Split board approves zoning change

New homes planned for land on Avenue A

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors approved a zoning case Monday with a rare split 3-2 vote. The vote came after the board debated the pros and cons of requiring a builder to chip-seal a private road that would serve four residences.

The board approved the rezoning of a 10-acre strip of land on the east side of Avenue A south of County 17th street, near Somerton, from Rural Area-10 acre minimum to Rural Area-2 acre minimum. Applicant Savera Holdings, LLC can now build four new homes on 2.25-acre lots.

The applicant, represented by Vianey Vega of Vega & Vega Engineering, has been opposing the road requirement, but the county Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8-2 in April to recommend approval of the case, including the road surface requirement.

Vega told the board, “Of course, the reason behind that is the additional cost, and we feel like it’s not needed. By building the (gravel) road we’re meeting the requirement that the fire department has for access provided to fire vehicles.”

He said chip-sealing the road could double the cost of its construction, and presented photos of a gravel section of Avenue 4E the developer built in 2016 to serve residents of a different project, pointing out it was in good condition.

County Senior Planner Javier Barraza said that project was zoned in 1995, before the county was requiring chip-sealing on these projects.

A staff report said the chip-seal was being required for the project because it is within the area designated by the federal government as not meeting air quality standards for PM-10, or dust, pollution.

County staff, using an Institute of Engineers standard, estimated there could be up to 40 vehicle trips taken on the road daily.

District 5 Supervisor Lynne Pancrazi emphasized what she saw as the importance of enforcing the chip-sealing standard: “We have a huge PM-10

and ozone issue with our agricultural areas and with meeting that PM-10 and be able to have industry come in, and the whole point of having the chip seal was to lessen the amount of dirt that we’re raising into the atmosphere.”

Others raised the issue of cost for future residents living along the private road, who would ultimately be responsible for maintaining and repairing it.

“Once that starts to deteriorate, it’s much easier to fix a gravel road than a chip-sealed road, by the property owners, because chip-seal requires a lot more work. It’s more like a paved road, so when it starts to break up, it’s in chunks,” Board Chairman and District 4 Supervisor Tony Reyes said.

And once the completed project is passed into private hands, there’s no set way to enforce that requirement with the buyers of the properties.

District 2 Supervisor Russell McCloud said he couldn’t support the mandated chip-sealing.

“I don’t like being inconsistent but when you look at this, and this is going to sound more partisan than I want to be, (it) is a lot of expense, the government requiring excessive spending. But there are both sides, I see that,” he said.

He and the other Republican on the board, District 3 Supervisor Darren Simmons, voted “no” on the case while the three Democrats, Reyes, Pancrazi and District 1 Supervisor Martin Porchas, voted yes.

Also on Monday, the board:

• A rezoning request by Desert Paradise Partnership Trust for 40 acres on County 8th Street near Avenue 37E near Wellton, from Rural Area-40 acre minimum to Rural Area-10 acre minimum, was continued until the Aug. 6 board meeting.

• Approved two requested modification of subdivision regulations for Sierra Ridge Unit 2 subdivision regarding road improvement requirements. The county Planning and Zoning Commission recommended board approval of the changes at its June meeting, after staff endorsed one of the changes but not the other.

At issue was whether developer Spartan Homes and Construction should have to build a sidewalk and streetlights along one side of a short stretch of Avenue 12E, when none of the surrounding neighborhoods had these amenities.

• Approved paying Siemens Industry Inc. $110,000 for the “industrial grade energy audit” it conducted for the county late last year.

• Proposed HVAC replacements will be considered as part of future budget processes.

• Approved up to $89,000 in economic incentives for Gourmet Garden, a spice manufacturer planning to open a facility creating 89 jobs in the Yuma Commerce Center. The money will be used for employee training costs over a sixyear period, and the developer must meet employment, salary and health insurance benchmarks in order to qualify.

• Authorized a staff request for the County Attorney’s Office to file an abatement action against the owner of a property at 14104 Pamela de Fortuna, who has been cited by zoning officials for unlawful storage of construction equipment and materials, including large concrete blocks, boulders, sand and gravel.

The Yuma County Assessor’s Office lists the owner of the property as Terry A. and Laura R. Rosso Joint Trust of Temecula, Calif.

• Approved Yuma County Public Health Services District fee changes, mostly affecting permit fees for food processors and distributors, eating and drinking establishments and plan reviews.

• Approved zoning extensions for four properties where current or prior owners have not met required development deadlines:

Two properties totaling 134 acres and zoned Recreational Vehicle Subdivision near the intersection of Avenue 15E and 44th Street in the Foothills were given extensions, one for five years and the other for 10.

One 38-acre property at the southeast corner of Avenue 1E and County 16th Street was given a threeyear extension for its Suburban Site Built zoning, and a 50-acre parcel at State Route 195 north of County 14th Street got a five-year extension, also as Suburban Site Built.

• No one spoke during a hearing for public comment on a plan to borrow up to $6.4 million, in principal and interest, over 10 years to pay for several capital improvement projects, including the $1.8 million second phase of renovations at 198 S. Main St. and $1.4 million for software and database replacement.

The board will be taking written comment until Aug. 17 and is scheduled to vote on the bond issue Aug. 20.