La Cañada City Council to consider easing rules for accessory dwelling units
The La Cañada Flintridge City Council will hold a series of public hearings Tuesday to gather feedback from residents and the public on a number of local issues.
The council’s regular meeting, which takes place at 6 p.m., will be preceded by another public hearing, held by the Los Angeles County Sanitation District No. 28 and scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in La Cañada City Hall.
All of the following meetings will take place in City Council chambers, located at 1327 Foothill Blvd., in La Cañada.
No expansion of businesses in city’s R-3 multifamily zone
Council members will be asked to adopt an ordinance that, in part, amends the city’s current zoning code to prohibit certain commercial businesses — operating in the R-3 multifamily zone, on the south side of the 1400 block of Foothill Blvd. and at 2160 Foothill Blvd. — from expanding, unless for the accommodation of disability-based laws.
Accessory dwelling unit regulations to be eased citywide
Another public hearing will be held regarding the adoption of an ordinance amending the city’s zoning code to decrease the regulation cost and time frame for approval of accessory dwelling units, including the conversion of residential garages into living spaces. The change in regulation comes in response to three state laws passed by Gov. Jerry Brown aimed to address housing issues throughout the state.
Temporary ban on the demolition of structures 50 years or older
Council members will also be asked to adopt an urgency ordinance establishing a 45-day moratorium on the issuance of any demolition permit for any structure 50 years or older within city limits, to take effect immediately.
The temporary ban on demolition is to take effect while the city’s Planning Commission continues to define the parameters of a new historic preservation ordinance.
Sewer charges discussed in special Sanitation District hearing Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
The regular meeting of the La Cañada City Council will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a special public hearing held by Los Angeles County Sanitation District No. 28, also in Council Chambers.
At that hearing, residents will be able to provide input on the district’s service charge report, which highlights the collection of a wastewater service charge as a separate line item on the property tax roll.
To levy such service charges over the past 20 years, parcels were divided into two groups: homes and businesses directly connected to the La Cañada Water Reclamation Plane (WRP) Outfall or Foothill Boulevard Main Trunk Sewers, or tributary to the La Cañada WRP (Group A); and homes and businesses within the city of La Cañada’s Sewer Assessment Districts (Group B). Both groups pay the same rate per sewage unit but until now, only Group A was responsible for the loans associated with the district’s sewer construction. Since the repayment of those loans is now complete, all parcels will now be charged at the same rate.
For 2017-18, the per sewer unit charge will be $138, increasing to $140 per sewer unit in 2018-19 and $142 in 2019-20. Any protest must be submitted in writing prior to the conclusion of the public hearing. The protest must identify a resident’s parcel by including the Assessor’s Identification Number (parcel number) and be signed by the owner.
For more information on the sewer service charge, call Los Angeles County Sanitation District staff at (855) 240-9506 anytime Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or visit www.lacsd.org.
To contact La Cañada City Hall, call (818) 790-8880 or visit www.lcf.ca.gov. For the agenda to Tuesday’s council meeting, click here.
Twitter: @SaraCardine
