City Council favors housing development on north side

The City Council tonight granted several approvals for University Hills, a large housing development that's proposed to be built north of Cal State San Bernardino.

More details will be printed in Wednesday's print edition. Here are the basics:

The council voted unanimously to approve the project, which is designed to include 980 total dwelling units on slightly more than 400 acres of foothill land north of Cal State San Bernardino.

Los Angeles-based Inland Communities Corp. is the developer behind the project.

Although the council was of one voice in approving the project, some members of the public attended Monday's hearings to raise concerns ranging from the potential fire risks attendant to building a cluster of homes and other residences in fire-prone area and how the development may hinder the ability of hang gliding enthusiasts to safely land after taking off in the San Bernardino mountains.

Cal State San Bernardino geography and environmental studies professor Norman Meek was one of people at the meeting who discussed the potential for fire to burn through University Hills if the neighborhood is built as planned.

Meek said he lost his classroom to the Old Fire in 2003 and maintained that it could be possible to safely develop the land, but at a significantly reduced density of dwelling units.

(Meek said Tuesday that he's not convinced it's safe to develop the land, but has resigned himself to the notion of the city allowing some development there. It is his opinion that planned neighborhood is much too dense given the possiblity of floods, fires, landslides and earthquakes to affect future development.)

David Oatis of San Clemente-based Fire Safe Planning Solutions spoke on behalf of the developers. He said the plans call for safety provisions, notably irrigated zones around structures that are designed to impede any flames' progress from the hills to homes.

San Bernardino City Fire Chief Michael Conrad reported to the council that the design for University Hills is satisfactory to his department.

It was not known as of Monday night when the housing market will turn around to the point when large numbers of buyers will want to purchase homes or condos at University Hills or anywhere else.

Fourth Ward Councilman Neil Derry said before Monday's meeting that it makes sense for developers like Inland Communities to seek project approvals during the current economic downturn so they will be prepared for business during the next upswing in the business cycle.