Page 2 "OUSD" continued from page 1


lems, and that once the centrally located parcel is gone, the district would never be able to replace it. The board’s selection of a can-


didate to fill Singer’s seat does not need to be unanimous. A simple majority vote will suf- fice. The application/nomina- tion period closed Aug. 28, with candidate information sheets due Sept. 4. District staff will work with legal counsel to determine which applicants meet eligibility requirements; their names will be announced at the Sept. 10 board meeting. Trustees will interview candidates beginning the week of Sept. 14, and intend to make a se- lection by Sept. 29. Once the pro- visional appointee is announced, voters have 30 days to override the board’s decision and call for a special election, which the district would also have to pay for.


Public consciousness Some OUSD constituents have


already indicated that if trust- ees select a “political” appointee who represents the best interests of the board majority, rather than a “neutral” candidate willing to serve on behalf of the district’s students, parents and teachers, a special election will be pursued. To force an election, petitioners must gather about 1,600 signa- tures from eligible voters. After the signatures are verified by the county registrar of voters, the de- partment of education must hold an election within 90 days. Before the board began its dis- cussion of how to fill the empty seat, Kathy Moffatt took a few minutes to praise the person who had sat there. “Diane Singer was all about quality teaching and learning,” she said. “Every deci- sion she made was based on that.” Moffatt also cited Singer’s cour- age, integrity and ability to get things done. “She was my men- tor. I learned a lot from her.” “It is a great honor to serve the children and families of OUSD,” Singer wrote in her resignation letter. “It has been my privilege to serve with the best teaching and classified staff in Orange County. Our children are lucky to be in such safe, capable hands.” She also plans to keep at least one hand in the district, pledging her support to the “relentless pursuit of much-needed new funding for all OUSD schools.”


Preserve a


legacy at the Hart Park bandshell


Are you looking to leave your


legacy, or that of a loved one in the City of Orange? Here’s your chance. The city’s community services department will be replacing and expanding the dance floor area in front of the historic Hart Park band shell. You can stake your claim to a part of history by purchasing one of the engraved commemorative bricks that will be used to pave the new dance floor and walking path. The bricks are $100 each, measure 4x8 inches, and may carry only names; tributes and logos will not be allowed. Paperwork is due Mon., Dec. 17; the bricks will be installed in 2016. Interested parties should con-


tact Orange Community Services at (714) 744-7274 for informa- tion.


Foothills Sentry


Tuesday, September 1, 2015


Marywood project passes design review; homeowners feel slighted


By Tina Richards The Design Review Committee


(DRC) for the City of Orange ap- proved the architecture and land- scaping plans for the proposed New Home Company’s Mary- wood development at a public hearing, Aug. 19. Homeowners whose properties


are close to the 40-unit develop- ment, slated to be built atop Vil- lareal Drive at the site of the for- mer Marywood Catholic School, crowded the meeting room. They came with notes, maps, and docu- ments, prepared to express their concerns about the negative im- pacts the project's traffic, density, grading and excavating will have on their community. Many public speakers were cut


short, however, because those issues are beyond the scope of the DRC. Committee members listened to residents’ arguments against tandem garages, predic- tions of too little parking, worries about dust and noise generated by a 13-hour-per-day excavating


schedule, and perceptions that retaining walls were insufficient, but Chair Carolyn Fox repeatedly advised the audience that those is- sues were “beyond our purview.”


Outfall over infill Fox did, however, ask for clari-


fication from City Planner Rob- ert Garcia, when homeowners charged that the project should fall within city guidelines for “in- fill” development, but it appeared that it hadn’t. Meeting attend- ees reported that infill guidelines should be followed because the project was being built in a pocket surrounded by an existing neigh- borhood. That, resident Michael Lebeau pointed out, was the defi- nition of “infill development.” Garcia explained that those guidelines applied only to small- scale subdivisions of four houses or less, and that the city did not consider this 40-unit project to be “infill.” LeBeau questioned city staff’s decision, noting the lan- guage he had seen regarding infill development referred simply to


single family dwellings. Robert told him he’d have to take it up with the city attorney. Residents raised the issue be-


cause developments considered “infill” must “conform to sur- rounding structures” and those new communities cannot be gat- ed. Some Marywood neighbors find the proposed houses to be too big for the lots, and they are of- fended that a gate is in the offing. Lebeau confronted a New Home architect who had emphasized the project’s “walkability.”


for grading will be the same, al- though some Saturday hours may be necessary. Carlson points out that the company’s decision to keep the concrete, asphalt and stone from demolished structures on the site and use them as fill material was made to minimize impacts on the neighborhood. “We recognize construction will be disruptive,” he said.


“So we’re using a sin- “Why


don’t you open it up so we can all enjoy it?” he asked.


Less dust to settle While the gate remains an open


issue, New Homes consultant Pe- ter Carlson reports that the compa- ny is doing its best to address the neighbors’ concerns. “We want to be a good neighbor,” he said. “We’ve modified construction


hours from what the city ordi- nance allows to a self-imposed re- striction of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.” Hours


gle 300 horsepower diesel motor to crush the material, rather than taking 950 truck trips to haul it away. And it would take another 400 truck trips to bring in more fill material.” The DRC will recommend ap-


proval of the project to the plan- ning commission. It has retained jurisdiction over several small de- sign details that it wants to review again before New Homes pulls building permits. Marywood neighbors contin-


ue to organize their objections, which they plan to present to the planning commission when that public hearing is scheduled.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24