Grover Beach residents launch petition drive to limit building heights

GROVER BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) - A group of Grover Beach residents are beginning an effort to try and limit future building heights in the coastal city that is currently experiencing a wave of growth in its downtown area.

This week, the group delivered to the Grover Beach City Council an Notice of Intent to start the process of launching a petition drive that could eventually lead to the creation of an initiative measure on this year's November ballot.

According to the documents provided by the residents, the goal is adopt an ordinance that limits building heights and establishes a minimum 33% commercial component in a mixed-use development.

"The purpose of this is to preserve Grover Beach's mystique of being a beach town," said Kelvin Coveduck, a Grover Beach resident who is part of the petition group. "Not that we want to live in the past, but we want to preserve the future for future generations."

The group is aiming limit buildings and structures in Commercial Zoning Districts to three stories and 40 feet in height, as well as limit buildings and structures in Industrial Zoning Districts to 33 feet in height.

In addition, intent of the petition is increase the amount of commercial or retail space that would be required in a new mixed-use building.

"We want to make the mixed use a 33% component of the building," said Coveduck. "In other words, you want to have 33% commercial space in an area zoned industrial. Therefore, you're not having a residential area like this (around Front Street) that is zoned partially for industrial become another residential area with high rises. We don't want token gyms or coffee shops. We want the mixed-use to be used properly and not be a fractional amount and using that as a gateway to build way up."

"We need to get 1,000 signatures if this is approved," said Coveduck, referring to approval from the City Council. "The Grover Beach City Council has to study it. They have 15 days to do that. They have 10 days to give it to legal counsel and if they let us, as the Grover Beach citizens do our our American right of having initiatives which California is famous for, then the people will decide. The caveat is that they won't be able to change the height limits that we have in our petition unless the voters decide in the future, so it takes it out of the hands of the city council and into the hands of the people."

Now that the Grover Beach City Council has officially received the Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition, a thorough process is now underway.

In a statement to News Channel 3-12, the City of Grover Beach said:

The City is committed to ensuring a fair and legally compliant process following the submission of this petition. The City Attorney has 15 days to review the petition and draft a title and wording for the proposed measure. After receiving the ballot title and wording, the citizens group will need to publish the petition in a newspaper prior to circulating for signatures and file a proof of publication with the elections official within 10 days of publishing. The group can then begin gathering signatures.

If the petition gets enough signatures, the City Council could either adopt the ordinance in the measure without making changes, submit the unaltered ordinance to be placed on the ballot, or order an report on the impacts of the measure in accordance with the election code. Once receiving that report, the Council could either adopt the ordinance within 10 days or order it to be placed on the November ballot.

With the petition process now underway, starting which could be a months-long drive through November, Coveduck expressed optimism the effort will ultimately succeed.

"I'm feeling good that it will get approved because it's a grassroots movement," said Coveduck "We had several neighborhood meetings and people that have attended this meeting are former mayors, former congresspeople, business owners, residents, retired folks, some younger folks, so it's a grassroots program. I'm positive that we have a momentum to to get this passed."

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