Yuba City council to take up gated-community question

Yuba City has two of them, residents in a third neighborhood have asked about converting to one, and on Tuesday the City Council will take up whether such conversions are acceptable.

The council discussion about gated communities and requirements for a neighborhood to make that switch comes after the Renaissance subdivision at Bogue Road and Railroad Avenue in southeast Yuba City approached the municipal staff about a conversion, Councilman Kash Gill said.

"They appear to be safer," Gill said of gated communities. "The value of homes seems to be higher."

They're common in Roseville and Rocklin, he added.

Woodbridge Court off Lincoln Road and Cobblestone Court off Blevin Road were built with gates, while Renaissance wants to convert that subdivision, he added.

Gill said he wants to hear from residents about the change.

"There's always — when you have gated communities — pros and cons with that," the councilman said.

A report to the City Council by Diana Langley, deputy public works director, states that to evaluate converting a public neighborhood, considerations include community acceptance about the exclusivity of gated neighborhoods.

Councilman Tej Maan said if people want gates, that is their choice and right. But he's not a fan of such enclosed neighborhoods.

"I don't want to live in one," Maan said. "It just seems a little unfriendly."

Langley in her report said Yuba City sent a request through the League of California Cities electronic mailing request about conversions. One agency required 100 percent approval from property owners and formation of a Homeowners Association.

One hundred percent approval wasn't obtained by that agency and privatization was not approved, she recounted, while another agency won 100 percent approval and the proposal was approved.

Langley said the new request from the southeast Yuba City neighborhood is a good candidate for conversion for reasons including the subdivision having only two points of access.

CONTACT Ryan McCarthy at rmccarthy@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4780. Find him on Facebook at /ADrmccarthy or on Twitter at @ADrmccarthy.