The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 105, No. 15 - April 7, 2016 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.....................14 Classifieds............................4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Film Review..........................4 Legals............................ 11,12 Letters.......................... 2,6,14 Pets......................................13 Police Reports.....................6 Real Estate.....................7-10 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Boy Scout Troop 267 Wins Gold On Feb. 18, Boy Scout Troop 267 was awarded 3 Gold Awards (out of 3 awards offered) for Troop Excellence in 2015. Established in 1924, Troop 267 is the oldest Boy Scout Troop in the South Bay (ES, Manhattan Beach, Redondo, Hermosa). Photo by Ralf’s Photography. • City Council Takes First Step to Clean Up Residential Building Code By Brian Simon During its Tuesday night meeting, the El Segundo City Council directed staff to take steps to clarify confusing language and diagrams in the single family residential (R- 1) zone code, as well as simplify or possibly even eliminate modulation requirements. The action was in response to complaints that the City’s development standards that were adopted in 2006 discourage homeowners to build in town. Last month, Councilmember Marie Fellhauer with her colleagues’ support asked staff to compile data on the number of residences and major remodels/additions built in El Segundo over the past 10 years versus the decade prior to the 2006 code amendments that created stricter guidelines. Planning and Building Safety Director Sam Lee reported 70 such homes since 2006 as opposed to 109 from 1996-2006. Pointing to the 2007 housing market crash and recessionary period, he noted that the drop in local building coincided with similar reductions statewide. But looking at floor area ratio (FAR)—the maximum percentage square footage on a lot that a person can build on—Lee said El Segundo’s .53 mark is the least allowed compared to other nearby communities. He explained that the City had no FAR limitations before 2006 and showed photos of massive homes with FARs over .70 built just before the ordinance went into effect. The Council’s goal at the time, as was also the case in Manhattan Beach and in other cities, was to curb the impacts of mansionization. The process of revamping the code took a year and a half and included 11 public meetings. Fixing up the language and addressing modulation should only take a few months, Lee said, and would involve coordinating a community workshop to receive input before going to the Planning Commission for recommendations. Mayor Pro Tem Carl Jacobson suggested a joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting on the issue. Although “not a fan of modulation” per se, he hoped to retain elements of it in order to ensure residents don’t build walls that block out all their neighbors’ sunlight. Jacobson pointed to “people complaining they couldn’t get anything to grow in their yards.” While sympathetic about potential impacts, Fellhauer argued that modulation puts limits on the styles of homes that can be built in town and takes away from El Segundo’s uniqueness. She also called it a case of “government overstepping its bounds,” adding that “design is none of our business—it’s up to the property owner.” Lee earlier explained that there are six elements to the City’s modulation requirements that are understandable when read individually, but “a riddle when put together.” After the community and Planning Commission weigh in on the matter, it will go back to Council for a decision. Subsequent public meetings will then consider whether to change FAR. Councilmember Dave Atkinson recused himself from the discussion because he has a residential project in progress. Also on Tuesday, the Council agreed to extend a few deadlines related to completing the TopGolf due diligence lease agreement. These include allowing six months instead of 60 days to pull records in order to approve over 50 exceptions to the title report; six months instead of 60 days to work with Edison to complete negotiations to extend the licensing agreement for the power line easement that runs through the golf course and behind the driving range; 120 days instead of 60 to wrap up the review of CenterCal and TopGolf’s financial strength; and 135 days instead of 90 to submit CenterCal’s land use applications. Attorney Mark Hensley said these additional timelines won’t delay the project itself. At the behest of Mayor Suzanne Fuentes and to ensure the Council can take up the issue by the time of its summer strategic planning session, staff will look at the impacts of the changes to the City’s ambulance transport fee policy. The study will analyze both ambulance user stats as well as revenues. The Council also approved an updated Investment Policy—the first such change since 2011. City Treasurer Crista Binder summarized some of the new provisions, which include an annual policy update if there are any material changes; annual policy approval from the Investment Advisory Committee; continuing education requirements for Treasury staff at a minimum of five hours per year; investment tracking against a performance benchmark; and an updated questionnaire that brokers must complete before being added to the City’s authorized list. Most importantly, according to Binder, the policy further defines the permitted investments for the City and imposes restrictions for some categories as well as listing non-permitted investments. “We don’t want to be over-concentrated in a single asset,” Binder explained of the importance of diversification. In a consent agenda item pulled by Mayor Fuentes, the Council approved a contract with Excelsior Elevator to complete the long-awaited refurbishment of the Joslyn Center Elevator. Installed in 1980, it last underwent an update in 1997. While not a replacement, the elevator See City Council, page 12 Friday AM Showers 65˚/56˚ Saturday Showers 65˚/55˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 63˚/54˚
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