Minutes of Agua Dulce Town Council Meeting

AGUA DULCE TOWN COUNCIL UPDATE April 26, 2000

The Council would like to thank Dick and Susan Hardie, and Darryl Baucum for volunteering to join the Council's Research Team. Dick and Susan will be tracking the Summit Real Estate Group's proposed project on Davenport Road; Darryl is currently increasing his knowledge of the Transit Mixed Concrete proposed project. We still need more volunteers to aid the Council in staying current on the various issues. There will be very few formal meetings. The focus is on independent study with updates to the Council. Please call Diane Terito - 268-8701.

COUSSOULIS DEVELOPMENT: The Council and community members met with Nick Coussoulis, Chairman; Dennis Bushore, President; Fred Brown, Project Manager of Coussoulis Development; and Amir Fallahi, consulting engineer from K&A Engineering, Inc., at the April 26th meeting. After reading many historical documents supplied by Land Use Committee Chair Jim Duzick regarding this project (formerly known as the Pratty Project), the Council had an opportunity to ask questions on a variety of issues of concern to our community. Among these were flooding, wastewater treatment, traffic, and short-term air quality impacts during construction, as well as the construction timeline.

Coussoulis plans to develop the 909+ acres northeast of the Agua Dulce Air Park in four construction phases over seven years. The company plans to break ground by the end of 2000. The plan includes an extension of Valley Sage Road from the Escondido Canyon exit off the 14 Freeway to the project's entrance. Coussoulis Development purchased the ten acres where Jolene's Horse Rescue was located, as well as additional land bordering the freeway, which will be incorporated into an executive length golf course (approximately 6,000 yards) and main project entrance.

Concerns remain regarding specific environmental issues. In particular, the Council wishes to insure that there will be no increase in water runoff created by the additional impermeable surfaces created in the project (streets, driveways, roofs, etc.). It is also the Council's intention to work with Coussoulis Development to insure that the wastewater treatment plant technology chosen for installation on the project will properly treat the sewage and prevent pollution of our aquifer.

PROPOSED WINERIES ORDINANCE: The County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning has proposed a new zoning ordinance which would permit small, "boutique" wineries and incidental uses such as wine sales, wine tours and tasting in agricultural zones subject to a conditional use permit (CUP) and strict regulations. Two area community members, Kent Madsen of Acton, and Juan Alonzo of Agua Dulce, were instrumental in initiating the request for this zoning change. Along with five others interested in establishing small wineries in L.A. County, they were consulted by the county when establishing the parameters for the new ordinance. In order to insure that the winery will be an accessory to on-site vineyards, the ordinance would allow a maximum annual production of 50,000 gallons, with at least 50% of the wine to be produced from grapes cultivated on-site. It is estimated that it would take approximately 60 acres to produce 50,000 gallons.

A formal public hearing will be held before the Regional Planning Commission on Wednesday, May 24th. If you wish to read the draft ordinance, as well as other related documents, you will find them on the county's website - co.la.ca.us.com.

Your opinions regarding this proposed ordinance will allow your Council to develop a community response, either in support or opposition. You may Email to AguaDulceCouncil@aol.com , fax to 268-7325, or send a letter to the Council's address (33201 Agua Dulce Canyon Road, Box 8).

COMMUNITY FORUM - May 25th: At the request of the Sheriff's Department and community members, a public discussion will be held at the Agua Dulce Women's Club on Thursday, May 25th, 7:00 p.m., on noise issues. This forum will be jointly sponsored by the Town Council and the Civic Association for Agua Dulce residents. The purpose is to explore the various issues and attitudes toward the increasing volume of noise within Agua Dulce. The intent is to develop ideas which will allow different lifestyles to coexist in our growing community. A team from the Palmdale Sheriff's station, led by Deputy Paul Ullman, will join in our search for consensus. Please mark your calendar. Expressing your views at this important forum CAN make a difference.

STREET ISSUES: Just a reminder that the Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin resurfacing Agua Dulce streets in July. This will occur on publically owned (not private) streets which were not slurry sealed in the DPW's previous work.

A copy of a letter detailing DPW's plans to improve both Agua Dulce Canyon Road and Red Rover Mine Road was received by the Council. This letter outlines the following:

1. AGUA DULCE CANYON ROAD: In order to improve both the access to and safety for our Agua Dulce Elementary School, the DPW will add a deceleration lane, and resurface the roadway from Escondido Canyon Road to Soledad Canyon Road. This project will be advertised for bids in May with work scheduled to begin in July, and completion in August 2000.

2. RED ROVER MINE ROAD: In order to improve both the access to and safety for our Vasquez High School, the DPW will widen the roadway, construct left-turn pockets, install right-turn lanes, and resurface the roadway. Additional work was requested by Dr. Don Banderas, Superintendent, to accommodate traffic flow at the two driveway entrances to Vasquez High School. Funding is available, and these roadway improvements will be included in the DPW project.

Because difficulty has been encountered in obtaining the necessary environmental clearances from the Army Corps of Engineers and the California Department of Fish and Game as a result of the impact of the project on the existing watercourses at the impacted intersections, the project will not be advertised for bids until July. Construction is anticipated to be completed by October 2000. This will cause some traffic delays in September and October when the high school begins its fall term. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY: A grassroots effort has begun to build a branch of the Los Angeles County public library to be shared by the communities of Acton and Agua Dulce. Denise Sedore of Acton, who is spearheading this group, has been told that the Acton-Agua Dulce area is the number one priority with both the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the County Library administrators for a new library. Under Proposition 14, passed by California voters on March 7th, 2000, the state will award grant funds to provide 65% of the construction money needed for new libraries. If you would like to join this energetic group of area neighbors, please contact Denise Sedore at 269-0632 or via Email at dksedore@hotmail.com .

The load gets lighter when we all share the effort. Therefore, we encourage you to become involved in your community today. As you can see from the various topics discussed in this update, we NEED your help.

Warm regards DIANE TERITO, President AGUA DULCE TOWN COUNCIL

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