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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - 11BSalas, Diana From: Sent: To: Subject: Members of the City Council, Jeffrey Fertal <jeffrey.fertal@protonmail.com> Thursday, April 02, 2020 3:56 PM eComment Item 11-B Second Reading ADU Ordinance My name is Jeff Fertal, and I am a Santa Ana resident residing at 1801 N Bush Street, a single-family home listed on the Historic Registry and located in a Professional (P) zone. I am writing you today to in regards to the zoning ordinance amendment relating to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), specifically, to include the language relating to Professional (P) zoning districts in the amended ordinance, which reads, "Professional (P) zoning districts where properties are developed with a single-family residence," are permitted to build ADUs. This language is part of the current ADU Ordinance, but has been removed from the amended version. Two weeks ago, I was informed The City is updating its ADU Ordinance to comply with the State's expanded ADU laws, and in doing so, The City has removed (P) zones from the ordinance. This news came as a shock to me, as I spent months working with The City and City Council back in 2017/2018 to add this (P) zone language to the ADU Ordinance, and here we are, two years later, and all my efforts are being unraveled before I can begin construction. This is primarily due to a long and expensive list of code violations I inherited from the previous owners of my house, which The City has required I correct prior to issuing a building permit for an ADU. I have spent a great deal of time and money, beginning in May of 2018, working with The City to meet their demands and bring my home into good standing, all so I can construct an ADU, and now I feel as though the rug is being pulled out from under me. The reason I've been so adamant trying to convince The City to include this (P) zone language in its ADU ordinance is due to the fact that my mother-in-law suffers from multiple medical conditions which have made her unable to live on her own. She has sold her house in Connecticut and moved across the country to live with my wife and I, but the home we recently purchased has multiple sets of stairs and all our bedrooms are located on the second floor, making it very difficult for her to enter and leave our home, and causes significant pain to her legs and knees. Even the few steps going up the porch pose a hazard, as she has fallen on more than one occasion on these stairs alone. We would like to convert our existing garage into an ADU, and provide her with her own, private living quarters on ground level, eliminating her need to walk up and down stairs multiple times a day, as well as make her feel like less of a burden on our new and growing family, as she is still adjusting to her diminished independence. At the March 17a' Council Meeting, my father, Matt Fertal, spoke on my behalf to try and sway the Council to add this (P) zone language to the ordinance. Ultimately, after hearing from Executive Director Minh Thai, Council was assured there was a workaround to this problem, which involved changing the zoning of my property from Professional (P), to Residential (Rl), through the City's General Plan update, and via e-mail, Executive Director Thai introduced Planning Manager Vince Fregoso as the main point of contact to proceed. After spending two weeks attempting to contact Mr. Fregoso via telephone and e-mail, there has been absolutely no response, and I am left in a state of uncertainty whether this zone change is 1) actually possible, 2) what it involves, and 3) how long it will take before the General Plan is finalized. When I attempted to add this (P) zone language to the ordinance back in 2017, I was told the General Plan update was a solution then as well. Well, that was 2 %2 years ago and the General Plan is still unfinished. If I had taken the City's advice back then I would still be waiting around with no certainty I'd ever be able to build an ADU, and the City cannot give me an answer to when the General Plan will be finalized, nor can they guarantee that my property does in fact qualify for a rezoning, or what costs, if any, are involved. Due to the uncertainty of Executive Director Thai's proposal, and the urgency of my mother-in-law's health needs, I ask you to please reconsider adding the mentioned (P) zone language in the amended ADU Ordinance as an immediate solution to my issue, instead of keeping me and my family in limbo, left to wonder if and when we will ever be permitted to build an ADU. This language is fairly specific, and should have a minimum impact to the City's zoning, which as Executive Director Thai mentioned, can always be remedied through the City's General Plan update. Thank you all for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Jeff Fertal Sent with ProtonMail Secure Email.