November 1, 2007

Planning panel rejects student housing complex
Proposed $150 million project would cause traffic, density and parking problems, commissioners say.
By BARBARA GIASONE STAFF WRITER

Planning commissioners denied a proposed $150 million student-oriented housing project last week, citing traffic, parking and density issues.

After four hours of presentations and testimony, the panel voted 4-2 — Commissioners Dave Musante and Sean Francis opposed — not to recommend approval of Jefferson Commons to the City Council.

JPI Developers had 10 days from Oct. 24 to appeal the decision or present the project to the council.

“We’ll take all the commissioners’ comments into consideration, and make modifications to the plan,” said Steve Sheldon, the representative for JPI.

John Derry, president of Hope International University, which plans to sell the 6.8-acre site to JPI, said he has been working with the city and developer for 18 months to bring the plan to fruition.

The project, planned for the northwest corner of Commonwealth and Chapman avenues, includes a four-story structure wrapped around a sevenlevel parking structure.

The ground floor would have 30,000 square feet of commercial and 12,000 square feet of residential recreation.

The 363 residential units would be rented on an individual basis rather than on an apartment basis for $800 per month, Sheldon said.

Currently, the site has office space in three buildings and two apartment complexes with 79 residential units occupied by a mix of student and non-students.

JPI, which has built 35 similar student-oriented communities throughout the nation, suggested the structure could be a gateway to an “education village district.”

But Commissioner Doug Chaffee said creating a gateway area should be a separate issue from this project and should incorporate Hope, Cal State Fullerton, Southern California College of Optometry and Western State Law University.

“This project is not ready to go forward,” Fullerton architect John Silber told the commission during public comments. “It would close the door on aspirations for an education district.”

He also opposed the project covering long blocks, adding “those are the death of a neighborhood.” Silber said there could be a major sewer capacity issue, particularly when development takes place across the street on North Commonwealth Avenue.

Other concerns included guest and retail parking in the structure, lack of open space in the courtyard, long hallways that could invite criminal activities and more traffic.

Sheldon said the proximity to the universities would take students who are already driving to campus off the streets. He said the project would generate $1 million annually for the redevelopment agency, provide a bicycle consultant from Stanford University, have 24/7 on-site management and not allow bars in ground-floor restaurants.

Most of the public speakers agreed there was a definite need for more student housing in the area, but not as a dense project.

CSF Student Affairs Professor Howard Wang, who oversees on-campus housing, said 1,000 more beds will be available to students in 2011.

“You need to slow down and look at what the students need,” Wang said. He suggested smaller cluster housing to provide a “softer project.”

Bill Dickerson, director of the Cal State Fullerton Housing Authority, said there are now 37,000 enrolled students making CSF the 30th largest university in the nation.

“Only 800 students live on campus while nearly 50 percent of the occupants in nearby apartments are CSF students,” he added. “It’s a nice project that’s necessary.”