Update #9: Officially A Nonprofit
To all new recipients of this update email string - although we are currently fighting this fight over potential high-density development in Silver Spur canyon (and thus our name “Neighborhood Voices of Silver Spur”) – what we are seeing there can happen in ANY neighborhood in Rancho Palos Verdes due to new California building initiatives and laws. WE ARE FIGHTING FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TOO, wherever you live in RPV.
Building permits
As of Monday, December 11, no plans have been submitted, building permits applied for, or builders remedy applications submitted for 5323 Ironwood (the 5 acre vacant lot in Silver Spur Canyon bought by developer Jha.) We are monitoring this weekly.
Legal action
Several of our neighbors who live on Silver Spur and whose backyards border on the vacant lot bought by Mr. Jha (who attempted to remove both fencing and retaining walls belonging to these neighbors without their consent), engaged an attorney who has written a Cease-and-Desist letter directed to Mr. Jha. Agreement about the actual property lines will have to occur.
In addition, since these neighbors have had their fencing on what they believe to be their property lines for decades, they are looking at their legal options with respect to continued use of the disputed property, even if it does belong to Mr. Jha (“prescriptive easement”). They have engaged several attorneys on this issue.
Work on the property
Since the Cease-and-Desist letter was issued, no further work on the vacant property has occurred. Since most work on the property requires a building permit, feel free to either call the city or to text me (310.977.7027) so it can be determined if appropriate permits were issued. We know specifically that if there is an attempt to remove a retaining wall that stands over 3 feet tall, a demolition permit is required.
City Council Meeting – 12/5
We had excellent attendance at the meeting, showing the strength in our numbers There was literally a “sea of red” as we asked those attendees from Neighborhood Voices of Silver Spur to wear red. The meeting was an important one, as one of the discussion items was our city’s “Housing Element“, which, until it is finished and approved by the state, allows developers to bypass zoning laws in our city using the “Builder’s Remedy” law. Our Housing Element remains unapproved at this time, and we need to continue to show our strong interest in having it finished in an expedited manner. If you have contact with anyone in the RPV city government, be sure to ask them “when is the Housing Element going to be finished!”
Organization
Neighborhood Voices of Silver Spur has filed paperwork to become a nonprofit corporation in anticipation of raising funds to pay for possible legal action as the fight over the canyon heats up.
How you can help
In addition to our City government, we need to put pressure on the State of California Office of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The City of Rancho Palos Verdes has submitted several city approved plans to HCD that HCD has rejected and sent back for revisions. Our city is working in good faith to meet the requirements of the state, but as long as HCD refuses to approve our plan, we are vulnerable to the “Builders Remedy” law which allows developers to put high-density developments pretty much anywhere they want, including in single-family residence neighborhoods.
We can put pressure on HCD by contacting our state elected representatives, and asking them to pressure HCD to declare our city’s Housing Element in “substantial compliance”. This can happen even before full approval of the plan takes place at the state level, and appears to shut the door on Builders Remedy developments. We residents (voters!) and our city should not be punished because a state bureaucracy (HCD) asks our city for ever increasing planning details and revisions before it spares us from the threat of altering our neighborhood fabric permanently.
Our representatives:
State Senator Ben Allen / Senate District 24
1021 O Street, Suite 6610
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4024
Senator.Allen@senate.CA.gov
State Assemblyman, Al Muratsuchi / Assembly District 66
Capitol Swing Space
1021 O Street, Suite 5610
Sacramento, CA 94249-0066
(916) 319-2066
Remember, when it comes to elected officials, the biggest impact you have is when you make a phone call. Next biggest is writing a letter. These are seen as much more serious indicators of concern by constituents. Next comes email, and then finally a cut-and-pasted boilerplate email. I encourage you to take five minutes and just make some calls. It’s actually the quickest way as well.
Important points to make:
-You reside in Senate District 24/Assembly District 66
-Explain that you are frustrated that the office of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has not yet declared Rancho Palos Verdes’ housing element in compliance, despite our city’s good faith effort to achieve compliance.
-Let them know you are afraid that the Builders Remedy law has the potential to destroy the serenity of your neighborhood, and you are mad about this.
-Ask them to have HCD declare us in “substantial compliance“ until such time as HCD approves our plan and declares the city in “full compliance“. This should stop developers from building out-of-place high-density developments in residential neighborhoods.
Only by working together, can we get the attention of our state government and protect the beautiful environment in which we live.
DONATE
Help us raise funds to get the word out and hire legal counsel to fight for the preservation of our neighborhoods.
Fundraiser by Aurora R : SAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD (gofundme.com)
