CLAREMONT Comments

The Mayor appointed "Vision Section and Land Use Section" compilation board, administered through the City’s Planning and Development Department, has completed a draft of the above related components.

A Legal Notice appeared in the Eagle Times on October 21, 2007 warning and stating:

Basically, as it pertains to Ward 3, these drafts will ultimately produce an official guide for Claremont’s desired growth objectives and goals. They envision land development following a "recreation oriented" pattern in the eastern half of the Ward and a "residential oriented" pattern in the western half of the Ward.

See the Proposed Land Use Map 5. Barring any failure of the drafts to be appropriately adopted, land use zoning regulations will be passed to follow these official guides.

The City’s present zoning regulations delineate most all of these like (Ward 3) lands as AR. An AR delineation is now one in which a residence and farming facilities are considered primary uses. Such dual use designation allows for a residence as one primary use and a farm operation as a second supplementary primary use. Other primary uses allowed in the AR District are listed in Sec. 22-146 of the City’s Zoning Code. Accessory uses, those uses incidental and customary to a primary use, are also allowed and listed in Sec. 22-146.

Under the draft proposals, land development following a "recreation oriented" pattern, would discourage residential development, and steer open spaces toward recreational type development due to steep topography and poorly drained soil types.

Inversely, under the draft proposals, land development following a "residential oriented" pattern would be encouraged due to flatter topography and better drained soil types making up the western portions of Ward 3.

The Draft, under both land reclassifications, would eventually discourage the "Agricultural" way of life in Claremont’s Ward 3 and divert potential land buyers to go elsewhere.

I believe that would be detrimental to Claremont’s overall public good; as such, I would urge the residents of Ward 3 to object to this unneeded change.