No free pass for developers

The final public workshop for Calabasas General Plan update was held on Aug. 16. The goal of the well-attended workshop was to get input from the community on a draft land use map.

The city's consultant began by saying that the current General Plan is a good one, requiring few changes, yet parts of their presentation suggested otherwise.

The current General Plan is called "a performance standardsbased plan," which means that larger undeveloped parcels start with a minimum allowable housing density. Only if a developer demonstrates compliance with specific performance standards such as hillside development, air quality, scenic resources, seismic and geological hazards and others, can the maximum density be granted.

In the mountains it's all about density. For example, in the larger parcel Hillside/Mountainous (HM) zone, under the current General Plan, the permitted density is one residence per 40 acres. Only if a developer can show that all the performance standards are met, may the density be increased to one per 10 acres.

What is now being suggested is changing to a "policy-based plan" which would start with the maximum density, and based on the city staff (not the developer) making findings which could reduce the density to a minimum.

This type of policybased general plan, which most urbanized cities use, would provide greater certainty for the developers. Developers like certainty, and if adopted would represent a 180 degree shift from the current General Plan. One wonders where these suggested major revisions are coming from?

According to experienced city planners, performancebased general plans retain power with the City Council, and policy-based plans give power to the staff. Cities that desire to protect community character, values and the environment, adopt performance standard-based plans, for obvious reasons.

The more we become like other cities- greater density and less open space- the lower our property values and quality of life. Is this what Calabasas residents really want? Toby Keeler Calabasas