Live Oak approves two-lot Elm Street subdivision, revised deferred-improvement plan

The Live Oak City Council voted 4-1 on Oct. 7 to approve the Medina parcel map and authorize City Manager Benjamin Moody to enter into a revised deferred-improvement agreement for the property at 2962 Elm Street, subject to City Attorney approval. Councilmember Nancy Santana voted no; Mayor Jeramy Chapdelaine, Vice Mayor Aaron Pamma, and Councilmembers Ashley Hernandez and Bob Woten voted yes, according to the City Council meeting recording.

The city staff packet describes the project as a 0.33-acre property that would be divided into two equal parcels for future residential development. The parcel is zoned R-2 and is designated Small Lot Residential in the city’s General Plan.

The agreement addresses curb, gutter, sidewalk and street-widening requirements along the otherwise unimproved Elm Street frontage. Moody said immediate construction could create drainage problems for neighboring properties, setback complications and significant costs on a block without other improvements. He said the proposed framework would give the city five years to require the work; if the city does not require construction, the deposit could be forfeited for a priority city street or sidewalk project, such as a possible gap-closure project on Pennington Road.

During the meeting, council members confirmed that the revised deposit was $30,040. The staff packet’s draft agreement, however, calls for a $6,080 deposit and includes an estimate of $2,080 for curb and gutter, $1,600 for sidewalk and $2,400 for a driveway. The executed agreement and the calculation supporting the revised amount were not included in the materials reviewed for this report.

Santana said she opposed allowing the improvements to be deferred, saying that if the city allowed the arrangement, the required work should be completed. Moody said he hoped the revised approach could become a standard option for similar infill projects, while acknowledging concerns about deferred agreements remaining tied to properties and becoming more difficult to administer over time.

The council’s action permits the parcel map to move toward recordation, but the agreement still requires City Attorney approval. The city’s staff packet states that the final map and agreement are to be recorded with the Sutter County Recorder’s Office; the materials reviewed here do not confirm that recording or execution has occurred.