Shadowridge woman to continue day-care fight
By: GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer
Planning Commission poised to deny expansion request | ∞
VISTA ---- A home day-care provider said Friday she plans to fight the Vista Planning Commission's expected move to bar her from expanding her child-care business, a proposal that has riled neighbors in her upscale Shadowridge community.
The Planning Commission indicated Tuesday it would deny Lucy Coyle's request to increase the number of children she cares for from eight to 14. The issue is set to come back for a final vote April 1.
A homeowners group, Shadowridge Owners Association, mounted a petition drive to oppose Coyle's request, gathering more than 400 signatures from community residents. In addition, several of her neighbors attended Tuesday's Planning Commission meeting and said the expansion would lower their property values and destroy their peace and quiet.
Coyle said Friday she would appeal the matter to the Vista City Council and, if that fails, consider taking it to court.
"I'm definitely still fighting," Coyle said. "I pretty much have to. I think the homeowners association has crossed the line."
State law allows qualified people to run in-home day-care services for up to eight children without having to ask cities or counties for permission. But state officials say Coyle must get the city's permission to expand to include more children.
Coyle, her family and her licensed day-care service moved to Portofino Drive in the Shadowridge community in September 2007.
City officials initially approved Coyle's expansion request at a February zoning meeting. The Planning Commission's staff recommended the panel cement that approval Tuesday night, as long as Coyle agreed to keep the children inside for all but two hours a day.
But Coyle balked, saying that the children ---- all 6 years old and younger ---- need to be able to spend more time playing outside in her backyard.
Given that response, the Planning Commission said it couldn't approve the expansion and would take an official vote April 1, after city staff members write a recommendation outlining the reasons.
Although Coyle had her opponents Tuesday, she also had supporters. Some parents and officials from child-care associations asked the panel to allow the expansion.
They also sharply criticized Coyle's neighbors.
Martha Alvarez said her son had been going to Coyle's child-care service for two years, before the move to Shadowridge. Since the relocation, Alvarez said that she had to call sheriff's deputies after one of Coyle's neighbors allegedly confronted her and took her photograph as she picked up her son.
Teene Miller, president of the homeowners association, said she did not know anything about that. She said neighbors object to the noise and increased traffic that the expanded child-care service would create.
Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 739-6696 or gconaughton@nctimes.com.
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Another Reason wrote on Mar 22, 2008 9:16 AM:Here's another reason to NEVER live under an HOA!
Hoa lover wrote on Mar 22, 2008 9:47 AM:
a perfect reason to live in an H.O.A. if someone ... wants to open a day care center let them do it in a business district where all the neighbors don't have to hear the business being operated. Or in this case whining, crying, yelling...
Barbie wrote on Mar 22, 2008 9:56 AM:I think they should let this woman run a day care with as many children as she can pack into her home and yard. I love the shrill sound of screaming toddlers. And who cares if all the parking on the street is taken up by parents dropping off their kids at 6 AM. All that racket will get us up and going early. It's a public street. Who cares if the people living nearby can't find a place on the street to park. All their cars should be in their garage anyway. I live in the area and think I'll start a doggie day care. I should be able to put at least 20 dogs in my small back yard. And I have another neighbor that wants to run a car repair shop out of his garage in Shadowridge. I hope you folks don't mind broken down cars all over the street and parked in his front yard. Anyone else in the area want to run a noisy business out of their home?
Stacey wrote on Mar 22, 2008 1:46 PM:HOA's blow ... I've lived under them in the past and will never do it again because they are just about the most useless things I've ever seen. Paying for them is just something I can't bring myself to do again. That said, 8 kids is a lot for one house ... 14 might be overkill. Depending on the size of the house/property they may not even fit comfortably. I know I couldn't fit 14 daycare age kids in mine. Along with pick up & drop offs, parking has to accommodate staff for full business days as well. A small daycare is one thing, but serious issues (noise, parking, etc) would have to be completely addressed.
father of 4 wrote on Mar 22, 2008 1:52 PM:First of all, HOA's are not all bad. Judging by the paltry 24 opponents that showed up at the Planning Commission meeting, not everyone opposes the issue. Considering there are over 2400 single family homes and 1500+ apartment dwellings in the Shadowridge community. I would put my money on the fact that those that signed the petition were carefully selected induviduals. And to "HOA Lover", lest you be reminded that this is not a "Daycare Center", it is a "Home Family Childcare". Tremendous difference. Lastly, it is sad that this "Family Community" which is represented by Senior Citizens, is subjecting this poor woman to the constant barrage of people meandering around her home in search of what? Let her be and provide a much needed service to our community.
Umm.. wrote on Mar 22, 2008 2:04 PM:HOA's blow big time. It's nothing but a money racket to keep some busy bodies wallets lined. Declining property values, peace and quiet? What the heck? Come on. 8 more cars. Thats all. 8 more kids, 8 more cars. You won't even notice 8 more cars a day coming and going. Twice even. 16 trips. Big deal. Four hundred signatures? Sounds like a horrible place to live already, I mean - what with 400 signatures that means that 400 people must each have the potential to be directly inconvenienced by this. Come on, get a life and get the HOA's out of everyones faces.
2 Hours Per Day! wrote on Mar 22, 2008 2:14 PM:Well it is a sad and wrong day in the Vista Tuscany/Shadowridge community. Teene Miller-HOA Pres.& PCM Management must NOT have represented the true facts to get petition signed!Shadowridge is a Family not Senior community. Mrs. Coyle had the Planning Commission gant the MUP.There are 4 areas to clear:traffic, parking, concentration & noise. THEY WERE ALL CLEARED, the pressure from the HOA to the city was clear and wanted the "condition" to limit the outside time for the children In Her Own Backyard: 10-11 am & 2:30-3:30. 2 hours per day!T.Miller, Kevin & Steve Taylor, PCM should be locked up and only out for 2 hours per day!WAKE UP VISTA CITY COUNCIL. If they DO this to Mrs.Coyle they will have to do it for everyone,if not-it's called discrimination.
14 kids?? wrote on Mar 22, 2008 5:59 PM:I certainly wouldn't want to be her neighbor. 8 hours of yelling and screaming 5 days a week? Why on earth would anyone be upset??
TO: 14 kids?? wrote on Mar 22, 2008 8:24 PM:Not sure where you grew up, this is a family neighborhood. There are kids all around.In a large childcare there are age requirements,some will be in school and not all children go everyday & some PT. The point here is the HOA want to give her "2 Hours Per Day-Outside In Her Own Backyard"! What about all the other large families, large childcares, what if you have a party??If they do it to her they WILL do it to EVERYONE!
Large Family wrote on Mar 22, 2008 9:06 PM:Currently my wife and I have 12 children with a set of twins on the way. If the woman is not allowed to run a daycare with 14 children, would that mean that we would not be allowed to buy a house in the neighborhood? Wouldn't that be descrimination? If ther is no legal limit on the number of children allowed in a family, then I ask how can you limit the number of children at a house under other circumstances? For that matter, would my neighbor, who has 5 children, be prohibited from holding birthday parties for his children (about every other month), where they typically have about 20 to 25 children attending the party. Of course, this might explain why families are moving out of Vista!
Sign The Petition To Get Barbie An Education wrote on Mar 25, 2008 11:29 AM:I could actually go either way on this issue. Primarily I feel like Mrs. Coyle cannot simply pass off the blame for how badly this has gone. As the new neighbor she had a responsibility to explain to her neighbors what she wanted to do and why and ensure that they were able to see the situation from her point of view at least enough to not start a signature campaign against her. However, I'm not sure that the fact that she is a less than ideal neighbor is a valid reason for her to not be allowed to operate her business. That's up to the oppropriate authorities to determine based on the facts pertinent to the laws in place for making such determinations.
However, Barbie just makes me sad. Sorry, but a maximum of 14 DROP OFFS taking less than 5 minutes on average with a standard deviation probably somewhere around 2 minutes between 6am and 9am and another 14 PICK UPS averaging even less time between 3pm and 6pm isn't exactly going to make it so that no one in the neighborhood can park on the street. And, what kind of ghetto neighborhood is this supposed to be where no one can park because for an average of about an hour twice a day there is an average of one extra car parked on the street?
Jennifer wrote on Mar 31, 2008 9:18 AM:I knew a woman who had a similar problem in her neighborhood. She lived right next door to all the noise. She also worked from home and her business required a lot of peace and quite. After many failed attempts to solve her problem she came up with her own solution. She started teaching the kids swear words and told them to make sure they told their mommies the new words they had learned. Now, I'm not sure if I would do the same, but, it worked! Soon after, the kids quit coming around.
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