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What's next in the approval process for Parkside Estates?
Parkside Estates will be going back to the California Coastal Commission for an Implementation Plan Amendment (IPA), which will detail how the final Parkside Estates land use and zoning will meet the Commission's conditions for the protection of natural resources, and then followed by a Coastal Development Permit process.
What is the timeline for the remainder of the process?
It is difficult to determine guidelines given the complexity of the review and approval process, but we expect that all permitting could be completed within one year of the City Council's June 1, 2009 approval of the revised tentative tract map and accompanying documents.
How will neighboring homes be protected during the dewatering process?
Through our 10 years of groundwater monitoring on the Parkside site, we have confirmed that shallow, perched groundwater exists at various levels throughout the upper 20 feet of the property. The levels are influenced by local conditions: The Wintersburg Channel, irrigation, rainfall percolation and seasonal fluctuations of the regional aquifer. These near-surface waters are not connected to the deeper regional aquifer, thus the term "perched." The regional aquifer has been documented to fluctuate seasonally over a wide range, from as high as the ground surface to as much as 23 feet below.
It is those past fluctuations that are of greatest significance when evaluating the potential for future settlement, or subsidence. Removing sub-surface water - dewatering - is a common practice that has been used in many development projects in the area, due to the area's shallow and fluctuating groundwater levels and its abundance of highly compressible and liquefiable soils. Dewatering and subsidence were thoroughly studied in the 2002 EIR.
Before grading and dewatering operations begin, we will use groundwater data we have accumulated over the past 10 years and our professional team's experience to create a very detailed dewatering and monitoring plan that must be approved by the City's Public Works department before our operations can begin. The plan will ensure that Parkside's dewatering efforts will not draw groundwater below historic levels. This is important because groundwater can move up and down within its historic range without causing any new subsidence below adjoining properties.
During the dewatering and grading process, we expect to work relatively small and controlled areas of the site in a checkerboard pattern. Monitoring devices will be installed and used to monitor grading and dewatering activities during the process. A geotechnical engineer will be on site throughout the construction period to monitor boundary conditions and confirm that dewatering and grading is safely proceeding.
Will the levee improvements impact the area's groundwater table?
The County's recent north levee repair caused a drop in groundwater levels in the immediate vicinity of the levee, but not at more distant locations, like Kenilworth Drive. Therefore, lower groundwater is not a concern for homeowners, but it could be a concern for wetlands - for which a few solutions are available. After Parkside Estates is completed, the County could remove its emergency levee west of our levee system, returning groundwater flow to the wetland area, or, as we have discussed with the Coastal Commission, we could provide water to such areas from our Natural Treatment System. This matter will be further evaluated by the Coastal Commission as Parkside proceeds with its entitlement efforts.
Our solution to possible increases in groundwater levels due to levee improvements could be similar to the solutions used for the Bolsa Chica restoration, in which any increased groundwater on the inland side of the flood protection levee is pumped out, keeping groundwater within its normal levels.
Now that the County has completed its emergency levee repair and Parkside is approved by Coastal, when can we expect to have all the needed flood protections completed?
The County’s emergency levee repairs are only the first step of a four-step process. Before flood protection is complete and homes and businesses become eligible for lower flood insurance premiums, Parkside Estates must (1) complete the FEMA certification process for the north leveee, (2) build a new levee to FEMA standards that ties the north levee to the mesa in order to provide tidal flood protection, (3) increase neighborhood storm drain capacity by building a large new storm drain, and (4) increase the pumping capacity of the Slater Pump Station.
We cannot begin this work until all our approvals and permits are in place, which could be another year, if all goes well.
When will you begin construction and when will homes be available?
Construction will begin only after all approvals from the City and the Coastal Commission are obtained. The timing of home availability depends on how long it takes to get through the final steps of the approval process and then how long it will take to complete all the on-site and off-site improvements, which could be affected by weather and other conditions. If you would like to receive updates as we move forward, click here.
What will the homes be like and what will they cost?
A number of floorplans and elevations will be available, but plans will not be finalized until after Parkside Estates receives all of its permit approvals. Prices will be set just before the homes go on the market. You can help us start construction sooner by encouraging officials to approve Parkside Estates. Just click here.
How can I find out if my flood insurance will be reduced or eliminated?
Click on the thumbnail map below to view a full size image. You should be able to locate your home’s or business’s location. If it is in the yellow area, your premiums should be eliminated because those areas will be removed from the flood zone. If it is in the blue area, premiums may be reduced because properties there would be moved from the more expensive “approximate zone” flood insurance premium category, to a “detailed study zone,” a less expensive premium category. Of course, FEMA must certify the completion of all the flood control improvements Parkside Estates will install before these changes will go into effect – and work on the improvements cannot begin until Parkside Estates is approved. Once FEMA certifies the improvements and issues a Letter of Map Revision, you will have to check with your mortgage company and flood insurance company.
When will my home be eligible for reduction or elimination of its flood insurance premiums?
Once we have our final regulatory approvals, which we will be working on through this year, construction can begin. Once FEMA certifies that all the flood control improvements Shea Homes has committed to are complete and operational, it will issue a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), which will allow rates to be changed. The flood control improvements must be completed before any homes in Parkside Estates can be occupied. Note that flood insurance premiums will not be reduced or eliminated if only the County’s flood improvements are implemented.
Can I put my name on an interest list for a Parkside Estates home?
Yes! Just click here and put your name on our Information List. As information about these exciting new homes becomes available, we'll let you know.
I’ve heard the site would become a wetland if you stopped farming and didn’t build homes. Is that true?
There is one wetland area at the west end of the property (the "CP") that has not been farmed for a number of years and will be restored and protected as a wetland.. Under the plan approved by the California Coastal Commission, two areas of the farm field totaling 4.6 acres are to be restored and protected as wetlands. The Coastal Commission, which is probably the agency that is most protective of wetlands in the nation, has ruled that all the rest of the farm field does not meet the requirements for wetlands protection.
I’ve heard that flooding will become worse because the fill placed on the Shea Homes site will displace floodwater. Is that true?
Definitely not. Presently, a 100-year storm without a levee breach would cause up to two feet of flooding near the Graham Street/Kenilworth Avenue intersection. That water surface is lower than even the existing ground surface at Parkside Estates, so adding fill will not cause flood water to be displaced. The drainage improvements will keep the flood water within the new storm drain, so the intersection will be “dry.” A regional 100-year storm with levee breach, would flood neighboring homes for hours before floodwater rises to the level of Parkside Estates. The perception that the Parkside Estates site offers flood storage capacity, and therefore protection, is wrong because even today, existing homes would be flooded long before the waters could rise to reach Parkside’s elevation. The flood control improvements will reduce the depth and duration of flooding of neighboring homes.