Santee council continues Summit Avenue multifamily hearing after residents cite wildfire and infrastructure risks

The Santee City Council on June 25 voted to continue the public hearing on a proposed multifamily development at 10939 Summit Avenue, moving the item to the July 9 meeting after nearby homeowners raised safety and infrastructure concerns.

Principal Planner Maddie Mattson said the applicant asked to push the hearing: “the applicant has since requested that the item be continued to the July 9 city council meeting,” and staff asked council to open the hearing, announce the continuance and formally close it.

Residents living on Noble Way told the council they feared adding 42 units to a steep, largely single-access corridor would heighten wildfire and evacuation risks and strain utilities. Michael Livak, a Noble Way homeowner, cited mapping and a city-commissioned evacuation study: “The State Fire Bridal Map from 03/24/2025 shows Summit Ave in the very high fire severity zone,” and referenced the city’s 2023 emergency-evacuation analysis by Harris and Associates as showing Summit Avenue as highly vulnerable in a wildfire event.

Megan Leary, another Noble Way resident, told the council the street is an unpaved private road without sidewalks or streetlights and questioned utility capacity: “The gas lines there's no gas lines up Summit and the neighborhood cannot support this size of development. But my biggest concern is related to the fire hazard and egress of 42 townhomes with an additional 42 to 170 people and cars evacuating on a 1 lane road that is Summit Avenue.”

Council moved the staff recommendation to continue the public hearing to July 9 so the applicant’s presentation can be re-noticed and additional input or materials — including plans and sketches referenced by staff — can be reviewed. The motion carried unanimously.

What the council will consider on July 9 includes the developer’s tentative map (TM2023-3) and a development review permit (DR2023-7). During the June 25 discussion, residents raised specific topics the council may expect to address at the continued hearing: wildfire severity and evacuation modeling, water and sewer capacity, presence or absence of gas mains, changes in zoning density from R1A to R7, and wildlife/habitat impacts.

The continuance preserves the public’s opportunity to review project materials and ensures the city can accept additional comment before council deliberates and votes. The city staff advised that sketches and survey results used to develop playground and park plans are available on request; staff said sketch plans for projects can be provided to interested residents.

Council scheduled the continued public hearing for the July 9 council meeting; any formal action on the development will be taken after that hearing.