Coronado Eagle, Volume 5, Number 43, 26 October 1994 — Just Not FAR Enough! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Just Not FAR Enough!

Dean Eckenroth

The issue of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and both planning process and city council involvement is not a new one, not something that came to the public eye suddenly. It has been an ongoing process since before 1986 at both planning and council levels of our government, always with public input. Those that support a lowering of the FAR and embrace this type of planning say that the process was complete, impartial and public driven; those in opposition say their input was ignored, this was pre-ordained, and should not have been done given the 1988 vote against lowering the FAR from .75. A brief recollection is offered; In 1986 the FAR was removed from a planning board process and brought before the city council and lowered to its present rate of .75; in 1987 an effort began to lower this percentage to .55 culminating in both planning board and city council embracing the lower number; a group of citizens responded by gathering signatures, placing this before the voters in the November 1988 election, and the lowering of the FAR was defeated in a “binding vote.” But just like the silver screen's Arnold Schwarzenegger, “it's back,” and just in time to become law before the election. An interesting comparison does exist between this ordinance and the Business Area Development Plan (BADP). Both have gone through years of public testimony. workshops, committees, meetings, input, comments, etc. But here (he similarity ends.

The BADP is a combination of public and private rights; the new ordinance containing the FAR concerns private property rights only; The BADP has not been embraced after going through an additional nine months of council and public hearings after being brought to council, even after publishing documents for public consumption; the ordinance containing the FAR passed council in two readings (once on the consent calendar). The BADP had never been put to a vote of the people of Coronado while a lowering of the FAR was defeated by popular vote in 1988. This new "FAR" ordinance needs more public recognition and exposure. The ordinance needs publishing, if need be, through the media then it should be distributed to everyone in Coronado. Those that participated in FAR testimony feel that comments were split much in the same way the 1988 vote was split. This is too close to call and too important to be left out of the hands of the voters of Coronado. The ordinance may need Coastal Commission interaction before passing, their position letter to the city is due this week. This could forestall passing, but I would assume the city and city attorney would suggest otherwise. This ordinance needs to be put on hold for more input and treated in a similar manner to the BADP by council for the protection of our rights. Too many people have stated to me their lack of understanding of this ordinance, of the FAR and its effect, to have this passed without a wider dissemination. As it is, many of us who own homes here will be deprived of plans we had for our homes as well as the ability to rebuild if our homes should be destroyed by fire. Many homes that exist in Coronado, that make Coronado s beautiful could not be replaced or rebuilt under this ordinance. Now, it's up to the city council.

One Man's Opinion