Barry Levinson
It was another interesting/sad night at city hall with the Planning Commission doing another study session on the revamping of the original DCCSP (Downtown Core and Corridor Specific Plan) into three new zoning tools. What was most troubling was that the Community Development department headed by Karen Haluza still has not given us any definitions in writing of those three key zoning concepts including:
A New Mixed-Use (code word for high rise residential development) Overlay Zone that allows for mixed-use where retail and commercial used to be. Remember the city of Fullerton has only 6% commercial property use, which is less than our neighboring cities.
How can a city government propose major zoning changes and fail to define in writing what the city proposes to do? Scandalous you say….arrogant you say….contemptible you say. I say all of the above.
Karen Halluza-we are still waiting
So they i.e. the City of Fullerton through the Community Development Department gave us what they called a good example of what a mixed-use overlay district project would look like. Two buildings, one proposed with 172 apartment units at 600 Commonwealth Avenue and the other across the street with 123 apartment units at 128 Williamson.
The developer dream team-there goes the neighborhood
The only mixed-use actually proposed is in the first building having 4,822 square feet for retail/commercial, which represents a very meager 2.9% of the 1st building total square footage and the other building has 100% high rise apartments with NO RETAIL/COMMERCIAL SPACE! The city is telling the public that a project that has less than 1.8% overall dedicated to retail space (4,822/273,000 = <1.8% retail) with the remaining 98% devoted to high-rise apartments is a good example of mixed-use overlay project. No attempt from the developers at the Planning Commission meeting to deal with added traffic issues, added street parking issues, added water restriction issues. They make millions and we the people are left dealing with all these wonderful add-on problems courtesy of our city council if it passes.
Question: Why would our city government be eager to approve such a high-rise apartment plan with so many built in problems with no solutions in sight?
Answer: THREE MILLION FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($3,451,500). This is the amount the developer would owe the city for the recently increased Park Dwelling fee/tax per unit (295 units X $11,700 per dwelling unit). In other words the city is desperate for an infusion of a large lump sum of cash to try to make up part of the already $2.8 million dollar deficit over 2 years that has been increased by millions by approving very large raises for the police (6% for one year) and fire (9% over two years). In other word this windfall of tax revenue if passed has already been spoken for thanks to the generosity of our council majority.
Question: Does a majority of our council ever put the hard working citizens of Fullerton first when deciding on spending our tax money?
Statement From the Dais: Mayor Fitzgerald
and Council member Chaffee
said at the last council meeting that rumors that high-rise development would replace the retail center where Polly’s is located is nonsense and yet this public notice regarding rezoning the property mysteriously appears.
A notice of nonsense
and that they are actively assisting the property owner to get additional retail tenants into that retail center.
This pays alot more than the sales tax on a Polly Burger
Question: If that is so then why City Manager Joe Felz
and Mayor Jennifer Fitzgerald
Jennifer Fitzgerald became Vice President of Curt Pringle & Associates only after her election to the council
are you including that retail/commercial property as a major part of the new mixed-use overlay district…one of only 6 such parcels in the new DCCSP plan?
This would allow for developers to put in these so called mixed-use projects such as the one reviewed last night with less than 2% of the entire project devoted to retail space and the other 98% devoted to high-rise apartments without the need for any further zone changes and possibly without any oversight by our council as well. (I have repeatedly asked that the oversight issue be spelled out in writing and that no DCCSP plan like the original one be allowed to pass if it gives away the right of council to completely review each project separately. By the way we were told that the above project would be strictly market based apartments, so there will be no bargains for those who are priced out of the apartment market in Fullerton.) If the city had no interest in converting that property to high-rise residential they certainly would not single out that piece of property on Raymond between Chapman and Commonwealth Avenue for this DCCSP zone change.
I think I smell a few rats at city hall. It is okay to clap politely since you are not in council chambers. (Yes our Mayor said she was very involved in writing the new decorum rules for council chambers, which was proposed with banning polite clapping by the audience at the risk of being removed from the people’s chamber. Yes this is what Mayor Fitzgerald wanted for the citizens of Fullerton. Without major objections by many citizens through public comments that is exactly what would have been passed by our council.)
Question: Why is it so darn hard to get straight honest answers out of “our” city government?
The eyes have it folks. This is what asking for what is in the best interests of the residents of Fullerton got me last night.
More Important Question: Why do the citizens allow our city government to get away with such behavior toward us?
Solution: November elections are fast approaching and you can send a loud and resounding message to our current crop of elected officials by voting for their replacements. And when you do this, be smart and do not vote for one of their establishment buddies who are always running for office as well.
I report, you decide.
Barry Levinson
#1 by Reality Is... on April 30, 2016 - 9:22 am
Are you all the LoveFullerton party? I don’t see you. Come on out. Show you Love Fullerton and not just yourselves.
#LoveFullerton2016
#2 by Joe Imbriano on April 30, 2016 - 9:36 am
No but I attended the pregame show https://thefullertoninformer.com/joe-imbriano-speaks-on-love-fullerton/
#3 by Anonymous on May 1, 2016 - 10:36 am
Only here can you find people that think volunteering to help their community is indicative of some sort of government fraud. Joe, you’re a tool.
#4 by Joe Imbriano on May 1, 2016 - 10:57 am
Only here can I call out how good people are being duped by bad leaders into doing the work that their tax money is supposed to do and be called a tool by a crank like you. Go wash a police car.
#5 by Reality Is..... on May 1, 2016 - 6:59 pm
LOL. The anger from Joe. I can feel it thru the screen. You could never be a city leader Joe. You get too angry and take shit too personal.
#6 by Joe Imbriano on May 1, 2016 - 7:30 pm
You wish RI. Anyone who watches the videos knows that is the establishment’s MO-paint and label me while hiding behind the feel good fraud facade. It is just simply not there. Just go paint a school and wash a police car. It feels good to be a slave doesn’t it? It feels good to know that the establishment is protecting all of you with their aerial spraying, attempted framing of their enemies, the good vibes from all the cell towers, the fusion centers, stingray, drones, forced vaccines, the booze flowing like a river while the roads are full of drunk drivers, high hrise section 8 coming to town, the cops hanging out at the slime bar gawking at all the hotties, the autism awareness parties while tens of thousands of children get the vaccines rammed into them and get irradiated all day at school, those good old busted up roads, the toads milking the pensions, the police oversight that will never happen,the sycophanyts drama parties at the dias like the latest edition from Ms. Pember, the deranged cops that are still roaming the streets and of course the cheerleading section comprised of you your strong older woman Flory moonlighting for the Fullerton Pravda who wish even .01 percent of the smack you all throw around had any merit. Keep it up. The election is 6 months away and the Imbriano signs are going to be plastered all over town. I might even put my picture on them all so stay tuned.
#7 by Reality Is... on May 1, 2016 - 8:18 pm
Lol you are clearly hitting the bottle again on this fine Sunday night. Sparking a joint with Tony by chance?
#8 by Anonymous on May 1, 2016 - 10:11 pm
Damn dude, come on. You ever seen his lady? You don’t need to be on all that shit when you got that kind of action.
#9 by Reality Is..... on May 2, 2016 - 8:58 am
Is she hot?
#10 by Don't waste your time . . . on May 2, 2016 - 6:20 am
Joe, Don’t waste your time on this creature. He’s old, tired, and just boring.
#11 by Reality Is.... on May 2, 2016 - 7:35 pm
LOL 🙂 boring? I’m the only thing left that’s exciting on here.
Love,
DannyBoy
#12 by Anon on May 3, 2016 - 11:48 am
Exciting? You mean, more like the only ANNOYING thing here! You know you have nothing better to do but to post nonsense here. We know how that excites you. lol!