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DESCRIPTION:IJ Articles and public notices = with sites info added\n\nHearing set on 
 revised housing ordinance\nStaff Report\nArticle Launched: 07/28/2007 
 12:42:07 AM PDT\n\nThe Novato Planning Commission \n 
 http://www.ci.novato.ca.us/boards/planning_comm.cfm\nwill hold a public 
 hearing Monday on a revised affordable housing ordinance.\n\nThe proposed 
 ordinance would set new affordable housing requirements, including fees, 
 for new development in the city.\n\nThe meeting is at 7:30 p.m. in the 
 board room at Novato Unified School District headquarters at 1015 Seventh 
 St.\n\nFor more information, call 899-8900\n\n	Novato group protests 
 planned housing\nRob Rogers\nArticle Launched: 07/10/2006 04:30:00 AM 
 PDT\n\nResidents of the Virginia Avenue neighborhood are contesting the 
 Planning Commission's approval of a proposed affordable housing development 
 in their area.\n\nResidents are asking the City Council to void the 
 Planning Commission's approval of the Virginia Grove development, which 
 would bring eight homes to .65 acres. At least three of those homes would 
 be reserved for people making $75,000 to $135,000 a year.\n\nDeveloper Rob 
 Hart and advocates for affordable housing have described the project as an 
 opportunity for teachers, firefighters, nurses and other essential service 
 personnel to afford a home in the city where they work.\n\nBut neighbors 
 have repeatedly declared that eight homes is too many for the area. Their 
 arguments persuaded members of the Design Review Committee, which 
 recommended on April 5 that Hart downsize the project to six homes.\n\nHart 
 has argued that the state's affordable housing laws allow him to bypass 
 local regulations on the number of homes he can build. The Planning 
 Commission agreed, overturning the committee's decision on June 19.\n\nLast 
 week, Virginia Avenue resident Maureen Scheuenstuhl issued an appeal of the 
 Planning Commission decision on behalf of "concerned residents of 
 the\nAdvertisement\nVirginia Avenue neighborhood."\n\nIn the letter, 
 Scheuenstuhl objects to 10 aspects of the Virginia Grove proposal, 
 including the number of houses and other concessions state law allows Hart 
 regarding zoning and development requirements.\n\nThe letter also objects 
 to Hart's assertion that the city cannot impose requirements upon him that 
 would make it financially impossible for him to complete the 
 project.\n\nMost of the letter's objections address concessions allowed by 
 state law, making it difficult for the Planning Commission - or City 
 Council - to challenge them, said David Wallace, director of community 
 development.\n\n"The council can fully address these issues, as long as 
 they don't do anything that would preclude the construction of the 
 project," Wallace said.\n\nBut Scheuenstuhl said the city has not yet 
 determined what is allowed by state law.\n\n"The requirements of state law 
 are defined based on a lot of factors," Scheuenstuhl said. "I don't think 
 the city has looked clearly at the specifics of each and every 
 factor."\n\nIn addition, state law allows cities to vote down affordable 
 housing developments if they pose a threat to public safety. The neighbors' 
 appeal charges Virginia Grove with such a threat, saying the development 
 would build homes on contaminated soil and cause drainage problems for 
 adjoining properties.\n\n"Neighbors witnessed the spills," Scheuenstuhl 
 said, adding that the development site became a repository for diesel and 
 chemical spills decades ago. "The problem is that no one knows if the soil 
 is still toxic. It's never been professionally cleaned."\n\nHart says the 
 neighbors' concerns are baseless. "We have done thorough soils testing," 
 Hart said. "We did an environmental assessment, and the city accepted it. 
 It's obvious that this is just a campaign on the part of some people who 
 want to try to stop the project."\n\nIf the council agrees with the 
 neighbors, the city could ask Hart to conduct a soil study or clean up the 
 site, Wallace said, though he doubted such a request would derail the 
 project.\n\n"If it turns out that the project would have a health or safety 
 impact, the project can be denied," Wallace said. "However, if there is an 
 impact, the council could order the applicant to mitigate that impact, 
 rather than denying the project."\n\nYet even if the appeal fails, Hart 
 says it has already caused an expensive delay.\n\n"It seems like a waste of 
 time to me, though certainly it's their right to appeal," Hart said. "But 
 any delay hurts my ability to make this project affordable. We'd hoped to 
 be able to begin immediately. But now we're not able to do that, and every 
 delay costs me about $10,000 to $20,000 a month. Now, we won't be able to 
 begin until at least July 31, and that hurts."\n\n---\n\nHEARING ON 
 HOUSING\n\nThe City Council has planned a public hearing on the proposed 
 Virginia Grove development at 6:30 p.m. July 25. The meeting will be at 
 Novato Unified School District headquarters at 1015 Seventh St.\n\nRead 
 more Novato stories at the IJ's Novato page.\n\nContact Rob Rogers via 
 e-mail at rrogers@marinij.com\n\nfrom 
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/comcampusgreens/\n\nadd from \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/07/29/18437906.php
SUMMARY:Novato Planning Commission Hearing{Revised housing ordinance}new affordable housing change
LOCATION:Meeting end time is a guess\n\nNovato Unified School District headquarters 
 at 1015 Seventh St.
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/07/29/18437906.php
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