BUENA PARK : Council Moves to Check Development

To preserve what officials call “the unique nature of the Bellhurst area,” the City Council gave initial approval Monday to several measures designed to restrict development in the exclusive neighborhoods.

In a 4-0 vote, with Councilwoman Rhonda J. McCune not participating because of a potential conflict of interest, the council agreed to rezone portions of the area--where expensive homes overlook the golf course at the Los Coyotes Country Club--to allow for upgrading the required lot sizes from 8,000 square feet to as much as 16,000 square feet in some sections.

The council also changed the zoning to require deeper setbacks--the amount of space between any structure on a property and the property line.

The General Plan, which guides development, was also amended to accommodate the changes. It will now read, “The city should preserve this unique area by retaining the spacious lot sizes and parklike setting. . . .”

The action was prompted in part by a group of property owners in the Bellhurst section who wanted to squeeze more homes onto their land. One of the most recent cases occurred in June, when resident Nick Vande Steeg approached the council about dividing his 18,000-square-foot property on Bonnie Brae Drive.

After being rejected by the Planning Commission, Vande Steeg’s plan to build another home on his land was also rejected by the council.

An attorney for another property owner who applied to split his property several years ago accused the council on Monday of spot zoning.

“You are limiting the rights of certain people in order to benefit others,” said William Dennis, who is representing property owner L. Dean Wilson.

Mayor Don R. Griffin disagreed. “The city is not picking out property and spot zoning,” he said. “I feel the recommendations are appropriate.”

Despite the opposition, the majority of Bellhurst residents said they agreed with the new zoning and signed a petition to show their support.

“When we moved in we moved in because of” large lots and lawns, Sue Nelson, a resident of Waverly Circle, told the council. “We don’t mind the restrictions.”

The council is expected to give final approval to the zoning changes on Jan. 6.