BUENA PARK : Homeowner’s Plan to Split Lot Rejected

Saying it would ruin their “choice residential area,” homeowners in the exclusive Bellhurst section of the city persuaded the City Council to stop a fellow homeowner from building two houses on his property.

Nick Vande Steeg, a 12-year-resident of Bellhurst, appealed to the council to reverse a Planning Commission decision forbidding his splitting his 18,162-square-foot property into two sections.

Vande Steeg said that when he bought the home on Bonnie Brae Drive, it was his intention to eventually split the land and build another house.

“It was our dream,” he told the council.

Vande Steeg noted that the lots were large enough that the split parcels would comply with all City Code requirements for minimum lot size and street frontage.

“This petition does not seek a variance. How could you possibly deny it?” Vande Steeg asked.

However, responding to several complaints from residents, the council sided with them.

Several were on hand to speak against the project. Jim McCune, who lives next door to the Vande Steegs, presented a petition to the council bearing the names of more than 160 people who live in the area.

“We don’t want Bellhurst to become another crowded area of small homes,” said Jack King, who lives on Waverly Drive. “We want to preserve Bellhurst as a choice residential area. It (the lot split) would be unfair.”

In a 5-0 vote, the council rejected the appeal. Councilwoman Rhonda McCune, who lived in the area at one time, said that if the lot was split it would create a “negative impact.”

Mayor Don Griffin agreed, saying, “I think the character of the neighborhood would be impacted.”