(May 19, 2009) -- So what does LB city staff/management tell the public when the town's non-elected (Mayor chosen, Council approved) Planning Commission has a "study session" scheduled (no voted action, informational only) on the SEADIP (Southeast Area Development Improvement Plan) and an "amendment" to the city's "billboard code?"

Nearly nothing in advance...except for the minimum required legal notice that these two subjects are going to come up starting at a Planning Commission meeting scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Thursday May 21.

LBReport.com has learned unofficially (via a LB Deep Throat) a few things possible on the SEADIP item -- a hot button matter since it affects the future development of SE LB.

We have only speculation about the "billboard code amendment," which may or may not be a hot button item.

Yesterday morning, we asked the city staffer handling these issues for whatever backup material city staff could provide...so we could tell our readers what's coming up. (It's the "what" of reporters' five basic five w's (who, what, when, where, why).

We received a polite email on Monday from the reliable Public Information Officer handling these issue saying she's working on it.

City management and staff obviously know what they're going to discuss. Developers, special interests and their enablers probably know. We don't know if the Planning Commissioners know anything in advance. We suspect some Councilmembers probably know.

The only people in the dark at this point are pesky reporters who might tell the public what's going on (if they can get the five w's) and the public itself (who can't access the material online).

We can't prove it but we think this is basically a manipulative technique that lets city management monopolize the discussion, so reporters will basically only have what staff says at the meeting, not what the public may say (because they'll be blindsided by the cotent).

Here's what LB's Deep Throat tells us about the SEADIP item.

LB Deep Throat says City staff will seek guidance from the Planning Commission on what to do next regarding revising SEADIP. That process will require resources, money and more time to complete. Recommendations from Councilman DeLong's SEADIP committee hit like cold water on a hot pan, angering enviros and a number of SE LB residents who called the proposals too pro-development. The Council responded by recommending additional community outreach...which apparently isn't completed.

The effect of not having a new updated SEADIP in place means the developer(s) of the 2nd/PCH [SeaPort Marina hotel site project], a separate major hot button item, will presumably seek variances and waivers from the current SEADIP -- as TheDistrictWeekly's Dave Wielenga accurately foretold eons ago. (That's something that an updated, community consensed SEADIP would avoid by providing planned certainty instead of ad hoc variances.)

Deep Throat reminds us that also within the SEADIP area is a soon-to-emerge Version 2.0 of the Studebaker/Loynes commercial development, absent a Home Depot anchor but with some other retailer with a similar footprint.

As for "amendments to the billboard code," Deep Throat offers no guidance. LBReport.com's speculation [with no inside information] is that the item may propose allowing electronic billboards -- not the monument-magnitude size previously floated, but a type now seen in other cities which look [to us] pretty much like "regular" billboards except the displays change. [Comment: The "regular size" ones honestly don't bother us, but they drive some people absolutely bonkers.]

If we learn specifics about this before the Planning Commission hearing (5 p.m. May 21), we'll report it on LBReport.com.