Welcome
Welcome to the Oak Hills Property Owners Association website.
Here you can view information on proposed changes to our community. Some of these changes will impact our rural way of life for better or worse. Join us and get involved.
To our current members; we thank you, each and everyone, for your membership and your continuing support to keep our community rural.
"Keep It Rural"
Photos From Joe Banashek's Visit
At The May 2nd OHPOA Board Meeting
posted - May 15, 2013
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Lantry Lane Open To Oak Hills Residents Again
posted - April 26, 2013
On the eastside of the Interstate 15 the dirt portion of Lantry Lane originates at Mariposa Road and continues east through the Unnamed Wash before it connects with the Oak Hills (County) paved portion. It is within the city limits of Hesperia (freeway corridor). A few months ago the City quietly decided to discontinue maintenance grading of the road. remove the Lantry Ln. street sign at Mariposa and declare that it was a "dirt trail" and not a true legal road. They came to this conclusion without doing any research to establish the road's legal status and were quite adamant about their decision.
Residents of Oak Hills that have used that stretch of roadway for many years contacted the OHPOA and asked for help. The OHPOA investigated and researched recorded county documents which showed that C.A. Stevens had offered a road dedication (Lantry Ln.) which bisects his approximately 11 acre parcel to the County back in 1992. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors then accepted the road dedication offer and took it into their road maintenance system. When Hesperia annexed what is called the freeway corridor from Oak Hills in 2003 they then also inherited the dirt portion of Lantry Ln. along with the responsibility of maintaining it.
We communicated on a number of occasions with the Hesperia director of development services suggesting that the City also research the County documents to verify our claims. We at last received their final response and decision on the issue.
Thank you Hesperia for finally agreeing with us and getting it right!!!
Hesperia's Response:
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Terry - I was out of the office most of yesterday so I didn't respond to you. We have been looking at this for approximately one month. This morning, we discussed the information received from the County Surveyor's and Assessor's offices. The City Engineer corresponded with them and they determined that, although the offer of dedication (OD) granted by Mr. Stevens in 1992 does not reflect a correct legal description for the intended property, they determined that the "intent" was there. Because of that, they in turn changed the Assessor's Parcel map book on or about March 20, 2013 to reflect the OD. They also acknowledged there are more "correct" ways to validate this, with either Mr. Stevens filing a Certificate of Correction, or re-doing the OD altogether. Regardless, at this time, the City is going to honor the County's decision, accept Lantry Lane as an OD, and replace the City street sign. In addition, Public Works staff will grade Lantry Lane within the City limits, likely one time per year. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Scott |
What's Happening With The Illegal Fire Tax Protest?
posted - April 20, 2013
Click here to find out!
At the April 4, 2013 OHPOA Board of Directors Public Meeting an agenda item about the 20 acre solar farm proposed in a residential zoned area of our community was discussed. Terry Kostak, the OHPOA President, related her objections to the
way the environmental report addendum for a solar farm which had been approved in Newberry Springs had unclear/misleading provisions. Specifically the paragraph that states: The revised Project would not result in any
effects to visual resources that are more severe than
those described in the original Mitigated Negative Declaration. The revised Project proposes
equipment ranging in height from approximately 21-to-28 feet. While the maximum height
exceeds what was originally designed for this site, it is still below the County Code height
restriction of 35 feet (maximum) in the RL zone. It remains true that the solar panels are much
less visually intrusive than other compatible uses. Considering the original approved height of the project was to be no higher than 6-to-7 feet, you can
understand how this statement is misleading, to say the least. View the revised report by clicking here.
The article in the Daily Press can be viewed by clicking here. View the Daily Press article by clicking here. Cal Fire is preparing to mail the next round of fire tax bills to people in the so-called State
Responsibility Area. CalFire will bill you every year until the class action lawsuit is won. Some people have already begun to ask whether they should protest their bill again. If you already
filed the Petition for Redetermination according to the instructions on FireTaxProtest.org, and you received a denial that was not due to your Petition being
late or incomplete, then you do NOT need to protest again unless you face one of three special
circumstances, which are as follows: - Your parcel is no longer located in the State Responsibility Area - Your parcel has fewer habitable structures than the number billed, or - Your bill omitted the $35 credit for a parcel located within the jurisdiction of a local fire protection
agency. If you have not already filed the protest paperwork on FireTaxProtest.org, you should protest now. The lawsuit continues to wind its way through the process and we will be in touch with more
information when it becomes available. Please be patient as lawsuits typically take a long time. Today is the day. The check was received by Non Profit (High Desert Community Foundation) in Apple Valley They called Jayco and spoke to installer, he is planning on installing next week. Monday is a holiday and he does not want to leave the boxes without PO locks, they should be installed on Tuesday, Jan. 22. They have/will have instructions for the residents to pick up the keys. If all goes as planned, mail will be delivered to the new boxes next week. Thanks for your patience, Ken Anderson
Field Representative to Tuesday, January 8th the Supervisor signed what we believe is the last authorization necessary to write a check from this special discretionary fund. I hope that this will mean that we are at the end of this long effort to install these mailboxes. The Contractor has the mailboxes in the High Desert waiting for the check from the County, so I'm hoping they will be installed in the next 2 weeks. Thanks for your patience, Ken Anderson The OHPOA was extremely pleased to be able to release the great news about one of the solar farm projects threatening residents here in Oak Hills being withdrawn. However, we as a community are still not out of the woods yet as far as proposed solar farms go. Don't forget about the remaining proposed solar farm project covering 20 acres and totally within Oak Hills that is still on the books of County Planning and still a big threat to this community. The OHPOA sure hopes that all community members stand behind the opposition to that one also so it does not set precedence within our borders if it is approved. Anyone with a minimum of 5 acres or more of vacant land next to them could be facing another commercial utility project proposal right next door in the near future if it is. Oak Hills is marketed as a desirable and upscale rural residential community by realtors. If Oak Hills becomes checker boarded with commercial utility sites, it would change how our community is viewed for those living nearby or driving through the area. Our property values could take a disastrous hit. We must fight to oppose any and all proposed projects which would negatively impact our residentially zoned areas and our community in general. A notice of a Development Review Committee (DRC) Meeting has been mailed to those who requested to be on the official list of those wanting to be notified of pending actions regarding this proposed project. The OHPOA is on that list and has received the notice. We will be sharing any notifications with the public through this website. This particular scheduled meeting does not require the public to attend. It is only an opportunity for the County departments involved with proposed projects to review them and state their possible requirements or concerns. No final action will be taken at the meeting. The OHPOA has requested any written result of that meeting and will share the information with the residents on our website. Please view the OHPOA website on a regular basis to stay informed on this issue. The notice of a Development Review Committee (DRC) Meeting can be viewed by clicking here. It is an extreme pleasure for the OHPOA to be able to announce receiving the outstanding news today that our 1st District Supervisor, Brad Mitzelfelt, has approved $22,500., originating from his discretionary fund, to be used for the replacement and installation of new mailboxes at the vandalized site on Caliente Road. The subject will appear on the consent portion of the agenda of the Board of Supervisors for formal approval on November 6th. Details and instructions for the replacement needed by the affected residents will be shared in the very near future. A huge THANK YOU goes out to our Supervisor and his very hardworking and capable staff members who together made this announcement possible. Please be advised that the County of San Bernardino is in no way responsible for any mailboxes whether commercial or residential. Mailboxes are considered as "private property" and the responsibility of the mail recipient according to the U.S. Postal Service. Terry Kostak, President The OHPOA today received notice from the Hesperia Planning Department advising us that the proposed solar farm project in Hesperia (West of Caliente Rd.) has been WITHDRAWN by the applicant. No further action will need to be taken to oppose this project...it is off the books! The applicant, David Pitcher, stated in his notice to the planner, "Due to political issue and the lack of support we are withdrawing our use-permit application for the Hesperia 14 LLC solar project." Below are excerpts from the county's press release. This month more than 62,000 San Bernardino County homeowners will receive a bill from the
State of California demanding a $150 Fire Protection "Fee". The San Bernardino County Board of
Supervisors aggressively opposed the State's imposition of this "fee", which in the County's opinion is
not a fee but a legally questionable tax that will provide no additional benefit to those who pay it. "This so-called fee is nothing but a gimmick to plug holes in the State's chronically deficit-ridden
budget, and the residents who are being forced to pay it are receiving no additional benefits or services
in return," said Supervisor Janice Rutherford. "This tax is arguably the most blatant and transparent theft from taxpayers I have ever
witnessed," said Supervisor Neil Derry, one of the leading opponents of the tax. "Most of our residents
subject to this tax will not benefit one iota because this money is actually going to fund the state
budget deficit." "This is one of the most egregious examples of the majority party in Sacramento balancing its
out-of-control state budget on the backs of our overtaxed residents," said San Bernardino County
Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Brad Mitzelfelt. "I support every effort to challenge and fight this
clearly illegal tax, especially since it provides no additional benefit to the safety of those paying it." The Board of Supervisors authorized County attorneys to explore the possibility of legal action
against the state to protect residents against the tax. After discussions with our management, we have decided to delay the hearing on the Oak Hills Community Plan to an indefinite date. Our proposal is to give the interested citizens of Oak Hills an opportunity to review the draft plan and make suggestions to amend the draft. We request that your comments be sent to me by Friday, October 26, 2012. It would be great if you could coordinate your suggestions; however, if you can't, we will accept all comments. We will incorporate as many of your suggestions as possible while still trying to maintain our direction to only reformat the plan. We'll schedule a meeting for late November in Oak Hills to discuss the revised draft of the plan. After that, we propose to go to the Planning Commission on December 20th and then to the Board in late January. Of course this time line is always subject to change. If you have any questions, please email me or call me at (909) 387-4434. Jim Squire At the Hesperia Planning Commission meeting on September 13, 2012, approximately 20 Oak Hills
residents presented their opposition to the proposed 12.5 acre solar farm location on the West side of the
I15 freeway just to the West of where the Oak Hill Road bridge meets Caliente Road. The final and unanimous vote of the commissioners was to pass the responsibility of either approving
or denying the project on to the Hesperia City Council with no recommendations...a rare decision. The
issue will be heard in front of the city council on November 20, 2012. When the hearing notice is made
public, those that requested will be sent a copy from the City of Hesperia. We will also be posting the
same notice on this website. The proposed site is totally within the Hesperia Freeway Corridor and if approved will negatively impact
numerous Oak Hills residents living both adjacent to and overlooking the site. This thought cannot repeated too many times, "IF THIS TIME A SOLAR FARM IS APPROVED MILES
AWAY FROM YOUR HOME, THE NEXT TIME IT CAN BE PROPOSED AND APPROVED RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO
YOURS!!!" Stay informed, helping yourself and the entire community, by learning what you can do to keep projects
like this from being approved. Please join the effort to keep Oak Hills from becoming a "checkerboard" of solar farms. If you have questions or comments, please contact Terry
Kostak by clicking here. The
Hesperia Planning Commission meeting of September 13, 2012 can be viewed by clicking here.
- Approximately 20 Oak Hills property owners/residents were present at the hearing. All who spoke in front of the commissioners or just stated their position were in opposition to the approval of a consideration of a Site Plan Review SPR12-10116, to allow a solar farm on 12.5 acres with the Regional Commercial (RC) District of Main Street and Freeway Corridor Specific Plan located at the terminus of Oak Hill Road and west of Caliente Road. (Applicant: David Pitcher: APN: 0357-063-45). - There were only four Hesperia planning commissioners as one was absent. After the presentation of the proposed project by the planner assigned to the project, the applicant's representative spoke in support of the project and was asked questions by the commission. - Comments from the public were heard by the commission and then the project was discussed out loud by the commissioners among themselves. - A motion to deny the project as presented was made but was defeated by a 2-2 vote. A second motion to pass the proposed project to the Hesperia City Council without recommendations was made and passed by a unanimous vote. As soon as the item is calendared on the city council's agenda, we will post the agenda on this site. They normally meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Hesperia does not allow solar farms in their residential zoning due to their negative impacts. They only allow them in their commercial and industrial zoned areas. The project site is zoned commercial, adjacent to our residential zoning and is located in the Oro Grande Wash. How can they with a clear conscience justify approving one that will definitely negatively impact our residents no matter what the project zoning is? We will need to pack the council meeting room with as many Oak Hill residents as possible. The San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department has scheduled
a meeting to present draft documents for the re-adoption of the Oak Hills Community Plan
and a Development Code Amendment to incorporate the development standards of the Oak Hills
Community Plan into the Development Code. Those in attendance can also review a draft ordinance to
revise the regulations contained in the County Development Code relative to small wind energy systems
and the Accessory Wind Energy Permit. This meeting will be held in the Oak Hills Community Center/Fire Station #40, located at 6584 Caliente
Rd. in Oak Hills from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on September 18, 2012. Everyone in Oak Hills, who is concerned with the future development of our community, should attend
this meeting to review and discuss the proposed actions concerning the community plan and
ordinance. This meeting will also give us the opportunity to request an overlay to our community plan that would
keep solar farms out of our rural residential zoning. The Draft Oak Hills Community Plan and Draft Development Code Amendments for the Oak Hills
Community Plan and for Small Wind Energy Systems have been posted on the Planning Department web
site. Here are the links for each document. Draft Oak Hills
Community Plan Draft
Development Code Amendment for Oak Hills Community Plan Draft
Development Code Amendment for Small Wind Energy Systems Environmental
Impact Report for the Oak Hills Community PlanNewberry Springs Solar Farm Misleading Addendum to the Mitigated Negative
Declaration
posted - April 5, 2013
George Runner joins lawsuit in fight over illegal fire tax
posted March 14, 2013
Important information about your 2013 fire tax bill
posted February 27, 2013
More Good News About Caliente Mailboxes
posted - January 16, 2013
Robert Lovingood
Board of Supervisors
San Bernardino CountyGood News About Caliente Mailboxes
posted - January 11, 2013
Field Representative to
Robert Lovingood
Board of Supervisors
San Bernardino CountyUPDATE: Proposed Oak Hills 20 Acre Solar Farm
posted - October 26, 2012
Good News for Caliente Road Mailbox Users
posted - October 23, 2012
Oak Hills Property Owners Association
Great News!!!!!!!!!!
posted - October 19, 2012
Thank you to everyone who participated in opposing this project!
News From the County of San Bernardino
Residents will soon receive contested State tax bills
posted - October 12, 2012
Click here to view the full text.We Have A New Mailing Address
posted - October 6, 2012
Oak Hills Property Owners Association
13312 Ranchero Rd.
Ste. 18, PMB 378
Oak Hills, CA 92344Oak Hills Community Plan Draft Review
posted - October 2, 2012
Land Use Services
County of San BernardinoReview of the September 13th Hesperia Planning Commission Meeting
Proposed 12.5 Acre Solar Farm Adjacent to Oak Hills' West Side
posted - September 20, 2012
Results of the September 13, 2012 Hesperia Planning Commission
Public Hearingposted - September 16, 2012
Oak Hills Community Plan Draft Review
posted - September 14, 2012
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TO ALL RESIDENTS OF OAK HILLS, I wanted to update you on both the proposed solar farms. There is really no good news to report on either project as of today. In an attempt not to confuse anyone, I'll begin with the 20 acre solar project proposed in OH with the location of Fir to the North, El Centro to the South, Fuente to the West and Bandicoot to the East. This location is North of Ranchero Rd. & East of the I15 freeway. l. Even though county planning has received an overwhelming number of responses from OH residents in opposition to the project, as of yesterday the planning department still is convinced it's okay for that project to be approved in that location. The County Development Code states that these types of projects can be located in a rural living zoning area with the approval of a condition use permit (CUP). That means conditions (requirements) can be named by the planning department to make the project suitable for it's location. It seems that the planning "experts" down the hill know more of what is acceptable here in our community than we do. The "rural" zoning "in the Desert" label continues to give the impression to others that somehow we deserve less protection from blight and projects that will devalue our residential property than the Valley residents do. This has been an ongoing problem for us for years. They don't seem to consider that the High Desert is the direction this county's residents have been migrating to in order to get out of the rat race down the hill. First District's population growth has far exceeded the growth of any other district in the last ten years. Oak Hills is still considered a highly desirable community for the migrating population who appreciate our cherished rural community. Our First District Supervisor, Brad Mitzelfelt, has even made attempts to persuade these so called "planning experts" to change their minds but to no avail so far. The next step in the process is for the project to go before the county planning commissioners in the SB County building in San Bernardino for approval or denial. No date for that meeting has been calendared yet. If the planning commissioners do approve the project at that time, the next step would be to file an appeal which would enable the issue to go before the Board of Supervisors for a ruling on the appeal. It is extremely important that we all continue to stand united and continue voicing our concerns in this matter. We will most likely have another OHPOA Special Meeting in the near future to compare notes and share any additional information gathered from either the OHPOA Board or residents. 2. Our other proposed solar project is located just to the West of the intersection of the Oak Hill Rd. bridge, which crosses the I15 freeway, and Caliente Rd.. The location is within the Hesperia Freeway Corridor and is zoned commercial. This site exists from approximately Caliente Rd. and extends down into the Oro Grande Wash area. The applicant of this solar project wants to cover approximately 7 l/2 acres with 198 commercial solar panels and leave the approximately remaining 5 1/2 acres of the parcel still commercial for future use. In reality, the remaining 5 1/2 acre portion is very steep and it would be extremely expensive to create any commercial project on that portion of the parcel. This proposed project will only negatively impact the OH residents with homes within the wash area and the OH residents with homes on the West ridge of the wash opposite the Caliente Rd. location. Unfortunately for these OH residents, the City of Hesperia has emended their development code to state that these types of projects are not allowed in their residential zoning area but are allowed in their industrial and commercial zoning and hidden out of site. They have therefore admitted these projects do have a negative impact in residential zoning but there are no Hesperia residents in that location and by the parcel being zoned commercial and also out of site in the wash, it appears to be an acceptable project location to them. No consideration has been given to the OH residents who will be in plain sight of this project. The hearing notice is available for viewing on this site and has been the only notice given to the public by the City. The proposed project, as the notice states, will go before the Hesperia planning commission on Thursday, Sept. 13. All residents either living around that location or even just living in OH needs to appear at that hearing to speak or just get their opposition on record. The City and the County have a number of different procedures when considering a proposed project. Learning those differences is important to enable us to respond to any proposed project that may present negative impacts on Oak Hills. Again, we must stand united when attempting to protect our rural community. PLEASE REMEMBER that what is proposed miles away from your home by one applicant can be proposed by another right next door to you the next time. Terry Kostak PROPOSED SOLAR FARM PROJECT RE: Project Number: P201200220/CUP, Proposal: Conditional Use Permit for a 2.7 MW Photovoltaic solar facility on 20 acres located at Fir St.(North boundary), El Centro Rd.(South), Fuente Ave.(West) & Bandicoot Trail(East) There is a proposed commercial utility project to be located on the east side of our rural Oak Hills community. It is urgent that all responses to this proposed project are received by County Planning by Thursday, September 6, 2012 in order to make sure they are included in the planning final staff report which will be presented to the SB County Planning Commission. You do not have had to receive a project notice personally to be able to respond. Anyone who feels the proposed project would have a negative effect on them or their community definitely can and needs to respond also. There is power in numbers. Please help us reach as many people as possible and pass the word to a friend/neighbor. This proposed project is located in a neighborhood zoned R/L (Rural Living) and is allowable with an approved Conditional Use Permit according to the County Development Code. Not only will the numerous homes surrounding this location be negatively impacted by this project if it is approved, all of Oak Hills will be negatively impacted as it will set a precedent for approval of future utility projects. We are not in opposition to the description of this project BUT are in opposition to the attempt of locating it in an extremely inappropriate location within our rural residential community. The entities involved in applying for approval are from Canada and the state of Ohio. They only stand to make money off of this project which will not negatively impact them in any way. When writing your response to this project, please include your name, address and the project number - P201200220/CUP Please email your responses to: Or fax project responses to (909) 387-3223. Project responses can also be hand delivered at:
Click here to view the Land Use Application Questionnaire for the above project Click here to view the City of Hesperia's response to the above project PROPOSED SOLAR FARM PROJECT |
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Oak Hills Community Calendar
Local events scheduled within the next 4 weeks
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Our Rural Lifestyle
We love our rural lifestyle in Oak Hills. Why? Because of the fresh air, beautiful skies and open spaces.
Most of us moved here to get away from "city life".
We want our space and will don our green shirts, apply our war paint and bring out the 900 Pound Gorilla to keep it.
The current Oak Hills Community Plan says it all and there is "no real justifiable reason" to annex large portions of our community, now or anytime in the future, to square-off boundaries with the City of Hesperia.
Local Public Safety Information
Telephone Numbers
| EMERGENCY..................................... | 911 |
| Phelan Sheriff's Office(non-emergency) | (760) 868-1006 |
| Illegal Dumping/WE TIP | (800) 782-7463 |
| First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt | (760) 995-8100 |
| County Recorder/County Clerk | (760) 995-8065 |
| Code Enforcement/Environmental Health | (760) 995-8154 |
| Planning/Building & Safety | (760) 995-8140 |
| County Fire/Community Safety Office | (760) 995-8190 |
| Assessor | (760) 995-8030 |
| Public Works | (760) 995-8220 |
| Veteran's Affairs | (760) 995-8010 |
| County Information | (888) 818-8988 www.sbcounty.gov |
| Animal Control | (800) 472-5609 - Day (909) 876-2504 - After 5 p.m. |
| Graffiti Hot Line | (877)44ABATE or (800)722-3181 |
Web Sites
Visit the web sites listed below by clicking on their link.
CrimeMapping.Com - View recent reported crimes in your neighborhood
County of San Bernardino Disaster Information
California Sex Offender Locator Map