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HomeMy WebLinkAboutALL PUBLIC COMMENTAfter a lifetime working as a Director at Redlands Community Hospital in Southern California it is my goal to move to Atascadero and build my dream home. I hope to live there the rest of my life. I have been a positive member in the community of Redlands for over 45 years working for the hospital and representing other organizations in town. Bac'aground: In speaking with the original land developer, Mr. David Arneson, he expressed to me that when he submitted the proposed building envelopes to the city for each of the six lots in development on Bosque Ct., he did so freehand and where he thought a house most logically should go considering ease of building them. Basically he picked the flattest spot. Since his original plan was for him and his son's to each build homes for themselves and sell for profit, the economics of selecting a building site was a factor in choosing the envelopes that were ultimately approved. Mr. Arneson readily admits that he never realized he needed to consider the possibility of future property owners and subsequent building desires (i.e., building a pool or a shop) or, as in my case, someone willing to build a bit more difficult home (in an area not quite as flat) in a desire to maximize the beauty of the property and minimize the loss of the natural oak trees. My Request: Following Mr. Arneson's original goal to choose a building area in the most economical location, he submitted, and the city approved a plan on lot 5 with the building envelope towards the front of the property, a flat area which included 5 oak trees that would require removal. In the attached site plan you will see: * An approximation of the original building envelope. * The specific home location I am wishing to build on * The modified envelope I am requesting yourapproval for, to accommodatethe proposed home Reasons Why the Modified Envelope is Beinier Praser!ation oT the Oah Trees: As stated in Mr. AlvareZs attached report, during one of last winter's storms, tree #11 (a very large oak) was uprooted and fell to the ground. Please note the report Mr. Alvarez provided states that my proposed project will require the removal of only 2 trees and it should be noted he is counting the fallen tree as one of those 2 trees. Also regarding the fallen tree, I believe when this took place, the owner at that time (Mr. Arneson) sent a photo to your office via email keeping you informed of what had occurred. When this tree fell naturally, it opened the possibilities for an improved building site, a bit more toward the back of the property but still quite farfrom the back neighbor. Building on this modified envelope will require the removal of only one single tree which is relatively small (tree 48, see photo) in comparison to, potentially removing 5 trees if the home were built within the current approved envelope (again, the second tree called for to be removed is the downed tree that fell last winter - see attached photo). mmsTpm P,O. '. � M, b. �m I am very hopeful the city will find my request reasonable. It is a better choice for the project, and preservation of the natural beauty of the property on lot 5. Since the home design plans are almost completed, shorty after such approval I will be applying fora permit using the same attached Arborist Report to build on the requested modified envelope location. Thank you for your consideration, Sincerely, Leif Erickson From: Sent: Monday, October 3, 2022 4:50 PM To: Planning Commission Public Comments Subject: Dog Breeding Kennel on Colorado I am writing to voice my opposition to the proposed dog breeding kennel on Colorado Road here in Atascadero. I am a resident of this street and feel this type of operation on a quiet residential street is not the place for a commercial dog breeding business. I support the 3 dog hobby breeder permit, but nothing more in a residential area. A commercial dog breeding operation is not suited in a residential area. To my knowledge there is no other operation of this type in a residential area of Atascadero, and I believe this would set a bad precedence for a number of reasons. Also to my knowledge this kennel is already built which to me begs the question, was this a case of "permission vs forgiveness"...I don't know. I hope the city will look at the negative impacts of this type of business in our area and come to the conclusion that this is not a good fit here where we live in Atascadero. Thank You. John Caudill ATTENTION: _ This email originated from outside the City's network. Use caution when opening links and attachments. OCT 4 2022 U From: Sent: Monday, October 3, 2022 7:46 AM To: Planning Commission Public Comments Subject: APN 045-441-829 OCT 3 2022 U5,C as -60? 0 COMMI LAITY DEVELOPMENT To the Planning Commission of Atascadero concerning the Lawrence commercial dog kennel located at 10875 Colorado Rd Atascadero CA John Fortney I will call this entitlement p im TM C P.�, In the last Planning Commission meeting (September 20) the realtor that arranged the purchase of the property located at 10875 Colorado Rd Atascadero CA on behalf of the Lawrences stated that they checked with the county and the county granted the hobby license to raise dogs and that was no problem. The realtor also stated that the property is now in much better condition than when they purchased it. Only Stevie Wonder and maybe a few neighbors would think it looks better than it appeared in the past now that more than 50% of the trees and plants are gone on the property. There are currently 2 or 3 dog pens, a 32 foot dog kennel, and a dog run in the front of the house. I would not call that pn improvement, and I don't think actually anybody else would either. Of course this was all a mistake as far as the Lawrences selecting this property to start a commercial dog kennel with poor advice apparently from everyone. I was told by more than one realtor that the proper way to purchase a property is to go to that property in the morning and park and observe, go at noon and park in observe, and you go in the evening and park and observe. Then watch what's going on in the neighborhood. Also the perspective home buyer should talk to the neighbors around the area where the house is to ask them their opinion of the neighborhood. Is it quiet, what do they think, and would it be a good house to purchase. Prospective buyers would have to disclose to the neighbors they were intending to start a puppy farm and selling dogs to make money. They are asking for ten dogs and 4 litters a year. You know that will end up being 30-40 dogs processed a year. I guarantee you that what every they say the numbers will be higher. Which brings me to my next point and discussing with people who've had dealings with millennials. I guess that their reality is quite often different than other people's realities, and their truth is more a truth in their mind as opposed to the truth in the real world. As I I have lived behind the Lawrences for the last year, I'm the person that has had to put up with the most and not in a good way. I am of course opposed to having a commercial dog kennel and especially a commercial dog kennel right in front of my property with all the smell, noise, and barking. To my knowledge, the city has not granted commercial dog kennels or large dog kennels in residential neighborhoods in Atascadero. I believe Barbara Sims, who lives behind me, summed it up best in every aspect of everything that is wrong with having a commercial dog kennel. I would like the unpermitted 32 foot long commercial dog kennel removed from the property, several of the fenced in dog run areas pens for the dogs, and the dog run in the front of the house removed. If they really wanted to improve the property they would landscape the property. If anyone has ever noticed or looked at the houses on Colorado Rd. they will know that the houses on the upper part have the nicest landscaping the nicest houses. If you are not sure what a nice house looks like may I suggest you look at Mike and Lu Marquez's house at the top of the street. In another Einstein moment today, Sunday the second of October, I watched Nick Lawrence driving a steel post, or trying to, into the ground between our two properties to erect a fence. That area happens to be all solid shale. As I try to convince him I think twice, that it would have been far better to leave the fence in place that I had spent thousands of dollars on and provided both of us privacy .He could have the fence because it was on his property. To put that fence up required me weeks of work and every post hole had to be jack hammered into the ground and the posts concreted into place. In their infinite wisdom they undid all that so now they will reconstruct a fence, and I will reconstruct a fence - all wasted time and money. I think in his proposal he was saying that a fence should be 5 foot high. Even at 6 foot high it will be completely worthless because the land drops down in that area and will accomplish nothing. In summary I asked realtors if this commercial dog business goes through how will this affect our properties. First of all you will have to disclose to the new buyers that there is a commercial dog kennel in the neighborhood. Realtors have told me that will reduce the value of our properties 10 to 20% . From the beginning the Lawrences wanted ten dogs and four litters a year. Why else would they have built a 33 foot dog kennel. They told all the residents on Colorado Rd that all they wanted was a hobby permit for their three pet dogs. No mention ever until now that they truly wanted a commercial dog breeding business with ten adult dogs and umpteen puppies and tried to sneak it by the neighbors. I ask the Planning Commission to deny the request for a conditional use permit of a commercial dog breeding kennel and keep our residential street just that - residential. Thank you, John Fortney ATTENTION: This email originated from outside the City's network. Use caution when opening links and attachments. From: Sent: Monday, October 3, 2022 5:24 PM To: Planning Commission Public Comments Subject: agenda item 2, Dog Kennel at 10875 Colorado Rd on APN 045-441-029 October 3, 2022 To the members of the Atascadero Planning Commision, I received a notice of a virtual public hearing re: a proposed project for a residential dog kennel at 10875 Colorado Road, Atascadero. I want to deny the project. I do not believe that a commercial dog breeding business with 5, 6 or possibly 10 dogs,4 months or older, plus their puppies is compatible with the residential neighborhood I live in even with CUP's. Who will be monitoring the complaints? My husband Paul and I have lived on Colorado Road for 41 years. I don't plan on living anywhere else for the remainder of my life. I have already felt some changes in the neighborhood in recent years with the introduction and operation of two short-term rentals on Colorado Road. By the way, I did not get any notification from the City of Atascadero regarding the introduction of the two Airbnb's. There are currently no rules that put a cap on how many short-term rentals there can be in the City of Atascadero, nor how many there can be on a city block. I shudder to think that there might be more someday on Colorado Road. I would only support a hobby kennel which means no more than 3 adult dogs and one or two litters a year Thank you for your attention to this matter Sincerely, Nancy Hyman ATTENTION: This email originated from outside the City's network. Use caution when opening links and attachments. REQ OCT 4 2022 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT From: kathryn mcabee Sent: Monday, September 26, 2022 6:15 PM To: Planning Commission Public Comments Subject: Colorado Dog Breeding/ Kennel USE22-0070/Lawrence/ Agenda Item 3, comment from concerned neighbor I understand this residential dog kennel to establish a hobby dog breeding kennel has not been resolved. I have read the packet that was reviewed for the meeting held Sept 20th, as well as the public comments. I would like to add mine. I am a neighbor concerned about the quantity of planned adult dogs and planned yearly litters for the reasons of noise control, valuation of our home, and lastly setting a precedent for a commercial business like this. To underscore this, When we were moving to the SLO region, I personally did not look at homes that had kennels or other potential risks for these reasons (noise/valuation of home). I am sorry to have missed the Sept 20 meeting - but was there any consideration in limiting the number of dogs to three? Limit breeding to one or two per year? Currently they have five adults and based on what I read this seemed ok. However, the complaint about the crying pups concerned me. I realize they have a plan to move the pups to another location on their property, but there is no guarantee that will take care of the issue. My only other concern is how this will be monitored. I suspect it will be up to the neighbors and this circles back to the bad vibes I got when reading the comments, pitting neighbor against neighbor. Please consider decreasing the number of adult dogs allowed, as well as less breeding as a compromise that would allow the hobby to go forward, and hopefully lessen the concerns of noise control, valuation of our homes, and setting a precedent for a commercial business. Else, my request is to not move forward with the planned kennel. Respectfully, Jim and Kathryn McAbee ATTENTION: This email originated from outside the City's network. Use caution when opening links and attachments. livenP. D, M la SEP 2 7 2022 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT From: Marilyn Peterson Sent: Monday, October 3, 2022 5:08 PM To: Planning Commission Public Comments Subject: Proposed project for residential dog kennel at 10875 Colorado Road To: Atascadero City Planning Commission RE: Agenda Item #2: CONTINUANCE OF CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR 10875 COLORADO ROAD The proposed project is the review of a conditional use permit for a private "kennel" which would operate as a private dog breeding business on APN 045- 441-029. The project qualifies for a Class 1 (CEQA Section §15301; Existing Facilities) exemption. I joined the video meeting on September 20 to share my concerns about allowing a residential dog kennel in our neighborhood. I will be unable to attend the next meeting on October 4th when this request will be voted on by our City Council Planning Commission, so I would like to put in writing my views on allowing the kennel in our residential neighborhood. As I said on the conference video, I don't think our neighborhood is the right place for a commercial dog kennel, as the noise would be disruptive and not what would be expected by most residents to live in this neighborhood, including myself. However, after hearing all of the comments in the September 20 meeting, I would like to state that I would be agreeable to allowing this permit with a change in conditions Instead of allowing 10 adult dogs at the property, I recommend you make a decision to allow 5 dogs for this property. The reason I would even consider allowing a kennel in our neighborhood is that: (1) it is my understanding that when this family was considering purchasing the property a year or so ago, the property owners were given the incorrect information from another city agency that they could indeed have a kennel , which had a significant impact on their decision. (2) They currently have 5 adult dogs on the property. I recommend the decision be made that they can keep 5 dogs on their property, so they don't need to get rid of any of their existing dogs. I know this is 2 dogs over the limit, but considering the mis-information they were given when they purchased the property, it seems like this could be a reasonable compromise. Marilyn Peterson Neighbor on San Diego Road ATTENTION: This email originated from outside the City's network. Use caution when opening links and attachments. OCT 4 2022 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT From: Barbara Sims Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 7:15 AM To: Subject: Attachments: Dear Planning Commissioners, Planning Commission Public Comments Agenda Item Number 2 Lawrence flyer.pdf OCT 4 2022 COMM UNITY DEVELOPMENT Nick and Chelsey Lawrence received a Hobby Breeder permit from Animal Services in June of this year. I requested the restrictions of a Hobby permit from Animal Control. I received the following answer: Hobby breeder permits in your area allow for no more than 3 dogs at any given address and are intended for no more than 1-2 litters per year. The Lawrences are already out of compliance with this permit as they own 5 dogs. Mrs. Lawrence canvassed the neighborhood handing out a flyer (see attached) promoting her "Hobby Dog Breeding Kennel." This led people to think her "hobby" would encompass just that, a hobby with no more than 3 dogs. I feel it was a bit deceptive as now we find out the Lawrences would like to have ten dogs and 4 litters per year. This "hobby" would now turn into a commercial dog breeding business and not just a nice little hobby. I spoke to many neighbors who received her flyer and did not know it was now ten dogs and four litters a year. I would like to address some of my concerns regarding a commercial dog breeding business being potentially located in a quiet residential neighborhood. I have a video with sound of ONE of the Lawrences' dogs barking, I can only imagine ten barking. It is a bark I heard two doors down from the Lawrences at my house. Mrs. Lawrence has referred to her breed of dog as "barkless and a quieter dog." She also stated in the prior Planning Commission meeting that they have a "quiet bark." I fear that with ten dogs this noise will become unbearable. People have stated they walk by the Lawrence house and do not hear barking. These folks enjoy a short walk past the front of the house. They do not live in close proximity. People have also commented that the curb appeal of the house is pleasant. All the barking and noise comes from behind this curb appeal and is heard by nearby residents. We have countless deer (bucks, does, and fawns) that constantly roam Colorado Rd. Today as I write this I count eleven deer lounging behind my house. Five deer passed in front of my car just the other day, ran across my neighbor's yard, and into the Lawrence yard causing dogs to bark. Mrs. Lawrence states a litter can range between 6 to 8 puppies. Add that to the ten adult dogs and you now have 16 to 18 dogs barking and whining at the same time. Mrs. Lawrence herself has referred to Colorado Rd as a "quiet, lovely neighborhood." A commercial dog breeding business has no place in this residential neighborhood. There is no precedence for this type of commercial business in a residential neighborhood in Atascadero. Our land values will be diminished by having this commercial business located here as home buyers looking a for a quiet residential street will now see it as a mixed use neighborhood and look elsewhere for their "quiet, lovely neighborhood." And why wouldn't they? Would you want to live next to ten adult dogs and 6 to 8 puppies making a ruckus? This would negatively impact the character of Colorado Rd. Mrs. Lawrence states her real estate agent pointed out this would be the perfect property for their breeding business. It might have been prudent for that agent to suggest they contact the city prior to purchase to see if this type of commercial business was allowed in the first place. It is clearly not the perfect property for this commercial breeding business as we are here tonight discussing all the negative impacts. I filed a code enforcement complaint on May 16 when Mr. Lawrence poured concrete for the kennel. It sat unaddressed until I contacted the city in July and asked when I might hear something about this complaint. All during this time Mr. Lawrence continued to build the kennels. Had this been addressed early on (the complaint form states 30 days) we might have avoided this predicament. Mr Lawrence knew from the beginning he wanted ten dogs, why else build a kennel large enough to house ten dogs. They claim these dogs are their "family pets." However, Mrs Lawrence stated she will rehouse dogs when the dog can no longer breed. This is a "family pet?" I just put down our dog of 15 1/2 years. That was family pet. Who is going to monitor this commercial kennel? In closing I would like to say I do support a hobby. However, a hobby according to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence's own flyer and Animal Services definition of a hobby permit is three dogs. I would not object to three dogs. I strongly urge the Planning Commission to deny this request for a commercial breeding permit. Thank you, Barbara Sims ATTENTION: This email originated from outside the City's network. Use caution when opening links and attachments. Hi Neighbors! We are the Lawrence family. Recently, you probably received a letter that matches the yellow one posted here from the City of Atascadero about an upcoming Virtual Public Hearing regarding my Hobby Dog Breeding Fennel. I would like to clarify that it is my sole intention to raise and breed my Rat Terriers. This is NOT (nor will ever be) a Dog Boarding facility. NOR is it my intention to create a barking nuisance to our lovely quiet neighborhood. A couple of the dogs have bark collars on as a training tool to teach them not to bark. We were fortunate to buy our home a year ago and have enjoyed meeting many new neighbors and making friends with many. We have complete respect and concern for noise with regards to our great little community. Once our fence is complete, we also plan on creating more curb appeal with shrubs and trees along the fence line. Please feel free to reach out to me should you wish to discuss any concerns. Please remember these aren't just our dogs, they are our family. Thank you so much for your time, Nick,_Ch.e.1s.ey,_T)dec,.znd._Ob-ase Lawrence. If you would like to provide a public comment, you can either do so on the live Zoom Meeting this Tuesday, September, 2V at 6pm, or through the city email ( c -comments atascadero.or ). In your email (Due by 12pm the day of the meeting), put the following text in the "subject line", Colorado Dog Breeding/ Kennel USE22-0070/ Lawrence/ Agenda Item 3, followed by your message of choice in the body. We appreciate the support. The Lawrence Family