Friends for a Livable Fullerton

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Friends for a Livable Fullerton

Preserve Fullerton’s Uniqueness and Livability; In housing, trails, parks, trees, and open space. Harbor / Harborwalk).

We are concerned that Fullerton’s unique and authentic historic atmosphere will be overwhelmed by insensitive big-box, cookie cutter projects. The Downtown Core and Corridors Specific Plan (DCCSP) was a zoning change document that would have allowed streamlined high density building projects in 7 new city districts covering over 1,300 acres. It is the largest Specific Plan in Fullerton’s history,

with over 8,000 houses and commercial properties in or near the Plan Area. Although Fullerton’s recently adopted General Plan actually allows even more density and height than the DCCSP, this plan solidifies the ability to have a streamlined behind the scenes process for projects that once had to go through a public process at the planning commission and city council. Now, if the projects meet the stated guidelines, they may proceed with only city staff review. Most projects in the plan area will be considered to have already met the environmental impact reviews, even if they will have negative effects on the surrounding area. We are concerned that Fullerton’s unique and authentic historic atmosphere will be overwhelmed by insensitive big-box, cookie cutter projects, several of which have recently been permitted by citing the upcoming DCCSP completion, although it has not yet been approved (i.e. 770 S. Even if there are areas that need help – such as the burnt-out area of Raymond and Chapman or some parts of Orangethorpe, these issues can be addressed without such massive zoning change and the expediting of big-box development throughout such a large part of the city. We prefer the European model of protecting historic resources – new development taking place in newer parts of town, allowing historic neighborhoods to remain authentic and small-scale.

01/06/2025

Housing Fast-Track Program Returns for Final Vote

Happy New Year to everyone! As expected, Fullerton's Housing Element is
about to be finalized by the City Council this Tuesday, Jan. 7th at 5:30pm.

There are two items on the agenda:

Item No. 2 (Consent Calendar) - The 2nd reading of the Housing Incentive
Overlay Zone (HIOZ) Ordinance (Zoning Map and Development Standards). The
1st reading of the Ordinance was approved on Dec. 10th and the second
reading is usually a formality, but there seems to be some kind of error
with Item 2. We thought this ordinance referred to HIOZ classification only,
rather than new multi-family zoning but this agenda item seem to be the
reverse of council direction.

We will update you on this as soon as we know, and also when we understand
a little more about any nuances with the main agenda item:

Item No. 10 (Public Hearings) - 6th Cycle (2021-2029) Housing Element
Update has been revised per CC direction on Dec. 10th. Starting with a
baseline of Total Existing Potential housing units of 3,050 (approved and
pending projects, ADUs, and 3 City Surplus Land sites) and the HIOZ upzoning
potential of 204 parcels to accommodate 10,270 units, we’ll meet the state's
minimum requirement of 13,209 units. If this gets approved by CC, it will be
forwarded to the State office of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for
final certification.

Thank you for attending the last meeting and asking the council vote to
remove most sites along historic Commonwealth and Chapman Ave. corridors and include an affordable housing requirement reserving at least 20% of the
units for moderate, low, very low, extremely low, or acutely low-income
households. A maximum building height of 65 feet was added instead of the
original no height limitation. This final housing plan is a significant
reduction from the 2023 Environmental Impact Report analyzing 759 parcels
for HIOZ upzoning with a buildout of almost 36,000 new housing units! We
will likely ask peopl

12/19/2024

STILL FREE 😁: You can still display our signs in your yard or window since the final piece of the Housing Element vote won't be until January 7th – DM us to get them for yourself and your neighbors, and our volunteers will deliver!

12/12/2024

Wow! A huge thank you to everyone who supported this effort!

It was great to see the council, which has wildly diverging views on the issue, come to a community-friendly vote. They voted to approve a MUCH smaller state-mandated fast-tracked housing program - 204 parcels rather than the earlier 730+

They even took the credits they were entitled to for housing units already in process, effectively bringing our still-need-to-meet unit number to 10,288 instead of the 13,209.

They even made the opportunity to build based on developers including 20% of their units as affordable of 10% (we’ll meet our affordability goals faster).

They even decided not to approve the fatally flawed EIR.

They even made comments about eventually finding out the financial implications of these decisions.

They postponed the non-HIOZ proposed zoning changes to a future meeting so they can study what they’re voting on (thank you, Scott Hess!)

They reiterated their commitment to small independent businesses.

They are continuing a portion of the decision to the January 7th meeting. We’re still monitoring the situation and the state office of Housing and Community Development (HCD) still needs to approve what the City submits.

You can still help by forwarding our messages to neighbors so they can sign up for our updates, and you can still display our free signs in your yard or window through January 7th – reply to get them for yourself and your neighbors, and we will deliver.

If you feel so moved, you’re also welcome to reply privately if you can help with some of the costs we’ve incurred.

And again, THANK YOU !!!!

12/04/2024

See you tonight as the Council will continue the critical discussion to arrive at a reasonable plan for Fullerton's housing growth.

It seems as if there is agreement on drastically reducing the number of anticipated new units to a number much closer to the state mandate of 13,209 (Our City was going to originally approve over 35,000!). We thank the council for their leadership on this.

Staff has given the Council 7 confusing options for property removals form the plan. We are continuing to ask them to remove (from the plan!) properties in the historic Chapman and Commonwealth corridors. This can be done with “credits” for projects already permitted, “credits” from anticipated future density-bonus projects, and the transfer of some parcels to the Harbor-Orangethorpe area that has wider streets and fewer historic properties and independent businesses.

We also hope for a serious consideration more safeguards for historic-age properties.

Public comments during this meeting will be limited to “new information” so we’re assuming that the 7 options for property removals form the plan are new information, but we’ll see what they say.

Please attend! Even if you don’t speak, your presence show supports for a reasonable, livable Fullerton!

If you can’t attend, you can write:

[email protected] the title of “CITY COUNCIL MEETING CORRESPONDENCE – ITEM 11 - HIOZ

See you tonight!!

Updates and more resources are available:
Website:

11/21/2024

Thank you to EVERYONE who turned out last night to oppose the massive property rezoning plan and support a more reasonably scaled one instead. You made the difference! All five members of the Fullerton City Council responded to our standing room only presence and numerous spoken comments by declining to adopt the plan that would have accommodated nearly 30,000 new residences in Fullerton.

The item was continued to the Dec. 3 City Council meeting, when we anticipate serious consideration of removing properties in the historic Chapman and Commonwealth corridors from the Housing Overlay Incentive Zone, as well as drastically reducing the number of anticipated new residences to a number much closer to the state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Assessment's 13,209.

All council members participated in a thoughtful and responsive conversation about how to best plan for our city's future housing needs without sacrificing the character of our city or putting a strain on vital city services and infrastructure. Mark your calendars for Dec. 3, where the council will continue this critical discussion to arrive at a reasonable plan for Fullerton's growth and prosperity.

(Note: Public comments during this meeting will be limited to new information presented at the meeting, but your presence is once again needed to show support for a Livable Fullerton!).

11/19/2024

Please plan to attend the Fullerton City Council meeting Tuesday November 19, 5:30 to oppose the plan to re-zone vast areas of Fullerton for fast-tracked high density housing (nearly 30,000 units for 90,000 new residents, with a net LOSS of nearly 5,000 local jobs!). If the Council approves this plan we lose local control over these developer plans!

Our main message to the Council is "Don't Over-Comply" with state housing mandates (the state only requires 13,000 units, but our city's planning department wants nearly 30,000!).

We're asking them to modify the propose housing plan to:

* Remove Chapman and Commonwealth Aves.
* Return High-Rise Focus to Harbor and Orangethorpe area
* Increase Affordability Requirements from 10% to 15%
* Preserve Existing Multi-Family Housing that is Already Providing Affordability
* Study the plan's impacts on Fire, Parks, Traffic, Historic Resources, Scenic Corridors Before Approving

11/16/2024

Here's the latest HIOZ map which also contains the Housing Element Sites Inventory Parcels.

11/13/2024

FREE YARD / WINDOW SIGNS! DM us with your name and address, and number of signs to have one of our volunteers drop them by (please also state preference for wooden-stake or metal-framed, although we can’t guarantee what we’ll have left).

Or, to pick one up (near Euclid and Commonwealth), let us know and we’ll get you the info you need.

As you know, in an effort to provide affordable housing, California is mandating that Fullerton accommodate 13,209 new housing units. Although fewer than 7,500 of these are required to be affordable, the new zoning allows “By-Right” Fast-Tracked Housing with a total buildout of 32,234 units, a population increase of 96,000 people, and a net loss of almost 6,000 jobs.

90% are luxury or market rate, not addressing the affordability crisis, and leading to rising land costs and major impacts on traffic, parking, new parks, city services, air quality and noise

After Tuesday’s vote, there will be no public input or notification on most future development - you won’t have a say in what gets built in your neighborhood.

Please save the date:

Tuesday, November 19th 5:30PM – HEU/HIOZ City Council Vote at City Hall

See you there,

Friends for a Livable Fullerton (FFLF)

11/07/2024

Join us 6:30 TONIGHT at our Community Forum at the historic Fox Fullerton Theatre and pick up a lawn/window sign!
Enter from the back parking lot under the green awning (not the main entrance).

The forum will discuss how we can dial back from 32,000 units to a more reasonable before the City Council votes to finalize the numbers later this month (date below). In the past, people thought we were exaggerating, but we weren’t: It’s “by-right” fast-tracked 90% luxury housing with a total buildout of 32,234 units, a population increase of 96,000 people, and a net loss of almost 6,000 jobs.

Tonight, Thursday, Nov. 7th:
6:30pm Doors Open
6:45pm Forum Presentation / Q & A / Lawn Signs / Next Steps

As you may know, in an effort to provide affordable housing, California is mandating that Fullerton accommodate 13,209 new housing units, with fewer than 7,500 of these required to be affordable.

Fullerton has increased the number of units jumped from the state-required 13,209 to 32,234!
• 90% are luxury or market rate, not addressing the affordability crisis, and leading to rising land costs.
• The majority of historic Fullerton homes and neighborhoods have no official historic protection.
• There will be major impacts on traffic, parking, new parks, city services, air quality and noise.
• After the November 19th vote, there will be no public input or notification on vast majority of future residential development - you won’t have a say in what gets built in your neighborhood.

Also, save the date:
Tuesday, November 19th 5:30PM – HEU/HIOZ City Council Vote at City Hall

See you there,

Friends for a Livable Fullerton

11/04/2024

Join Us at our free Community Forum at the historic Fox Fullerton Theatre This Thursday, Nov. 7th, 6:30pm

Doors open at 6:30pm, program starts at 6:45 about Fullerton's new fast tracked housing plan to allow up to 32,234 new housing units!

Enter from the back parking lot under the green awning (not the main entrance). The forum will discuss how we can dial back from the 32,000 units before the City Council votes to finalize the numbers later this month.

As you may know, in an effort to provide affordable housing, California is mandating that Fullerton accommodate 13,209 new housing units. Although fewer than 7,500 of these are required to be affordable, the new zoning allows:

- By-Right Fast-Tracked Housing with a total buildout of 32,234 units, a population increase of 96,000 people, and a net loss of almost 6,000 jobs.

- The number of units jumped from the state-required 13,209 to 32,234!

90% are luxury or market rate, not addressing the affordability crisis, and leading to rising land costs.

- The majority of historic Fullerton homes and neighborhoods have no official historic protection.

- There will be major impacts on traffic, parking, new parks, city services, air quality and noise.

- After the vote, there will be no public input or notification on most future development - you won’t have a say in what gets built in your neighborhood.

Also, save the dates:

Wednesday, November 6th 6:30 pm – HEU/HIOZ Planning Commission Special Meeting at City Hall (Agenda and staff report: City of Fullerton - Calendar)

Thursday, November 7th 6:30 pm – FFLF Community Forum at the Fox

Tuesday, November 19th 5:30PM – HEU/HIOZ City Council Vote at City Hall

09/25/2024

Tonight! OVER 13,000 NEW HOUSING UNITS PROPOSED FOR FULLERTON!

Planning Commission Wed. Sept 25, 2024, 6:30pm - Item #1

Zoom Meeting Details: www.zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 893 1525 3564
Telephone Option: 1-669-900-9128 Press star-nine (*9) on your phone to raise your hand to speak. Press star-six (*6) to unmute to speak when called

As you may know, in an effort to provide affordable housing, California is mandating that Fullerton accommodate 13,209 new housing units, although fewer than 7,500 of these units are actually required to be affordable. According to the City, the new zoning could result in a total buildout of 32,234 units, a population increase of 96,711 people, and a net loss of 5,577 jobs in the next few years.

Stunning new levels of housing are being considered, many in areas that didn’t foresee them in our current General Plan. The Commission is being asked to recommend that the City Council adopt the plans at the Council’s November 19th meeting. The Council will decide essentially whether to pre-approve the vast majority of these units this year so they’ll be shut to the normal public process.

Note: As passionate as we are about saving Fullerton’s unique character, we are keeping in mind that rents have skyrocketed in the past 10 years and people need places to live. Since it’s places not a building crisis, but an affordability crisis, we believe we can have both - affordability and preservation of what’s unique about Fullerton built environment.

Fullerton has a unique feel and characteristics that should be preserved WHILE addressing affordable housing needs. We are focusing on:

-Preserving certain buildings and corridors we don’t feel should be in the plan
-Directing most growth to the original areas envisioned in our General Plan to save more existing residential and historic buildings
-Requesting 15% affordable units in new high-density developments rather than 10%, to increase affordability without as much overbuilding
-Reprioritizing non-profit projects that provide a higher percentage of affordable units, again, to increase affordability without as much overbuilding
-Asking the City to do its due diligence in determining adverse impacts before these approvals rather than hoping they catch things afterward in their new private process
-Preventing speculation and displacement

Updates and more resources are available:
Website: SaveFullerton.com/Housing
Facebook: Facebook.com/SaveFullerton

06/17/2024

Fullerton’s Fast-Tracking Begins; Massive Housing Upzoning Public Process Starts This Tuesday

The public process has itself been fast-tracked, and starts this week:

Please attend the City Council Study session this:

Tuesday, June 18th from 430 to 530pm at City Hall

or by Zoom: www.zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 978 4219 1797

or by phone 1-669-900-9128 # Meeting ID: 978 4219 1797 # - Press star-nine (*9) on your phone to speak. Press star-six (*6) to unmute to speak when called

As you may know, in an effort to provide affordable housing, California is mandating that Fullerton accommodate 13,209 new housing units. Although fewer than 7,500 of these are required to be affordable, according to the newly available city documents, the new zoning could result in:

A total buildout of 35,611 units
A population increase of 103,682 people
And a net loss of 6,160 jobs!

The study session is to learn, ask questions, and comment about the city’s proposed new Housing Element with its major component, HIOZ, the Housing Incentive Overlay Zone, that would allow multi-story housing developments in areas currently zoned commercial. See agenda and staff reports: https://fullerton.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

Sign up for updates and a possible residents community forum on this issue here:

Friends for a Livable Fullerton
Text or call: 714-729-3019

Address

Fullerton, CA
92834

Telephone

+17147293019

Website

http://www.SaveFullerton.com/

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