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"Letters" continued from page 7


to correct a zoning mistake made 50 years ago. Rezone R-1-8, in- crease the 6,000-sq.-ft. minimum to 8,000 sq. ft. Reduce the den- sity, reduce the traffic, reduce the environmental impact, reduce non-conformity, reduce every problem. And allow the 1,000- plus homeowners already here to keep their quality of life.


Dan Vinson Orange


Dear Editor: I am extremely concerned


about the new project being pro- posed by The New Home Com- pany to re-develop the Marywood campus in Orange. My property abuts the campus directly above it. I think my family and home will be one of the most impacted by the project. Although I am a property rights supporter, I am concerned with the on-site de- molition proposal, the lack of re- taining walls to support up-slope properties, the additional traffic, and the added noise and air pol- lution surely to be created by the project. I especially find it worri- some that the builder plans to use MSE retaining walls to support all of its homes to ensure that they do not slide downward, but does not provide that same security to the properties ABOVE the pro- posed home sites. New Homes wants to remove/lower 20 feet of earth, equating to thousands of cubic yards of material, and re- grade the area for building pads directly below my home. Why is the builder discriminating, and not using MSE retaining walls to protect ALL properties? I do believe that home sites are


the best option for the property, but the project must be done in


a way that least impacts the sur- rounding neighborhood.


Ryan Pribble Orange


Dear Editor: I live in Marywood Hills, a


community of about 1,200 homes in the City of Orange. And I’m concerned. My property value, my peace of mind, and my quiet rural neighborhood are threat- ened, so a Big Corporation can take a Big Profit and leave me, my neighbors, and my city to deal with the fallout of poor planning and execution of a new home tract. The New Home Company


will demolish and crush 102,000 square feet of existing buildings, plus asphalt parking lots, and use the crushed debris as supplemen- tal landfill. The massive equip- ment required to do this will do more than rattle a few windows. The existing Marywood site


has four distinct levels, includ- ing a massive hill that backs to, and supports, several houses. The builder plans to tear that hill down, but doesn’t want to invest in quality mechanical structural supporting walls to stabilize the property after it's regraded. The builder is appeasing the city by offering premium slope stabiliza- tion over two water tanks. But at the July 15 Design Review Com- mittee meeting, when I suggested the same technique be used to stabilize the slopes adjacent to existing homes, the builder’s rep protested that it was sufficient to merely grade the deeply disturbed earth at the minimum 2:1 ratio re- quired by code. But code is not meant to protect OLD homes from NEW trauma. The foun- dations will be destabilized after vibrations from heavy equipment have loosened the soil underneath them and the builder strips away the small mountain that kept them stable for years.


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Foothills Sentry The proposed site plan is so


dense with lots scaled so narrow, I doubt it’s possible to build an elegant looking home in the pro- posed 4,300-sq.-ft. size that will actually conform to city code. Two of the three proposed floor plans have five-plus bedrooms, which, per Orange Municipal Code, requires at least a three-car garage. However, the parcels are drawn too tight and narrow to ac- commodate that, so the builder is seeking a variance to permit tan- dem garages the width of a typi- cal two-car garage. I believe the builder’s real concern and moti- vation is maximizing the number of houses on the land. At the Design Review Commit-


tee meeting, the builder presented a beautiful “architectural street view” drawing with proportion- ately exaggerated spaces between three houses, with no dividing fences or gates. The houses ap- pear nearly the same width as height, creating a charming old- fashioned “box” appearance, but actual dimensions will be more like 30 feet tall and 50 feet wide. An observant committee member seemed skeptical of the accuracy of the drawing, but when she in- quired, the builder’s rep stated that “setbacks will be about 10 feet.” That must have been a slip of the tongue, because on most lots, the setback is only five feet, for a total of 10 feet between the walls of two separate houses. The builder will be here long


enough to achieve his purpose and will then move on. Those of us who are here for the long term will be left to deal with the conse- quences of any shortcuts or half- way measures that the city fails to catch and prevent. The fallout of any failure to require the builder to execute the best possible miti- gation of these challenges will haunt us all for years to come.


Terrie Warner Orange


A charter school that received


conditional approval from the Orange Unified School District Board of Trustees, but failed to get a final go-ahead on its amend- ed application, has appealed to the Orange County Department of Education. Oakland-based Unity Middle


College High School’s original application to OUSD was riddled with deficiencies that district staff deemed “would not be consis- tent with sound educational prac- tice.” Despite the poor execution of


its application, the board majority approved the charter school on the condition it would correct the document’s shortcomings. The board deferred its final approval until the deficiencies in the appli- cation were overcome. Unity


representatives sub-


sequently worked closely with district staff to rewrite the appli- cation. The revised version was presented to the board at its June meeting, but it took no action as


has revived its circle of knitters and crocheters who meet on Sat- urdays from 10 a.m. – noon in the church office at 1855 Orange- Olive Road. The ministry invites women from throughout the Or- ange community to join in – all


Tuesday, August 4, 2015


Ill-prepared charter school appeals to county


several trustees were absent. Unity, therefore, took its case


to the county department of edu- cation. It presented its applica- tion in July and expects a rul- ing sometime this month. If the county approves the charter, it will have no impact on OUSD. While charter schools are oper- ated independently, they remain the responsibility of the district that approves them. The autho- rizing district provides oversight to ensure the charter school is in compliance with all applicable laws and the terms of its charter. It must monitor the fiscal condi- tion of the school, make sure all required reports are filed, and, if the school’s charter is revoked, find alternate resources for dis- placed students. If the county approves Unity


Middle College High School, it takes on those responsibilities. Even if the school is located with- in OUSD’s boundaries, it will fall under county supervision, and not OUSD.


Join the needlework circle at Covenant Covenant Presbyterian Church


skill levels are welcome, includ- ing those who would like to learn. Current projects include plas-


tic sleeping mats for homeless people and yarn projects, such as hats or scarves for the homeless, the military, preemies and cancer patients, or lapghans for seniors.


Attention Retired Construction Engi- neers and other trades involved in the con- struction of the NAA/Boeing Airfields in Anaheim, Ca in the 1960s. Please call investigator Sherry Day at (734) 878-5236 or email sherry@sldinvestigations.com. I am looking for gentlemen that may have worked with our client.


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