ABC Development Application of the City of Joy in California - Essay Example

manager Background on November ABC development application of the of Joy in California. ABC has two parcels of land in which the project proposed is to be developed. The first parcel has a rough estimatimation of 411/2 acres and the other parcel 111/2 acres. The parcels are both marked RR-1. The first parcel has steep slopes of ratio 3 to 1. It is also an open and untouched due to the municipal codes that make the area be more restricted to settlement. Parcel 1 is to be subdivided into 18 single family plots. One plot is to have ¼ of an acre. Edison right of way separates the two parcels. Complaint one The city of Joy prohibits development as part of it is along g a sloppy area. Parcel one has one steep slope of an approximate ratio 3 to 1. Parcel 2 has aslope of an approximate ratio greater than 2 to1. These areas are untouched because of the municipal codes as they regulate development in such an area. Settlements have been localized along the new street as a result of these clause. This shows that the city cannot accommodate a growing population if the municipal codes are to be followed to the latter. ABC development plan proposes for parcel 1 to be divided single family lots. The stuff reviews this plan as a risky situation that will first require an environmental impact review. This is because the process involves offloading dirt using a truck that will pass through 130 homesteads. The process will take five month. The staff review stipulates to be a long time, and as a result it will have unmitigated impacts to the environment. ABC development claims that an environmental impact review is not necessary. It continues to pose the complain on the basis that the stuff has not articulated the exact effects that require mitigation and states that parcel 1 subdivision is a simple 18 lot subdivision. According to ABC development project designers, it is a speculation that the project should be exempted from CEQA. Complain two The Oak trees occupy a lot of space in the city. The municipal code that states they are not to be cut down unless a permit is granted is a factor that may hinder development. The permit has also been given specific rule that make it hard for the trees to be cut down and paves way for development. The code farther states that, permission for cutting down an Oak tree will only be granted if the tree is in imminent danger of falling. Oak trees have a long life span and are also a strong species. The chances of them creating space for development are extremely minimal. The municipal codes should be reviewed so as to adjust on this clause. The trees are essential to the environment and should be present for environmental sustainability. In the same way, the trees should provide room for development. Making trees a hinder to development violets the 5th amendment as it is preventing 33% development in a private property. A policy that maintains the number of trees needed in the city after creating the interaction between development and the natural environment should be structured. This can involve creating a specific number of Oak trees that a homestead is required to maintain thus benefiting the people in the city and maintaining the environment’s natural status. The Oak trees can be spread all over the city instead of being confined to one place. It is also good to create a spread clustered form of settlement so as to improve security in all the places in the city. A spread settlement also creates a social capital which is a positive aspect of development. Complain three The city requires single family development in the hillsides. This is in relation to the clause that states the hillside is restricted for residential settlement. The city is supposed to accommodate people from all social status. Single settlements in residential apartments or homestead will only favour people with a high social class. The middle and low social class people live in compacted settlements thus the policy has a negative impact on them (Randolph 12) . It is due to this that the staff review wants parcel 2 project to be reviewed. Staff review proposes for an adjustment of the parcel 2 settlement plan and argues that RMF approach in this zone is better than RR-1 method. RMF approach is designed to accommodate multi families while the RR-1 is designed for single families. RMF approach allows settlement of a large population in a small space and thus provides room for other development projects. RR-1 approach creates a drift between people making it hard to generate a ground for mixed ideology that promote growth in development. ABC development is against this review as it argues that general housing amendment will take a long period of time. This will delay the development process. Changing single family settlement to multi housing settlement requires much time and a different approach design as well as the planning process. Conclusion A growing city needs a well build social capital so as to advance. The idea of separating people promotes social classes thus making it hard for them to interact more freely. Social cases in a society can be a source of insecurity as people one class of people will feel inferior to the other. This will cause them to create enmity between the two social classes and in this connection try to frustrate the well being of each other. A city also needs to have an expansion space so as to foster its development ( Randolph 32). Environmental impact review is necessary for a proposed project as it identifies the project’s setbacks and design mitigation in relation to the side effects of the project. ABC project approach is contradictory to the staff review approach because ABC struggle to ensure that the proposed project adhere to the municipal code while the staff views the project far beyond the municipal codes. The staff review includes the social and environmental impacts of the project in which ABC development proposal omits. Work Cited Randolph J. Environmental Land Use Planning and Management. Cambridge press. London. 2004. Read More