HRB members present were Chair Steve, Hobart, Catherine, Sandrine, Jan and Barbara. ICHA representatives present were Andrew and Ron. Co-organizer of the Holiday Bazaar, Marta Crane, was present for the discussion of the Bazaar.
Homeowners on Harvey Court are requesting approval of a carport design for their driveway so that they’ll be in compliance with code requirements for covered parking after converting their garage to an office. There is concern that the open design of the covered structure would reveal items normally stored in a garage. Different ideas of how to obscure the street view were discussed.
The Holiday Bazaar is scheduled for December 13, from 10am to 4pm. Flyers will be printed and A-frame signs will be posted at intersections throughout the neighborhood. Marta requested funds for a neighborhood band to play around noon time. The Avocado Café will sell sandwiches. The HRB will cover the cost of sandwiches for vendors.
Today is the deadline for signing up for the Restorative Justice training that will precede the two upcoming forums on policing in University Hills. The forums are scheduled for Monday, December 7th, from 6:30pm-9:00pm and Sunday, December 13th , from 2:00pm-4:00pm. The Restorative Justice all- day training for community volunteers who would like to help facilitate the community discussion, is Saturday, December 5th. Steve will email the RSVP information to the facilitators.
Discussion of paint-color approval process: Homeowners are supposed to get a Home Improvement Form from ICHA whenever they re-paint their houses. The form requires a paint color sample, and is to be signed by adjacent neighbors. ICHA usually approves requests fairly quickly when colors are within existing palettes, and neighbors do not object. Objection by a neighbor requires that the request be reviewed by the HRB, which may cause a delay. There have been a couple of instances where homeowners didn’t file the form, and neighbors complained of the color choice. In one instance, the homeowner was required to repaint. A resident who objected to the new color of a home on a neighboring street, which had been duly approved, suggested changes to the paint color approval process at a previous meeting, such as requiring more neighbors to sign off on applications, and consulting a designer to evaluate proposals. These ideas were considered, but consensus was that the additional red tape involved was not warranted.
Phase 11: The plans for Phase 11 show that it will include very little new park space. Based on hiring projections, the University wants 160 houses and as many apartments as can fit. ICHA’s plan meets these requests, with room for a few small pockets of shared space, totaling 0.75 Acres, which is well below the typical ratios in the rest of the neighborhood, or elsewhere in Irvine. City of Irvine standards suggest that based on the size and projected population of area 11, it should include about 4 acres of park space, according to a study commissioned by ICHA. That study justifies the dearth by averaging the ample space elsewhere in UHills across the entire community. It may be an uphill battle to convince the University that fewer apartments should be built in order to improve livability, given the clear and understandable pressure to house as many as possible.
Some items which were noted but not discussed in detail due to time constraints: The long-awaited tennis court signs haven’t been installed yet. Some residents have asked about adding lights to Gabrielino park and playground so that they could be used more in the evenings during the winter. Anyone can get in the dog park by poking a stick (or a long finger) through the gate and lifting up the handle on the inside. Perhaps a metal plate should be added around the lock & handle to prevent this. The water spigot in the dog park is very difficult to shut off completely, so it is often left running, which is both messy and wasteful of potable water.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:25pm.