LAKEPORT — A new housing development broke ground on South Main Street in Lakeport across from K-Mart. The “Victorian Village” project is in phase one?with 14 homes under construction. There will be a total of 95 condominiums on the property by spring of 2008.
The development got approval during a tough time for new building projects in the city?a ban was placed preventing any additional connections to the sewer system last January, basically shutting down new construction. But developers of Victorian Village were lucky?a sewer hook-up already existed on the property.
Lakeport city councilman Jim Irwin is the general contractor of the project. He said he feels lucky that the system was in place, allowing him and his father, Bill Irwin, the owner of the development, to move forward. “My father is the owner. The only property I own in Lakeport is my personal home,” Irwin said.
The new connection ban lasted from Jan. 18 until March 15, when it was lifted after negotiations between the city and the regional water board, which imposed the ban.
“A hearing was set from March 15-16. A number of issues were discussed. The ban on new connections was lifted?but a cease and desist order was imposed that requires the improvements and expansion that we”re working on now,” Lakeport community development director Richard Knoll said.
Lakeport”s sewer system was under scrutiny of the regional water board when it became aware of spillages and overflow of partially treated sewage from the plant. Heavy rainfall in April 2006 resulted in over 60,000 gallons of sewage overflowing, according to the water board. This resulted in the initial hook-up moratorium and the cease and desist order that followed and is currently in place.
Developer Bill Irwin, father of councilman Jim Irwin, found a loophole out of both the ban and having to construct a sewer connection for the Victorian Village as well as avoid paying new hook-up fees?there was already a full sewer hook-up in place on the property. The only hurdle was determining whether or not it would satisfy the needs of 95 homes.
The prior system was constructed for an RV park that had a capacity of 130 RV”s. In January, according to Richard Knoll, the City Council heard and approved Irwin”s request that he could use the system for the Victorian Village. Jim Irwin sat out of all discussions and decisions due to his involvement in the project.
“Irwin took out four permits in July,” said Cheryl Smart of the city”s community development department. “There has to be one permit for each house. We wouldn”t be able to issue permits if there were a limit on sewer hook-ups. So he”s fine.”
Knoll said the project is different than others because the land has a history of development. He said Irwin submitted a map of the existing sewer system used for the RV park to the city, and it was approved by the council.
“The issue was related to the sewer connection moratorium that was in place because the question was ?would the ban apply to this project and would there be fees?” so he was avoiding both by using the old system. There was one problem?it came down to calculating the impact of 130 RV”s verses 95 condos. The determination was made by the city council that they are equal. So that way Bill Irwin could go ahead with plans without having to pay hook-up fees and avoid the ban,” Knoll said.
