LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport Planning Commission has given approval to a new affordable housing apartment complex project but heard concerns from neighbors about how another of the developer’s projects was managed during construction, and also gave the OK to a permit for residential use in connection to a downtown business.

At its Jan. 11 meeting, the commission unanimously approved zoning and general plan amendment changes and other necessary resolutions for AMG & Associates LLC’s “affordable housing community,” to be located on a 3.7-acre site at 519 S. Smith St.

The 40-unit project will be located next to the Phase I and II of the Martin Street Apartments, also built by AMG. The developer’s other projects in the city include Bella Vista senior housing complex and a 40-unit senior apartment complex planned for Bevins Street.

City Associate Planner Victor Fernandez said the 40 dwelling units will be broken down into eight units over five multifamily residential buildings.

Fernandez said there will be 10 adaptable units, six units will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and four units will be sensory impaired units. There also will be a 2,469-square-foot community center, a playground and half basketball court.

He said the development will be accessed from a driveway off S. Smith Street and an internal roadway to connect to phase two of the Martin Street Apartments to the north. There will be 78 parking spaces, including eight that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, plus new stormwater infrastructure.

Commissioner Kip Knorr applauded the developer, noting it’s a difficult building site and that they did an excellent job mitigating issues in the first phase.

However, two neighbors who spoke criticized how the developer’s contractors had behaved on the previous projects.

They described damage to water lines, a substandard retaining wall built to front a neighboring property, a stolen wrought iron gate, people walking through or along their properties, road grinders that made a home shake, fencing on their property that the contractors wouldn’t move, flat tires from nails left behind by the builders, construction that begins early in the morning, concerns about privacy and dismissive contractors.

Commissioner Kurt Combs said he liked the previous projects and was sorry about the neighbors. “But that’s almost an issue of the contractors and how it was handled” and not density or things the commission has any control over. As such, he wanted to see the project move forward.

Commissioner Scott Barnett wanted to know who would make sure to take care of the neighbors.

City Manager Kevin Ingram said he would look into the matter.

Commissioner Nathan Maxman also wanted to ask the developer to put up a visual screen on the south portion of the site for neighbor privacy.

Jacob Soroudi, an AMG representative who attended the meeting via Zoom, said he was disheartened to hear the statements from the neighbors. He said he would pass along his personal contact information so the neighbors could reach out to him directly about complaints. Soroudi said he also would talk to the contractors.

Commission Chair Mark Mitchell, who is a contractor, said hearing about the issues is “extremely irritating,” and he hoped the developer would make amends with the neighbors.

Soroudi said he doesn’t like to hear that their contractors are misbehaving.

Maxman asked again about placing trees or a visual screen for privacy. Soroudi said he has to go to his team as there is a cost to it and that he could get back to the city.

The commission unanimously approved five separate motions — to approve a mitigated negative declaration, a general plan amendment, a recommendation to the City Council for a zoning change, a density bonus and a resolution recommending the Lakeport City Council approve an amendment to the land use designation plan of the Lakeport General Plan.

Ingram said he expects the project will go to the City Council on Feb. 21. All affected property owners will get notices.

Also at the meeting, the commission approved an application from Lisa Tomassini for a use permit to allow a residential use in conjunction with a commercial business at 341 N Main St.

Tommasini wants to convert a portion of the second floor to mixed use as a residence. Plans include adding a bathroom.

Planning staff determined the proposal is in conformance with general plan provisions for the central business district, which requires one parking spot. They noted there isn’t enough space for off site parking, which also wouldn’t conform with preservation of a historic building.

Commissioners said they liked seeing the combination of work and living space coming back.

During the meeting, Lake County News asked if the city was seeing more interest in a move to combining residential with business uses, and if this was a return to historic use in the city’s downtown.

Ingram said they have had a couple of similar requests in the downtown area, as well as some vacation rentals, although he’s not sure it’s enough to be a trend yet.

“It too brings a different life to downtown, having residents there full-time,” Ingram said. “It’s definitely something that we would like to see continue and call a trend at some point.”

Ingram said he didn’t know the age of the building, but believed it likely did have residential uses at some point.

Maxman, who said it was a great idea and he would like to see more of it, made the motions for a categorical exemption to the California Environmental Quality Act and a finding that the use permit meets the requirements of the zoning ordinance and is consistent with the general plan.

The commission approved both motions unanimously.

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