Sierra Madre : Hillside Plan Thwarted

An attempt by the City Council to replace Sierra Madre’s recently approved strict hillside development ordinance with a less stringent version was thwarted Tuesday when attorneys for hillside property owners questioned whether city officials had followed state environmental regulations.

Attorney Carl West, representing property owner Michael Heflin, said the city should have conducted a complete environmental impact report on the proposed ordinance instead of the less-detailed environmental study conducted by consultant John Bitterly. The council delayed the matter until Feb. 6 to allow Bitterly time to prepare answers to the objections.

The ordinance, adopted Jan. 9, limits hillside construction in five vertical zones with densities ranging from 5 to 40 acres per house. The council’s version creates three horizontal zones with building limitations ranging from 15,000 square feet to 40 acres per house.