City of Big Bear Lake Seeks Residents for Appointment to Planning Commission, DWP Board

Big Bear Lake, CA — The City of Big Bear Lake has two vacancies to fill—one on the Planning Commission, the other on the Department of Water and Power Board of Commissioners—on terms that extend through June 2013. The Planning Commission is a five-member body, appointed by City Council, and meets on first and third Wednesday afternoons to make recommendations to Council on matters related to growth and development, such as General Plan amendments, specific plans and zone changes, as well as addressing development applications, such as conditional use permits, plot plan reviews, subdivisions and condominium maps. For these efforts, current Commissioners Anne Zimmerman, Jim DeGroot, Craig Smith and David Caretto receive a $400 monthly stipend. The DWP Board of Commissioners–which presently includes Big Bear Lake residents Steve Foulkes, Fred Miller, Bill Giamarino and Robert Tarras, each of whom also receives a $400 monthly stipend–meets on the third Tuesday morning of each month. Responsibilities of DWP Commissioners include decisions related to water conservation, supply, generation, distribution and sale of water and related services. Full-time Big Bear Lake residents interested in serving on either commission must be registered voters, and complete an application, available either at the Big Bear Lake Civic Center (at 39707 Big Bear Boulevard) or online at citybigbearlake.com. The application deadline is Wednesday, July 21 at 5pm. The City Council will interview prospective candidates for appointment to the Planning Commission and DWP Board.
(For details on benefits for other elected and appointed office holders within the Big Bear Valley, visit our previously posted stories on the Airport District Board, the Bear Valley Community Healthcare District, Big Bear Lake City Council, Big Bear City Community Services District, and the Big Bear Municipal Water District. Trustees for the Bear Valley Unified School District received a $240 monthly stipend if all meetings were attended, based on California Education Code section 35120a5, though the school board eliminated their stipends in accepting the budget cuts of “Plan B” on June 23.)

Though Closures, Adjournments for Upcoming Holiday, Boulder Bay Park to Open for Fourth of July

Big Bear Valley, CA — In light of the upcoming holiday, some meetings will be adjourned and offices closed. The Big Bear Municipal Water District will not be holding their regular meeting this Thursday, and the Big Bear Lake Planning Commission will not be meeting on Wednesday the 7th. Offices for both the City of Big Bear Lake and the Big Bear City Community Services District will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day; with that, the CSD Board meeting has been adjourned for Monday as well. There is, however, one generally closed facility that will be open specifically for the holiday: the Boulder Bay Park at Big Bear Lake’s west end will be open for the Fourth of July weekend. At this week’s City Council meeting, City Manager Jeff Mathieu announced that Boulder Bay Park will be accessible, for a sneak preview early opening to include new landscaping and fishing dock, with a grand opening celebration of the lakeside park to be held in August.

Plans Grow, and Permits Approved, for Big Bear Valley Community Gardens Project

Big Bear Lake, CA — A community garden will soon be sprouting in Big Bear Lake, given the efforts of the grassroots group the Big Bear Valley Community Gardens Project and the recent permits approval from the Planning Commission. As a June 16 decision from the Commission will allow for the development of a garden at 42050 Fox Farm Road, on the nearly half acre of County property between CVS and Medical Arts Pharmacy, garden committee member Robbie Bos tells KBHR, “We are thrilled with this opportunity to move forward. As we see it, this will be our first community garden, with more to come in different locations throughout the Big Bear Valley.” The garden will allow for individuals, or groups, to have their own plots to grow produce. As outlined by Bos, “We’re going to have over 36 dual garden plots, so everyone who participates will have two 4’x12’ plots with raised beds, which will be ADA compliant. We’ll also have a three-stage compost pile, and a staging area to be used for weekly talks by gardening experts. Probably the most important thing is that we plan to have a raised water tank in the center of the garden, which will then gravity feed into the garden plots. The garden will also include a cute, little residential fence around the perimeter and, in the future, we’ll have a fruit tree grove and a storage shed. We are going to go full blast with everything we wanted to do.” The community garden plots will be available to all Big Bear Valley residents on a first-come, first-served basis, and Bos anticipates there will be a waiting list—but, again, the plan is to have this be the first of many community gardens. “People will be able to grow their own food,” he adds, “and if they want to donate to food banks, that would be terrific. We’ll also have some open garden areas that we will use to grow specifically for the local food banks and the community.” Plans are to begin construction of the garden this year, to allow for planting in 2011—and, in the meantime, likely a community art contest to come up with a sign for the garden. Those interested in participating in the efforts of the Big Bear Valley Community Gardens Project can call Robbie Bos for more information at 486-7676.

Though City Council Holds on Jeffries Road Apartment Complex Decision, Neighbors Voice Their Concerns During Public Hearing

Big Bear Lake, CA — At the onset of yesterday evening’s Big Bear Lake City Council meeting, it was announced to a packed Hofert Hall that the agenda item pertaining to the affordable apartment complex on Jeffries Road would be held until Council’s June 28 meeting. Though no action was to be taken, per a request from the developer National Core of Rancho Cucamonga, to hold for two weeks, neighbors of the project waited through a Forest Care presentation, City and Improvement Agency budget approvals, PowerPoints by city staff and other items, to address Council during the June 14 Public Hearing for the affordable housing project, which remained on the agenda. Eleven community members—from Linda Carpenter, owner of the adjacent Alpenhorn B&B, to 62-year resident Richard LeRoy to new resident Monica Kesslar, who closed escrow in the neighborhood just weeks ago—politely contested and questioned the proposed project, especially given traffic impacts as it is across the street from Big Bear Middle School, home to Big Bear’s only football field. Residents on Pennsylvania Avenue voiced concerns that, given the new affordable housing complex The Crossings on Knickerbocker, that they would be “sandwiched” between two affordable housing projects, thereby subject to increased traffic and likely reducing their home value, when it was yet unclear whether the City would need this many affordable housing units, particularly the over 50 units proposed for the nearly three-acre parcel on Jeffries, currently home to 12 cabins. The Jeffries Road and Pennsylvania Avenue residents pointed out that they were not against affordable housing in theory, but were not pleased with the three-story design proposal for the Jeffries project (especially as compared to the look of The Crossings), in addition to the loss of trees, the impact of density, and the threat of a potential 299 additional residents on an already bustling street. City Council’s Improvement Agency, chaired by Bill Jahn, was not in a position to comment on the project as, having earlier decided to hold the item, they did not have the most recent specifics from the Planning Commission’s June 2 decision. The Public Hearing on the affordable apartment complex, and Conditional Use Permit consideration, will be readdressed on June 28 and, as Jahn pointed out, “The [Improvement] Agency has not made any decision on this project, and don’t know that we will on the 28th.”

Department of Water and Power Goes Before City Council on June 14; Bill LaHaye Recognized, Standby Fee Continues, Board Vacancy Announced

Big Bear Lake, CA — Though the Department of Water and Power did not hold their regular monthly meeting this morning (due to lack of a quorum), the agency did take center stage a few times during last night’s Big Bear Lake City Council meeting. DWP General Manager Joel Dickson’s first trip to the podium on June 14 was to join Mayor Liz Harris in recognizing DWP’s Water Resource Manager Bill LaHaye for his five years of service, which also included a stint as acting General Manager prior to Dickson’s appointment in 2008. “When I first started,” Dickson told Council, “Bill was my main resource.” He went on to praise LaHaye for pursuing $5.2 million in federal grants for the DWP, adding, “Bill worked just tremendous hours, and now we have that money.” For his part, five-year employee LaHaye noted, “It’s certainly been very interesting and challenging, and I am glad to be here.”
The DWP stand-by charges were also reviewed by City Council, and the $53 fee (to maintain water infrastructure on as-yet-undeveloped properties) was unanimously approved. “It’s a modest charge,” per Dickson, “which is $53 on the property tax. This [vote] is simply re-establishing the existing fee that is in place. This fee is associated with the infrastructure requirements, rather than the water supply itself.” As added by Mayor Harris, “This fee has been the same for 20 years, so it’s not a big issue.”
City Council also authorized staff to advertise a vacancy on the DWP Board of Commissioners (prompted by Karen Dally’s move), as well as a vacancy on the Planning Commission (prompted by Rich Lambert’s move); though the City Council and DWP have placed a charter amendment on the November ballot, at present, appointees to the DWP Commission will still need to be residents of the City of Big Bear Lake.

Affordable Apartment Complex Project Goes Before City Council; School Board and Planning Commission Also Meet This Week

Big Bear Lake, CA — The proposed affordable apartment complex, slated for a nearly three-acre site on Jeffries Road across the street from Big Bear Middle School, once again goes before the City of Big Bear Lake; this round, the developer, National Core, Inc., goes before the City Council for conditional use permit approval, during this evening’s 5:30pm Council meeting in Hofert Hall. Other items to be addressed during this evening’s (June 14) City Council meeting include budget adoption, vacancies on both the DWP Board and the Planning Commission, and a presentation on Forest Care. The Planning Commission for the City of Big Bear Lake also meets this week, on Wednesday at 1:15pm, and also in Hofert Hall in the Big Bear Lake Civic Center. The June 16 meeting will address permit approval for the Big Bear Valley Community Gardens Project, potentially designated for 42050 Fox Farm Road, and a discussion item regarding design standards for signage within the City.
The school board for Bear Valley Unified School District also meets this week, with a special meeting planned for 12:15pm this afternoon (June 14), during which time tentative agreements with the two unions, BVEA and CSEA, are expected to be ratified.
The Board of Commissioners for the Department of Water and Power will not be meeting for their regular, monthly meeting tomorrow (Tuesday), due to lack of a quorum.

School Board, Planning Commission and MWD Directors Meet This Week; Airport Meeting Held for Next Wednesday

Big Bear Valley, CA — In addition to this afternoon’s (June 2) meeting of the Planning Commission of Big Bear Lake, which will focus solely on the affordable apartment complex on Jeffries Road, this week’s public meetings include this evening’s regular board meeting for the Bear Valley Unified School District. Budget cuts are not agendized for this evening’s meeting, scheduled for a 6:30pm open session at the school district offices on Moonridge Road and, though tentatively agreed upon in their April 28 meeting, the Board of Trustees will not be determining final budget cuts on June 4; no date has yet been scheduled for this decision, per BVUSD today. This evening’s BVUSD meeting will include employee recognition of those teachers and staff who have served the district for 20, 25, 30 years or more.
On Thursday, June 3, the Board of Directors for the Big Bear Municipal Water District meet for their regular meeting at 1pm, at the MWD offices on Lakeview Drive. Thursday afternoon’s meeting will allow for public comment on the proposed MWD budget for the upcoming fiscal year, as well as first reading of an ordinance pertaining to directors’ compensation.
The Board of Directors for the Big Bear Airport District, which generally convenes on the first Wednesday of the month, will instead meet on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 9.

Jeffries Road Apartment Complex Approval Goes Before Big Bear Lake Planning Commission Again; Public Hearing on June 2

Big Bear Lake, CA — Though no official action was taken on the proposed affordable apartment complex for Jeffries Road during last week’s Big Bear Lake Planning Commission meeting, the three of five Commissioners in attendance—VP Rich Lambert, Jim DeGroot and Craig Smith—did request project revisions from the developer National Core, Inc. Though the Planning Commission did move to continue the Public Hearing to their meeting of Wednesday, June 2, during which time the Conditional Use Permit will once again be considered, final contract approvals will still go before the City of Big Bear Lake’s City Council, which doubles as the Improvement Agency, the governing body that oversees the use of Redevelopment Funds which are designated for affordable workforce housing projects such as this. During the May 24 Council meeting, Jeffries Road neighbors contested many aspects of the project, slated to be built to the west of Big Bear Middle School. Of those concerns, the following revisions were issued to National Core by the Planning Commission during the May 26 meeting: save more trees, utilize less parking and move from the west side of almost three-acre parcel (which would otherwise back to Alpenhorn B&B), lower outdoor lighting to make it both dimmer and closer to ground, reduce apartment units from 59 to 53, construct sidewalk, curb and gutter from properties in Jeffries 500 block north to Big Bear Boulevard, and utilize a more mountain aesthetic in the architectural design. Despite all these revision requests forwarded by the Commission, others suggested by Council—including a reduction from three-stories to two, and conforming to the zoned 12 units per acre, making roughly 36 (rather than 53)—have not yet been incorporated into the apartment complex plan. Though, once again, the project goes before Council before moving forward, there will first be a continued Public Hearing item before the Planning Commission on June 2 at 1:15pm in Hofert Hall in the Big Bear Lake Civic Center.

City Council Forwards Community Input on Affordable Apartment Complex to Planning Commission for Wednesday Vote

Big Bear Lake, CA — The bulk of last night’s meeting of the City Council of Big Bear Lake was focused on a discussion item pertaining to the proposed affordable apartment complex on Jeffries Road, the contract for which the City Council’s Improvement Agency approved in February; the developer of the project, National CORE, held a community meeting in Big Bear on May 8, to solicit input on the project, which was potentially slated to include 59 units on three acres across the street from Big Bear Middle School. Neighbors to the project voiced their protests to Council during the May 24 meeting, citing issues of density and noise, in addition to concerns related to the removal of trees on the 81,000 square foot space. Entering into the meeting, National CORE had reduced their proposal, to instead build 53 units and expand upon the community center for the project. In doing so, this could reduce the overall number of parking spaces, which was another concern of neighbors. As the City Council was not slated to take action on this item, they have directed the Planning Commission to address these issues (including an assessment of parking spaces needed) in their Wednesday meeting, when the project goes before them for a vote on the Conditional Use Permit. As pointed out by members of Council, the City of Big Bear Lake does have more leverage on this project, as it falls under the Improvement Agency and use of Redevelopment funds, specifically designated to provide for affordable housing for the City’s workforce. The Planning Commission reviews the project, and associated permits, in their Wednesday meeting at 1:15pm in Hofert Hall.

Planning Commission Approves Two of Three Items in May Meeting; Affordable Apartment Complex to Be Reviewed on the 26th

Big Bear Lake, CA — The JazzTrax Festival returns to Big Bear Lake, starting June 18 at the Marina Resort, given permit approval issued by the Planning Commission in their meeting of May 5. The Commission, led by Chairman Anne Zimmerman, also granted approval for an addition to Blauer’s Ski and Board Shop, located at 41177 Big Bear Boulevard; the existing 5,880 square foot building will be expanded by 1,700 square feet, and will include a second story for storage and office space. The Planning Commission also discussed the demolition of 12 existing cabins, on Jeffries Road across the street from Big Bear Middle School, to accommodate a 59-unit affordable apartment complex, the contract for which had been approved by the City Council’s Improvement Agency in February. This workshop/discussion item will receive additional review during the May 26 meeting of the Planning Commission. As noted last week, National CORE, the developer of the affordable apartment complex, held a community forum on May 8; community input and recommendations on the project will be incorporated into a presentation before the Planning Commission on May 26, though action may be held until the June 2 meeting.

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