During the debate over whether the city of Los Alamitos should, or should not overrule the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC), several alternatives were suggested that would occur if the city failed to overrule a ruling that found three of the potential homebuilding sites in the city’s approved housing element were “inconsistent” with the standards of land use around an airport.
“Housing elements” are simply glorified plans California municipalities must file with the state to identify potential future housing sites to construct a target number of new homes determined by the state or its designated agency.
Without a housing element, local municipalities potentially lose local control of their ordinances that govern new construction of housing. Therefore, when the ALUC found three sites problematic in relation to the runways at the city’s military base, the internal struggle began over what would happen to the city’s approved housing element if the city failed to overrule the findings of inconsistency.
The most pressing issue deep within the debate was the Lampson Project, a massive, mixed-use housing project that promises 249 new residences for the city, which has been proposed for one of the three sites found to be inconsistent.
Without overruling ALUC, as has Seal Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach, and others, a number of speakers suggested ALUC could then take control of the city’s planning department.
As reported by ENE last week, a motion by the City Council to overrule ALUC failed 3-2. Michael Daudt, the city’s legal advisor, said a resolution to “overrule” ALUC requires a four-fifths majority rather than a simple majority.
Since the vote, there has been no firm announcement about what will happen next.
Lea Choum, the Executive Director of ALUC told ENE last week that the Commission would be scheduling a meeting to discuss the issue. As of this week, however, no meeting has been immediately called.
The ENE has also reached out to Schelly Sustarsic, a Seal Beach city council member who sits on ALUC, who as yet not responded with a statement.
Finally, the ENE did receive a response from AnnaMarie Sorkin, the public information officer for ALUC, who responded to the following questions.
ENE: Is there any precedence of ALUC becoming involved in any way with city planning departments anywhere as a result of a situation similar to the one in Los Alamitos?
Sorkin:
ALUC reviews projects for consistency or inconsistency with Airport Environs Land Use Plans for Orange County airports, including plans for John Wayne Airport, Fullerton Municipal Airport, and Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, depending on the project’s location. The local jurisdictions maintain final land use authority over proposed projects.
When the commission does meet, what are the decision points on the agenda?
Sorkin: In reviewing projects, the Commission considers airport-related noise impacts, height restrictions, and safety concerns to determine whether a project is Consistent or Inconsistent with an Airport Environs Land Use Plan.
Is there negotiating room on the ‘inconsistency” finding to resolve the matter between ALUC and the city?
Sorkin: The city may revise its plan and submit it for ALUC’s review.
