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Residents and council debate transparency, density and notice around Vista Del Lago Site 11
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Summary
Several residents urged the council to reconsider approvals and disclosure practices after the Vista Del Lago Site 11 project increased units and density and reduced very-low-income units; the city manager and attorney explained state housing laws, noticing practices and limits on local discretion.
Residents at the March 24 meeting pressed the City Council for more transparency and for safeguards after the Vista Del Lago Site 11 project was approved with substantially different density and unit counts than earlier plans, they said.
"Site 11 has changed dramatically from 145 units over 29.4 acres to 350 units over 3.87 acres," Deborah Lewandowski told the council, adding that the project’s very-low-income unit count dropped from 268 to 26. She said public updates largely stopped after a 2024 change in the community development director and urged compliance with state law, better notice and examination of fire and traffic impacts.
City staff and the city manager responded that state housing law constrains local review and that the city complied with state notice rules and went beyond them by notifying multiple homeowners associations. City Manager (name not specified in transcript) reviewed relevant state laws—the Housing Accountability Act, the Housing Crisis Act (SB 330), Density Bonus Law and AB 130—and warned that courts and state agencies increasingly limit local discretion. "There are strict timelines that you need to comply with," the manager said, describing past decertification and legal costs the city faced.
Councilmembers asked about practical measures the city could still take. Staff said the city can (and sometimes does) request concessions from developers (for example, on parking) and that city-owned sites give the city more negotiating leverage. City Attorney advised that the city can set noticing distances greater than the state minimums (for instance, moving from 300 to 500 feet) but cautioned that doing so must be applied consistently and could be subject to developer challenges or state scrutiny.
Residents at the meeting asked the council to document outreach efforts and any negotiations with developers in staff reports so the public can see what the city requested. The manager agreed staff can include those details in future reports.
The council did not take an immediate action to reopen approvals but discussed possible procedural changes, including exploring a modest expansion of the statutory notice radius and documenting outreach efforts in staff reports. The city also said it will continue to brief residents on RHNA and housing-law developments at upcoming meetings.
