Here are some of the items being...

Here are some of the items being discussed at the next Huntington

Beach City Council meeting:

CONDO CONVERSION ORDINANCE

The council will vote on establishing a $17,900 affordable housing

fee to make up for revenue lost when hundreds of apartments were

converted to condominiums without the proper permit.

The affordable housing fee is no longer a controversial issue

following a settlement agreement between the city and five title

companies that agreed to pay $10,000 per unit for residents with

title insurance. For those who don’t have title insurance, but want

to participate in the settlement agreement, they can agree to put a

$10,000 lien against their property.

This law would require condo owners to pay the $17,900 and other permitting costs if they do not have title insurance, or wish to

participate in the settlement agreement.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The council is expected to pass the ordinance. This will be the

first reading.

HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT

An administrative error requires that a new public hearing being

held for a controversial zoning amendment that deals with the

expansion of hillsides in the rear of Huntington Harbour properties,

said Deputy City Clerk Kelly Mandic.

The council decided last week to allow hillside homeowners to

extend their backyards to within 10 feet of their rear property lines

with a three-foot retaining wall and a five-foot view fence -- a

fence made of see-through material such as plexiglass or cast iron.

The ordinance, proposed by Councilwoman Jill Hardy and passed by

council, restricts the expansion of hillside homes. Unlimited

expansion was allowed in the past, but hillside homeowners must now

create at least a 10-foot setback from the sidewalk to their rear

fence line.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The council has already passed this ordinance once, but the

emotion surrounding this issue makes it anything but a sure thing.

Councilman Gil Coerper voted for the Nov. 15 proposal, but has also

indicated support for the hillside homeowners. Debbie Cook voted

against the ban, but only because she disagreed with certain language

in the law. She indicated at the Nov. 15 meeting that she generally

supported restricting hillside development.