LJCPA addresses administrative errors What many LJCPA trustees considered an honest mistake by miscommunication has led the planning group to re-evaluate its administrative procedures in filing an appeal when the president or other trustees are involved in the project at hand. After an appeal was never filed for construction on the property at 1912 Spindrift Drive — of which LJCPA president Tony Crisafi is the architect — the trustees took a closer look at what action should take place in a situation where the president is required to recuse himself from the room and is not allowed to file an appeal. “The city will not accept an appeal from the president when he is involved in the project,” said Vice President Rob Whittemore. “It has to be done some other way.” Whittemore suggested several options for the trustees to consider. One solution would be to charge certain trustees, starting with the vice president, secretary, then treasurer, to file the appeal, and in all cases the secretary would verify the appeal was filed. City representative Lesley Henegar advised the LJCPA to clean up the administrative record by rescinding all actions taken on the project and vote on the revised project. Several trustees questioned the procedure because the LJCPA’s decision would have no weight. “They’ve already got their permits, and we can’t give the city any more recommendations,” said trustee Devin Burstein. “They’re already permitted, so why would we go back to hear something, to what end?” Although treasurer Jim Fitzgerald commended the applicant for his “good faith” efforts in amending the project plans to meet the trustees’ concerns, he agreed that an LJCPA vote could be a dead end. “The record is the record. There’s nothing that we’re going to do tonight that is going to alter the outcome with respect to the permitting for the project,” he said. “I would like to acknowledge the applicant for volunteering to come back and make a presentation this evening, even though under the circumstances it wasn’t required.” Despite the concerns, the LJCPA voted to rescind all previous actions made on the project and voted to approve the amended plans as recommended by the city. Heneger informed trustees that any trustee, not only the president, may file an appeal for free and members of the public may file an appeal on a project for $100. Whittemore said the LJCPA will move forward with the city’s suggestions to ensure the honest mistake is impossible to repeat. Paseo del Ocaso residents don’t want ‘bully’ on the block Longtime Paseo del Ocaso residents Froeb Herman and Peggy Davis requested the LJCPA investigate how building permits at the Gatto residence, located at 8368 Paseo del Ocaso, were approved. Davis said the LJCPA, La Jolla Shores Permit Review Board and officers from the city approved the coastal development permit, site development permit and mitigated negative declaration in error. “This residence is a bully to the rest of the people on Paseo del Ocaso,” Herman said. Trustee Phil Merton said he did some investigation on the development project, and he agrees it is at odds with the La Jolla Shores PDO. Trustee Rob Whittemore suggested that some of the committees were misinformed. “It seems like some of the neighbors and even the committees may have been given misleading information, and I don’t know how we can just ignore that,” he said. Whittemore suggested forming a committee or putting the item on a future agenda to determine how the permits were approved. Neighbors eschew commercial creep on residential street The LJCPA urged the PDO Committee to review the Riford Center’s new design plans for conformance to the PDO following testimony by Bonair Street neighbors who said they want to preserve the character, charm and neighborly feel of their residential street by eliminating an “unnecessary” side entrance currently in the Riford Center’s reconstruction plans. After continuous pleas to the Riford Center’s board to relocate a proposed ADA-compliant handicap entrance from a side entrance on Bonair Street to the front entrance on La Jolla Boulevard, the board altered its plans to accommodate the neighbors’ requests. Still, Bonair Street neighbors are not satisfied with the new design plans. Although the ADA-compliant handicap entrance has been relocated from the side entrance to the front, accommodating neighbors’ requests, the plans still include a side entrance, which neighbors fear will cause commercial creep on their quiet street. “We strongly support the Riford senior center in its mission to serve seniors and we welcome the new decision to comply to the ADA and construct the ramp at the front of the building,” resident Tricia Kaye said. “But we are equally appalled that the Riford Center board is persistent in its pursuit of an unnecessary additional side entrance.” She urged the LJCPA to refer the item back to the PDO Committee for a review of the Riford Center’s revised plans. “We all want to see the Riford Center prosper, but not at the expense of the special character of this neighborhood,” said Fran Zimmerman, former 23-year resident of Bonair Street. Otras noticias • Trustee Phil Merton found sections of the city’s draft mitigated negative declaration of the Children’s Pool lifeguard station project to be at odds with the La Jolla Community Plan. He will draft a letter to the city for the LJCPA’s review at next month’s meeting. • Trustee Joe LaCava previewed the San Diego Canyonlands project — an effort to convert all open spaces in San Diego into a natural network of canyons, valleys and lakes, eliminate weeds and invasive plants and “celebrate what makes San Diego topography special.” One significant component to consider is whether to change the conversion from “open spaces” to “dedicated open spaces” — the latter of which would deem the land untouchable unless it is approved by a vote of the people. • The LJCPA voted to waive the summer moratorium for the summer of 2012 and 2013 to allow for uninterrupted construction of the new Children’s Pool lifeguard station. • The LJCPA voted unanimously to approve the amended plans for the Nooren residence on 8001 Calle de la Plata. • The LJCPA voted to approve a substantial conformance review for the Lundberg project — an addition to the residence on 7820 Lookout Drive — with a note for the record that there are code violations, including a visibility triangle impediment that must be fixed.