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2022-04-26 Callimanis Presentation 6 LQRRD to PC PHFrom: Alena Callimanis <acallimanis@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2022 1:55 PM To: Tania Flores; Cheri Flores Cc: Alena Callimanis Subject: Presentation number 6 - LQRRD Alena Callimanis April 26 Planning Commission Meeting Attachments: Alena Callimanis addressing General Plan issues.pdf ** EXTERNAL: This message originated outside of the City of La Quinta. Please use proper judgement and caution when opening attachments, clicking links or responding to requests for information. ** Here is presentation number 6, planning commission meeting on April 26, for Alena Callimanis. Thank you very much. Alena Callimanis Discussions on Findings Regarding General Plan and Zoning Alena Callimanis La Quinta Comments to Address these areas • Goal LU-1 Land use compatibility throughout the City. • Policy LU-1.2 All land use decisions shall be consistent with all applicable General Plan policies and programs and shall uphold the rights and needs of property owners as well as those of the general public. • Consistency: The General Plan Amendment is proposed to support the development of a master planned community, similar to other master planned communities in the City. Other such communities include Tourist Commercial components, including PGA West and SilverRock. The community will be private, will be surrounded by a perimeter wall, and proposes land uses that, as analyzed in the project Environmental ImpactReport (EIR), will not be visible or discernable from outside its boundaries. Response • None of these master planned communities have such a feature like the wave basin with 17 eighty foot lights . As the pictures in the prior presentation show, there is a direct direct line of site from houses in Trilogy, Andalusia, and the ones on 58th directly to the lights where before there were dark skies. Comments to address these areas • The application for the General Plan Amendment has been made in compliance with the City's procedures and requirements, by a private landowner. The General Plan Amendment, due to the nature of the private resort community described above, will not negatively affect the general public. • Goal LU-3 Safe and identifiable neighborhoods that provide a sense of place. • Consistency: The proposed General Plan Amendment will result in a master planned, free-standing community, consistent with the development which already exists in the area. Response • The existing developments that surround Coral Mountain Resort do not have a Tourist Commercial Component. It is not compatible with the surrounding area. You cannot broadly say Southwest La Quinta is compatible because Talus and PGA West are nearby. • 100% STVRs does not provide a sense of place or community. This is a transient area. Comments to address these areas • Goal LU-4 Maintenance and protection of existing neighborhoods. • Policy LU-4.1 Encourage compatible development adjacent to existing • neighborhoods and infrastructure. • Consistency: The proposed General Plan Amendment will result in residential densities of up to 4 units per acre, consistent with the land use designations applied to surrounding development. The project proposed for the site would result in a residential density of 2.6 units per acre, which is consistent with the developed projects in the area, including Centre Pointe, Trilogy, PGA West and Andalusia. Response • A development agreement is being used to make the low density residential area outside of the central tourist commercial Zone 100% STVRs. The surrounding residential areas are HOA 30 plus rental and not 100% STVRs • So while the density may be compatible, the land use is not Comments to address these areas • The inclusion of Tourist Commercial land in master planned communities in the City is not unusual, and is included at Centre Pointe, PGA West, SilverRock, Legacy Villas. Its location at the south- central portion of the site provides for a buffer from existing surrounding neighborhoods, and would be fully shielded from public view, or views from surrounding existing neighborhoods. As analyzed in the project EIR, the impacts associated with this land use are less than significant from the perspective of CEQA. Response • It is not shielded and the photos show that the lighting around the wave basin will cause aesthetic issues that cannot be mitigated • And what about Lisa Castro and the Cantera residents. Lisa has this and all the traffic from 60th around the wave pool along her house. • It is unbelievable you ignore a 30 year plus resident/widow who lived there when it was still a Thermal address Comments to address these areas • Consistency: The project designates areas set aside for recreational open space uses, as well as a water- based active recreational amenity that will provide recreational opportunities currently not available in the City. Response • Notice the words "not available in La Quinta". This is a private resort. A ski area is not available in La Quinta. It makes as much sense to do a ski resort here as a Surfing Basin 2 hours from the most beautiful surfing coastline in the world Comments to address these areas • The proposed project includes a Development Agreement which addresses the City's lack of property tax revenue in this area of the City, by requiring the payment of mitigation fees to offset the loss. Response • Build a residential community and charge a La Quinta Assessment Fee and you address both lack of revenue and the fact that a Wave basin is the wrong project in the middle of the desert in the middle of the worst drought in 1200 years.