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Residents tell council Vista Del Lago site drastically changed; call for more transparency
Summary
Speakers at public comment said the Vista Del Lago Site 11 approval diverged from earlier plans—citing a jump from 145 units to 350 on a much smaller acreage and a dramatic drop in very‑low‑income units—and urged the council to improve notice, explain waivers and protect neighborhood safety and services.
Multiple residents used the public‑comment period to press the council about the recently approved Vista Del Lago Site 11, saying the project changed substantially during review and that residents lacked meaningful opportunity for input.
Debbie Lewandowski summarized the changes she said occurred: "Site 11 has changed dramatically from its original plan... from 145 units over 29.4 acres to 350 units over 3.87 acres," she said, and added the units-per-acre increased and the number of very‑low‑income units fell sharply (she cited a drop "from 268 to just 26"). She said public updates stopped after a change in the community development director and described concerns about transparency, fairness, fire and traffic safety.
Denise Meadow told the council many residents feel discouraged and no longer believe public comment influences outcomes, urging the city to pursue deliberative options that meet state requirements but protect community values. Councilmembers pressed staff about what local controls remain (height limits, parking and negotiating with developers to forgo density bonuses) and whether the city had gone beyond minimum noticing requirements; staff said they followed state notice radii (300/500/1,000 feet where applicable) and additionally informed several homeowners associations as a courtesy.
Councilmembers discussed the legal constraints imposed by recent state housing laws and the tradeoffs of expanding notice beyond the statutory minimum, with the city attorney cautioning that changing notice rules broadly could have unintended consequences for the city’s land-use process.
