zuckerman said. “I think in broad outline I’m fairly comfortable with the application as it is.”

    “We agree certainly that this has been spread around as far as … fees are concerned,” Zerunyan said. “You’ve got to start somewhere and you’ve got to make a decision somewhere.

    “I’m having difficulty with understanding and making it fair. At the end of the day, it’s going to pass on to the buyer,” Zerunyan added. “We’re a moving target here. I’m sure [developers] want to know [the fees], more so than anything else.”

    Palos Verdes Library District Director Kathy Gould asked council members to consider making the funds available to optimize library services across the Hill, including services at an intensely used Peninsula Center Library.

    “We are faced with library facilities that are in many ways operating at capacity,” Gould said, adding that district officials are working to expand both the Malaga Cove and Miraleste libraries in Palos Verdes Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes respectively. “The Library District actually covers all of the Peninsula.”

    Said Rose, “We need a plan.”

 
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