A development of 49 affordable homes on Santa Maria Way was approved Tuesday by the Santa Maria City Council on votes of 3-2 and 4-1, with the size of some of the lots the issue in the dissenting votes.
Mayor Alice Patino and Councilman Mike Cordero voted “no” on approval of the tentative tract map, and Cordero repeated his “no” vote on the planned development permit for the People’s Self-Help Housing Corp. Skylight Homes project.
“Personally, I don’t want to support a smaller lot size,” Patino said, and Cordero echoed her statement.
Patino asked Sheryl Flores, People’s Self-Help vice president for home ownership, why the corporation wanted smaller lots, Flores said it was to keep them affordable, because the land constitutes the biggest cost for a home.
The smallest lots in the subdivision will be 5,000 square feet, but the smallest allowed in the R-1 zone is 6,000 square feet, said Frank Albro, principal planner in the city’s Planning Division.
But he noted the average lot size would be 5,750 square feet, while the largest lots would be 9,000 square feet. In addition, he said all the setbacks meet the R-1 standards.
When Councilwoman Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez asked what eliminating the smaller lot sizes would do to the project, Albro guessed it might mean the loss of four lots and would require redesigning the project.
Three people who spoke during public comment and one who submitted a letter expressed concerns about the locked emergency access gate on the north side of the property, where a pedestrian gate had been proposed but strongly objected to by the neighbors.
In its unanimous recommendation for council approval, the Planning Commission had conditioned the project on removing the pedestrian gate.
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But the speakers also said they were concerned the development wouldn’t have enough parking, the chain-link emergency gate would impact their safety and privacy and the affordable homes would lower the neighbors’ property values because they wouldn’t be maintained.
Flores said residents will be required to maintain their homes by a homeowners association and the project’s covenants, conditions and restrictions, and the emergency gate will be solid.
“It will be better than what’s there now,” she said.
Flores also said because “sweat equity” will be required of home buyers, who will help build them, the homeowners will have pride in their homes and maintain them well, as they have at other People’s Self-Help developments.
Albro also said each house will have a two-car garage and space for two cars in each driveway, and if the number of available spaces on the street are factored in, each home will have more than five parking spaces available.
The single-story homes will range from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet, come in three Spanish-style designs in earth tones and will have three- and four-bedroom layouts with two bathrooms.
There was no indication of what the prices would be.
The 8.89-acre site sits on the vacant lot of the former Hi-Way Drive-In Theater on Santa Maria Way.
