2018-10-04 Shapiro, Jody - Letter to Council1
From:shapiro.jody@gmail.com
Sent:Thursday, October 4, 2018 5:30 PM
To:Carlos Flores
Subject:Fwd: Morrow Ranch
Attachments:Morrow Ranch-Barn Letter to La Quinta 10-4-18.docx
Dear Mr. Flores,
I just discovered that the enclosed letter was sent to the wrong email address. Unfortunately my internet service has
been up and down (more down) all week.
I hope it isn’t too late for the Members of the City Council and you to see this.
Best regards,
Jody Shapiro
Jonathan D. (Jody) Shapiro
55‐525 Turnberry Way
La Quinta, CA 92253‐8720
Office: 760.564.2299
Cell: 818.292.1992
Fax: 760.564.9075
Begin forwarded message:
From: Jody Shapiro <shapiro.jody@gmail.com>
Date: October 4, 2018 at 1:53:59 PM PDT
To: cflores@laquintqca.gov, "<dmillshome@wrmcpas.com>" <dmillshome@wrmcpas.com>, Deborah
Brill <brilldeborah@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Morrow Ranch
Dear Mr. Flores,
Annette Chester‐Millman and I reside at 55‐525 Turnberry Way. Our home is within the Greg Norman
Community at PGA WEST, and just a few hundred feet from the proposed Party House.
Attached please find our letter requesting the City of La Quinta deny the application by Morrow Ranch.
Hopefully you are not receiving this too late. Our internet and phone service have been on & off for
more than 4 days.
We greatly appreciate you sharing our letter with Members of the City Council and anyone else you
believe should have a copy.
Thank you,
Annette Chester‐Millman & Jonathan D. (Jody) Shapiro
Jonathan D. (Jody) Shapiro
The Chase Foundation
2
Phone: 760.564.2299
Fax: 760.564.9075
Mobile: 818.292.1992
shapiro.jody@gmail.com
Annette Chester-Millman & Jonathan D. (Jody) Shapiro
55-525 Turnberry Way
La Quinta, CA 92253-8720
Phone: 760.564.2555 or 760.564.2299 Fax: 760.564.9075
Email: chester.annette@gmail.com & shapiro.jody@gmail.com
October 3, 2013
Re: Morrow Ranch Special Event Permit Application and Future Events
Via Email: eflores@laquintaca.gov (Please forward to the Members of the La Quinta
City Council)
Attention: Carlos Flores, City of La Quinta Associate Planner and
La Quinta City Council
We reside at the above address, which is inside "The Greg Norman Course", at PGA
West. Our street is just around the corner from the subject property, which places it a
few hundred feet away as the "crow flies". We face Monroe Street, and use the Exit
Gate at Australian Drive/Turnberry Way and Monroe Street to exit our property. Ninety-
nine percent (99%) of the time, we turn North towards Avenue 54, and pass the above
referenced property's driveway, within 15 seconds. More than half (1/2) the time, we
return to our home via Monroe Street, to the private Norman Course entrance on Airport
Road.
We understand the property located at 55075 Monroe Street (Morrow Ranch) has
applied for a special event permit to allow a maximum of 500 people to attend
weddings, corporate events and/or family retreats.
We strongly object to the special Event Permit, and any future permits for the
following reasons:
NOISE – We already hear Coachella Fest and Stagecoach which are much further
away. Our house will actually shake from the base guitars for hours some days/nights.
Griffin Ranch parties already keep us up for hours from the loud music, and that
property is almost 1 mile away. Because of the open areas, the sound bounces directly
to our home. Even with the doors and windows closed, and the Air Conditioner running,
it can feel like the band is next door some mornings (12:00AM - 2:00AM, and even
4:00AM on occasion).
Page 2
TRAFFIC – Access to the property is via the beginning of a double lane in front of the
driveway, and a single lane road heading North. It is not hard to visualize the traffic jam
when an event takes place.
In fact, we distinctly recall an Event held at this property during the 2016 or 2017
Coachella Fest weekend, during the day. The line of cars, dozens of people spilling onto
Monroe Street, and vehicles stopping dead in moving traffic, caused a continuing
dangerous situation.
Vehicles cannot legally turn Left exiting Morrow Ranch. That will send hundreds of
them, post partying, South on Monroe. We already have a major issue with the majority
of those exiting Monterra Estates making what should be an illegal U Turn at the
Turnberry Gate. Cars and commercial vehicles block our Exit, or worse, realize after
they start the U Turn that the opposite side is a single lane, and they cannot complete
the U Turn. One half (1/2) keep going onto the dirt shoulder, causing a dangerous dust
cloud for other drivers to avoid. The other half start the U Turn, then stop and back up to
finish it. This poses a tremendous risk for drivers in both directions, and those of us
attempting to Exit Australian Drive (Turnberry Way).
Monroe Street between Avenue 54 & Airport Road, especially after the South bound
side becomes 2 lanes, is already a racetrack to too many people. Mix any of the above
scenarios with a speeding vehicle, and you are inviting a serious accident.
LIGHTS – The lights on the barn are already a nuisance. An event will only aggravate
the problem. The sky lights up now with the festivals at the Polo Grounds.
SHORT TERM RENTALS – Our community is already burdened with too many short
term rentals. We can only tolerant so many strangers roaming around and degrading
our neighborhood.
VANDILISM/ROBBERIES & POTENTIAL DANGERS - There are many years during the
Festival season, that someone breaks the lock on the Turnberry Way pedestrian, "Exit
Only Gate" to Monroe Street. This is so they can return via a Gate which is accessible
for exits and emergencies only even for residents, for a reason. Turnberry Way is
isolated from the rest of the PGA West Community, and has miles of open fields across
from the Australian Drive/Monroe Gate. In the past, burglars have broken through to rob
cars and homes. Channeling hundreds, if not thousands of strangers to our back Gate,
places us at a much higher risk for the potential of something illegal happening.
Page 3
HISTORY OF THE BARN - Please review the original building application and hearing
for the 16 horse Barn. Just like the current owner of the Barn, they too snuck in an
application during the Summer months, when the majority of the Homeowners in the
area were away. We subsequently were told that when the original builder of the Barn
was asked by the City: "can it be seen from the street?", he responded "it's 1,200 feet
off the road". That was in reference to Monroe Street. He failed to mention Brown
Deer Park is only 20/25 feet from the Barn, and houses are less than 60 feet away.
Except for the caretakers for the horses, the original application also implied directly, or
indirectly, that no people would be living at the property. His wife would ride her horses,
and the special air units would control any fly or odor problem. That meant no loud
parties, or other things that do not belong adjacent to a residential community and golf
course, could or would be heard, seen, or smelled, to disturb anyone in the area.
We strongly urge the City to reject the current application. The owner booked the 3
(three) Events for the remaining of 2018 assuming they could sneak this past absentee
neighbors. Once the original 3 (three) are approved, Morrow Ranch will have a
precedent to refer to. Or in this case, "the horse will be out of the barn"! The proper
route would have clearly been to enquire about the conversion of the Barn to a Party
House with the City, enlisting comments from neighbors "in season". Instead, they
embarked on the project and started booking it out, disregarding the negative effect on
the surrounding neighbors and neighborhoods.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. We are available via the
phone numbers, or emails on the letterhead above.
Sincerely,
Annette Chester-Millman Jonathan D. (Jody) Shapiro