HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCOTT COUCHMAN (ITEM 11) Tustin City Council. The issue of the proposed General Plan change at 1042 San Juan is clear, will the City
Council adhere to and implement the Tustin General Plan. This property maintains a key element of the
Tustin General Plan as it relates to the neighborhood surrounding Tustin High School. A comprehensive,
guiding document that was well researched, planned, community reviewed, and approved. The Council is
encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to implement the General Plan and reject the request to chip
away and defeat it!
First, nowhere in the 400+ page Planning Department Report, does it say anything remotely like, "the
residents of Tustin would be better served if the Community Commercial designation in the Tustin General
Plan for the property at 1042 San Juan were revised to Residential for the following 5 reasons:". Actually, the
Report never gives any reasons why the General Plan should be revised, except a backwards idea to make it
consistent with the current zoning. At the Planning Commission meeting where the Design Review and
General Plan changes were approved, only the current zoning of the parcels across the street were used as
some kind of illogical explanation. This is a textbook case of the tail wagging the dog. The General Plan is
intended to be the guiding document, and the zoning should conform to the plan. If anything should change,
it should be the Zone designation.
Second, at the Planning Commission meeting on February 9, 336 PM Wed Feb3 1965°/
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2021, I challenged the proposed change to the General Plan. HDR
I identified 11 parcels between Andrew Street and Bonita, all DCCSP
adjoining the DCCSP like 1042 San Juan, that share the ® �LLLLI
Community Commercial designation (see highlights on q�
General Plan map dated February 3, 2021). Every one of the CMA MAIN �
four streets Andrew/San Juan/Walnut/Bonita all have parcels o°
designated for Community Commercial. San Juan Street HDR MD R
actually has parcels on both sides of the street. This is a
deliberate, consistent, use of Community Commercial all 6�yq
alongthe . s might e a buffer between "
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Residential and the DCCSP or Community Commercial is ���
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under represented. Regardless, the General Plan is clear that
1042 San Juan, along with the other 10 parcels, provide anQ4�
overwhelming positive benefit to the City of Tustin as
Community Commercial, and should remain as designated. RHASP
Third, how often do you get the opportunity to actually
implement the General Plan in an in-fill area? The double lot �
at 1042 San Juan is totally vacant except for a vintage 1909 F<�
residence with historic value. The vast majority of the RHASP
property was cleared (see the Google Maps satellite view ��
highlighted in yellow) after the property owner was
forced to tear down an illegal, un-permited, shanty- Vex
town style duplex (See page 185 of the Planning
Department Staff Report). This would seem to be an
ideal opportunity to implement the General Plan with
a clearly desirable Community Commercial use.
Fourth, if you look closely at the Google Map view
insert, apparently the 1042 location has been used 1042 San Juan St
,0425an Juan St,Tustin,CA 92780
recently for a commercial type use called "Feel
Good Chairs". This suggests a use history of the OVERVIEW PHOTOS ? f
property that could be consistent with Community
Commercial.
DIRECTIONS START SAYE LABEL v
Unfortunately, even though the property is clearly At this address \I
earmarked for Community Commercial, the property
owner was allowed to recently build a new E �.
residential-style garage on the site. Without a e'
Feel Good Chairs
General Plan revision, a residential-style garage nrure=rPre
1 ,
Nearby Stations }
would have little or no use in a Community Commercial area. It would seem to be more appropriate for
residential use. It appears the Planning Department usurped the City Council's sole authority to implement a
yet to be approved revision to the General Plan from Community Commercial to Residential.
Summary -There was absolutely no justification in the 400+ page report that identifies any benefit to the
citizens of Tustin for changing the General Plan designation from Community Commercial to Residential. A
new property owner's whim, should not justify revising a well thought out, comprehensive, community
involved, guiding document. The existing General Plan should be implemented. This property provides 1) a
rare, unusual, and desirable opportunity to actually implement the General Plan, 2) corrects an apparent
oversight by the Planning Department, and 3) could continue the apparent existing "Feel Good Chairs"
commercial use of the property.
Support the countless hours that went into the development of the City of Tustin General Plan. Deny a
property owner's whim for an alternate unplanned use. Implement the Tustin General Plan. Reject this
attempt to pick away at a key element of the General Plan. Thank you for your support!
Scott Couchman