Utility Waiver - 2002' O,~CH A~.O°
CITY oF CAMPBELL
Community Development Department - Current Planning
November 13, 2002
Vinko and Stella Saric
1149 Peggy Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008
Re'-
Underground Utility Waiver
File No.: PLN2002-00137
1149 Peggy Avenue
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Saric:
Please be advised that the Community Development Director, with the concurrence of the
City Engineer, has reviewed your request to peri'nit overhead services in conjunction with the
remodel of your residence on the above-referenced property in lieu of the requirement to
underground the utilities.
This request has been granted as a waiver of the requirement to underground utilities due to
the limited likelihood that other utility lines will be placed underground in your neighborhood
and the additional cost of having to underground the utility lines.
If you should have any questions regarding this determination, please do not hesitate to
contact the undersigned at (408) 866-2143.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Willsey
Planner I
Lynn Penoyer, Land Development Manager
Frank Mills, Senior Building Inspector
Geoff Bradley, Senior Planner
70 North First Street · Campbell, California 95008-1436 . TEL 408.866.2140 · VaX 408.866.8381 - TDD 408.866.2790
November 7, 2002
Vinko & Stella Saric
18596 Paseo Tierra
Saratoga, CA 95070
(408) 866-7530
To whom it May Concern,
We are requesting a waiver for our utilities to be placed above ground due to the failure of PG&E
to respond in a timely manner. We have done whatever has been asked of us in order to assure
that PG&E would be able to establish service when required. However, each time I went to their
office, I would get a different story, and yet we continued to comply with their requests. Our
frustration peaked on October 31st when we called to inquire about the status of the engineering
that was to be performed on our new home. We were told to expect an 8 - 12 week wait and were
also told that the weather would be a factor in determining when the services would be
performed. If the weather was bad, emergencies could result that would cause an even longer
delay. We do not believe that this acceptable or appropriate. We have worked extremely hard to
have our house done before the holidays, and the work to be performed by PG&E is the final step
in this process.
We feel that this is unfair, as we have performed all of the necessary steps suggested by PG&E.
Additionally, it is frustrating that none of our neighbors have utilities placed underground. We
feel powerless against PG&E as we do not have any other options as far as who can provide the
services necessary for us to move into our new home. No competitive company exists from which
we can obtain these services.
Our first gas application was submitted on April 12, 2002. Two months later I called and was told
that I would need to inquire about whether or not we were required to have underground utilities.
I was told that we were required to do so; therefore, a new request was submitted on June 17,
2002. PG&E then returned my "duplicate check" for gas, rather than applying it towards the
electrical services application. So, I took the check back in to the PG&E office, in person, and
began the process all over again.
Please understand that we cannot move into our new home until these services are performed, and
until we move into our new home, we will continue to pay two mortgages. Please understand that
this is causing a financial hardship for us, and the individuals that were going to begin renting our
house as of December 15t~ will not move in at all if their move-in date is delayed. We know that
you must be aware of the difficulty in finding tenants during these economic conditions and ask
that you take this into consideration. Please feel free to contact us or see our house at any time if
this will speed up the process.
Thank you in advance,
Vinko & Stella Saric