Project Opposed by Fire Dept., Activists

The Los Angeles County Fire Department and neighborhood activists are protesting the Carson Planning Commission’s approval of a single-family home development on the edge of the Cal State Dominguez Hills campus.

Design changes that increased the density of the proposed project by nearly 30% and reduced the width of the streets have sparked opposition to the Lewis Homes development on vacant land north and east of Avalon Boulevard and University Drive.

Fire officials, city planners, traffic engineers, and a small group of neighborhood residents argue the narrower streets could pose a hazard by impeding access by fire trucks in an emergency.

Despite the objections, planning commissioners voted 5 to 3 last week to approve the 132-unit development of 4- and 5-bedroom homes priced from $180,000 to $230,000. The commission also granted four variances to allow smaller lots, reduced garage and front yard setbacks, and private rather than public streets in the development.

Letter of Protest

After the vote, the County Fire Department, which provides fire protection in Carson, sent a letter to the city restating the concerns about the narrow streets that a fire official had voiced at a public hearing on Dec. 13.

But the approval will stand unless it is appealed to the Carson City Council by Wednesday. No appeal had been filed as of Friday.

Councilwoman Sylvia Muise, who lives in the area and has been active in previous battles over development of the property, said she has “some concern about the project” but has not decided whether to appeal the Planning Commission decision.

Fire Capt. Les Lackerman told the commission at the Dec. 13 hearing that county regulations require that streets in a such a subdivision be at least 36 feet wide, with two 10-foot traffic lanes, and two 8-foot parking lanes. If there is less than 20 feet available for traffic, one fire engine cannot pass another.

28-Foot Streets

The project provides for streets that would be 28 feet wide, enough room for two 10-foot traffic lanes and an 8-foot parking lane on only one side of the street. Cul-de-sacs to some units would be 26 feet wide.

But Fire Department experience has shown that in such dense developments, residents and their guests often park on both sides of the street, despite parking restrictions. “It’s something that we know has been a problem in the past and will be a problem in the future,” said Fire Department Inspector Bruce Mitchell.

Assistant Fire Chief James Daleo said the parking restrictions on private streets like those planned here are “almost unenforceable” because of the number of violations that occur. He said despite objections from county fire officials, the city, not the county, will have the final word on the project.

Jerry Bryan, vice president of Lewis Homes, defended the project, but he said Lewis Homes would be willing to change the design to provide for 36-foot-wide streets if the city is willing to allow a further reduction in lot sizes.

Surprised by Opposition

“If they feel more secure with 36 (feet), and I can do it . . . it sounds like a perfect solution,” Bryan said.

The recent opposition surprised Bryan, who said he showed the revised plans to four City Council members and no one objected.

Bryan also said he met with neighborhood residents three times at Muise’s suggestion. “We didn’t want to get engaged in a raging controversy,” he said. “When I talked to her she said it’s real important that you talk to the neighbors. . . . Everyone seemed to like it.”

Carson planners joined fire officials in objecting to narrow street and driveway design saying it would not be possible to maintain 2-way traffic and allow curb-side parking on both sides of the street.

Advice Not Heeded

“We were concerned about the roadways,” said Planning Director Pat Brown.

But the advice was not heeded by the commission.

Planning Commission Chairman Frank Gutierrez said he is satisfied that there would be 20 feet available for through traffic, assuming that residents heeded the restrictions and parked only on one side of the street. But Gutierrez acknowledged that he did not know how the parking restrictions would be enforced since the streets inside the development will be private rather than public.

Gutierrez said the project generated the least opposition of the various developments proposed for the 17.4-acre property in the last four years. “I think it will be a good project for Carson,” he said.

A plan by another developer for a far denser 400-unit multifamily development on the site was rejected on appeal to the City Council in July, 1987. There were four hours of impassioned speeches by opponents who wanted to preserve the single-family character of the north Carson neighborhood. The development is just south of the college and east of the intersection of the San Diego and Harbor Freeways.

Crime, Traffic Feared

“We defeated it because it would only bring in more crime, more noise, more traffic,” said community activist April Gipson.

Gipson and other activists in the area were pleased late last year when Lewis Homes won city approval to build 102 single-family homes on the property, which is owned by Shearson American Express.

That project met city standards and required no variances. But Lewis Homes never took out building permits and later changed the plans to increase the density from 102 to 132 units.

“All of a sudden everything has changed,” Gipson said. “ . . . The greed factor just overtook the whole situation.”

She complained that the new project is too dense and contains narrow streets without adequate parking or sidewalks.

Bryan said Lewis Homes originally planned to sell smaller homes priced from $125,000 to $135,000 but “couldn’t make it work at 102 units.”

He would not discuss profit figures, but said it was necessary to spread the approximate $4-million cost of the land over more units.

“We came up with a totally different design,” Bryan said.

The project was redesigned to include a gated entry that would eliminate the potential for traffic cutting through the development. Bryan said marketing studies also found a need for more expensive housing in Carson.

Lewis Homes was granted variances from the city code to allow lots of 4,400 square feet or less instead of 5,000 square feet, reduced front yard and garage setbacks, and private rather than public streets.