HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/15/2009, B1 - 2008 GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REPORT Ancouncil
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CITY O F SAN LUIS O B 1 S P 0
FROM: John Mandeville, Community Development Directov�
Prepared By: James David, Assistant Planner
Kim Murry, Deputy Director, Long Range Planning
SUBJECT: 2008 GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REPORT '�1
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
Accept the 2008 annual report on the General Plan and direct staff to provide analysis
evaluating Land Use Element Policy 1.10.4 and recommend options to clarify policy
direction and to broaden options to meet the intent of the jobs/housing balance concept.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive a presentation on the 2008 General Plan Annual Report and implement the
Planning Commission recommendation by directing staff to provide the policy and data
analysis related to Land Use Element Policy 1.10.4 during the Land Use Element Update
policy and program analysis scheduled to be conducted July- December 2010.
REPORT IN BRIEF
The annual report on the status of the City's General Plan is required by state law and
also provides the Council with an understanding of how the implementation of the
General Plan is progressing. The Council requested that three items be discussed in more
detail in this annual review: residential growth management; vehicle sales at Auto Park
Way; and water reserve issues. In addition, the Planning Commission reviewed this
General Plan Annual Report and recommended that Council direct staff to provide
analysis evaluating Land Use Element Policy 1.10.4, Nonresidential Growth Rate, in
order to clarify policy direction and to broaden options to meet the intent of the
jobs/housing balance concept. The discussion in this report provides highlights of key
General Plan implementation issues and achievements during 2008; addresses the three
items of interest to the Council; and more fully responds to the Planning Commission
recommendation.
DISCUSSION
Background
Each year, the City publishes an Annual Report on the status of its General Plan and
actions taken to implement it during the past year. The report is provided to help citizens
and City officials gauge progress towards achieving the goals listed in the General Plan.
The Annual Report is done in part to comply with State law, which says that "the
planning agency shall ... provide an annual report to the legislative body on the status of
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Council Agenda Report
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan 'Page 2
the general plan and progress in its implementation, including the progress in meeting its
share of regional housing needs..." (California.Government Code Section 65400). Land
Use Element Policy 9.3 also calls for an Annual Report, to be completed during the first
quarter of each calendar year. The report strikes a balance between brevity and
completeness and is intended to be a concise overview of recent activities.
Planning Commission Review
On July 8, 2009, the Planning Commission reviewed the 2008 General Plan Annual
Report and forwarded it with minor corrections and one recommendation to the Council.
The Commission discussed housing development over the prior year and prospects for
new housing to be developed in 2009, particularly in the Margarita Area where the City
has an inventory of undeveloped residentially zoned land. The Commission also
discussed the Auto Park Way sales "S" overlay zone and its intent. Commissioners noted
a desire to have the Council address Policy 1.10.4, Nonresidential Growth Rate, and
recommended that Council direct staff to provide analysis evaluating Land Use Element
Policy 1.10.4 in order to clarify policy direction and to broaden options to meet the intent
of the jobs/housing balance concept. Staff recommendation is to fold this analysis and
policy direction discussion into the initial evaluation of Land Use Element policy and
program analysis that is slated to begin in July 2010. More discussion of this subject is
included on pages 7 and 8.
Key Implementation Issues for 2008
The Annual Report is organized around key General Plan implementation issues. These
include Development and Population, Growth Management, Open Space Protection,
Annexations, Major Implementation Plans, Circulation, Safety, Neighborhood Quality,
Parks and Recreation, and General Plan Program Status.
1. Key population and housing issues highlighted in the 2008 Annual Report
a. Residential growth included a net total of 57 new residential units, all
attributable to infill and intensification projects. Approximately 50 percent of
these units were multifamily affordable dwellings. The three-year annual
average residential growth rate for 2006-2008 was .30 percent, well below the
one percent maximum allowed by the City s Growth Management
Regulations.
b. According to the State of California, Department of Finance, population in the
City of San Luis Obispo rose approximately one percent in 2008 to an
estimated 44,697 people. This follows a nominal .2 percent drop in
population during 2007.
c. The City's current estimated population of 44,697 is a gradual increase from
2000, when the figure was 44,179. Housing development has slightly
outpaced population growth in the same time period, with over 1,200 new
dwellings constructed in the City since 2000.
d. As reported in prior reports, the lack of population growth is primarily
attributable to a consistent, downward trend in household size. When the
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Council Agenda Report -
2008 Annual Report on ?he General Plan Page 3
General Plan was prepared, a straight line population per household factor of
2.35 was anticipated. In 2000, the average household size stood at 2.27
people per dwelling. The City's average household size has now fallen to 2.19
people per dwelling.
2. Other 2008 Annual Report Highlights
a. Nonresidential development slowed significantly during 2008. A total of
116,589 square feet of new commercial floor area was occupied last year,
down from 317,082 square feet in the previous year. Significant 2008
nonresidential developments included: commercial shell buildings in the
Airport Area, additions to the Children's Museum in Downtown, a new
United Methodist Church facility, and various office buildings.
b. Amendments were approved to the General Plan Land Use Map to upzone
areas around Cal Poly to promote infill housing.. An amendment was also
approved to rezone land near the railroad station to accommodate a new
Housing Authority development.
c. All of the remaining portions of the Margarita Area were annexed, along with
major portions of the Airport Area, including development along Suburban
Road, Vachell Lane, Broad Street and Tank Farm Road.
d. The Natural Resource Protection Program increased the City's open space
protective holdings by 851 acres at Stenner Ranch and on the Stenner Creek
Road property.
e. The Nacimiento Pipeline Project is under construction, enabling the City to
meet the projected water supply needs at General Plan build-out of 9,290 acre
feet.
f. The City was successful in obtaining sizable State Bicycle Transportation
Account grants for several phases of the Railroad Safety Trail.
g. The City published its seventh annual Traffic Safety Report identifying high
crash locations within the City and recommending mitigation measures to
reduce the crash rates.
h. 72 buildings are in compliance with Seismic Retrofit requirements by the end
of 2008, and 54 buildings still require strengthening.
i. Multiple renovations were completed at the Laguna Lake Municipal Golf
Course.
Specific Items for 2008 Annual Report
For the 2008 Annual Report process, Council directed staff to provide further analysis on
three specific items related to General Plan implementation. The following sections
address these topics of interest: residential growth management; vehicle sales at Auto
Park Way; and water reserve issues.
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Council Agenda Report
�J
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page 4
1. Residential Growth Management
The 2008 General Plan Annual Report includes,an update on the status of the City's
Residential Growth Management regulations. Due to the Recession, very little residential
development is anticipated to occur during the current 2008-2010 interval, the City has an
opportunity to consider alternatives for how to amend the schedule, going forward.
The basic concern identified is that the development horizons for housing in the
Margarita Area and the Orcutt Area appear to have converged. The 1994 Land Use
Element envisioned development of the Margarita Area between 2004 and 2010, and the
Orcutt Area between 2011 and 2017. Now it appears that both areas could be moving
forward during the 2011-2017 timeframe.
In 2006, the City Council provided staff with direction to consider alternatives for
revising the phasing schedule. The current growth management regulations were deemed
an appropriate means to implement Land Use Element Policy 1.10.1. That policy states
that growth rates "should provide for the ....gradual assimilation of new residents" in
addition to ensuring that growth is consistent with the City's ability to provide resources
and services. Therefore, to consider changes to the City's growth management
regulations, the Council needs to determine that alternatives under consideration meet the
intent of gradually assimilating growth or that revisions are required to Policy 1.10.1.
One scenario discussed in 2006 involved increasing the length of each interval in the
schedule from three years to eight years, while maintaining an average growth rate of one
percent over the eight-year cycle. Another alternative would be to vest units within each
expansion area based on the current phasing schedule. In the latter scenario, once an
interval is past, all of those units would be available for construction during the next
interval in addition to the units already planned for that time period. This scenario would
also maintain the one percent growth limit measured across the entire time period
identified in the phasing schedule.
Both of these alternatives would allow for development in the Margarita Area and Orcutt
Area to occur simultaneously. The short-term impacts of this level of development could
include additional traffic, construction related air quality impacts, and other impacts
associated with increased population. This will involve considering the consequences of
the change by comparing the benefits of increased housing production with the short-term
impacts from increased construction and population growth.
While both scenarios need additional evaluation, the vesting scenario appears to have a
couple of key advantages in terms of stimulating housing development in the expansion
areas. For instance, it would allow developers to base their decisions on consumer
demand for housing over time, rather than receive a temporary unit allocation from the
City that would be lost if all of the units were not constructed by the end of the interval.
In addition, vesting would allow developers to better match the number of units that are
constructed with the infrastructure costs of that particular phase of residential
development. Presently, housing developers are being asked to make large outlays for
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Council Agenda Report —
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page b
public improvements, such as Prado Road construction, that would be reimbursed over
time with impact fees as more and more units are constructed. If developers were better
able to match the cost of required infrastructure with the number of housing units they
construct, the cost of financing these major improvements could be reduced.
Finally, allowing housing production in the expansion areas to occur simultaneously
would benefit buyers by increasing housing options. Both expansion areas include plans
for unique housing types such as mixed-use development, attached single-family homes,
various types of multi-family housing and traditional, single-family detached housing.
Increasing supply and competition in the local housing market could mitigate the
potential for housing costs to skyrocket once the larger housing market rebounds.
The expansion areas have the potential to add up to 1,868 new dwellings to the City's
housing stock which, according to the State Department of Finance, is now comprised of
20,222 dwellings. The new dwellings represent a 9% increase in the City's total housing
stock. While the proposal of allowing "vesting" of allocations is the preferred scenario,
the question must be asked whether this option preserves the intent of a more "gradual
assimilation of growth." Since a developer would be able to vest allocations from
previous cycles but not future cycles, the implementation of this option would only allow
a larger influx of new housing if all developers in both expansion areas waited until the
last cycle to build. Since infill residential development would most likely be occurring in
the interim, even this scenario would be unlikely to result in a 9% increase in the City's
housing stock. The likely scenario will be that developers will accumulate enough
allocations to accommodate the costs of the associated infrastructure but that growth will
still be gradual enough to meet the intent of Policy 1.10.1. Staff recommends that
Council direct staff to return with changes to the growth management ordinance after
fully"fleshing out"the vesting approach to residential allocations.
Z Vehicle Sales at Auto Park Way
The 25.6-acre piece of property at 1413
Calle Joaquin to the immediate northeast . r
of Kimball Motors was officially annexed
to the City of San Luis Obispo on
November 7, 2005. Prior to that, the
former property owner, Kelly Gearhart, ^°`
had received approvals from the City for a
General Plan Amendment, pre-zoning, a
parcel map, and annexation of the
property to develop one-half of the site
with four separate parcels for an expansion je
of auto sales and retaining the remainder
Pspace.
in o en
6
Support for the annexation of the L
property and approval of the other
Figure 3: Ve6lele Sales Area at Auto Park Way
entitlements was predicated on the Q
sr us�lspo �vamaeseesaao w
(31-5-
Council Agenda Report
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page 6
project's consistency with Land Use Element (LUE) Policy 3.6.7, which calls for the
continuation and expansion of the Auto Park Way vehicle sales center. LUE Figure 3 is
referenced in this policy and specifically shows the project site among those earmarked
for expansion of auto sales in the area.
At the time that the property was annexed, the assumption was that further development
of the four sites for auto dealership uses was imminent. Although it is clear from the
policy and environmental analysis conducted when the project was reviewed that the
intention was to develop the sites for auto sales, neither the General Plan Land Use
District nor the site's Service-Commercial (C-S) zoning mandate auto dealership
development.
The sites have not developed and the Recession has intervened resulting in the depression
of the auto industry. Consequently, there has been interest in other uses at the site
consistent with the site's C-S zoning beyond auto sales. Thus far staff has been
successful in advising potential developers of the General Plan policy inconsistency with
establishing other uses at the site. However, in the interest of supporting the long-range
goals of the City's General Plan and accurately documenting the intended uses of the site
for auto dealership uses, an "S" overlay could be added to the site's C-S zoning. The "S"
overlay would create a cross reference to the policy in the Zoning Regulations which is
where many people look when considering land uses allowed on a piece of property. The
cross reference need not create an added level of restriction to future development. Staff
recommends the Council direct staff to return with a zone change to add the "S" overlay
and supporting language in the Zoning Ordinance.
3. Water Reserve Issues
The policies in the Water Management Element of the General Plan determine the water
available for new development. Section 8.2.A. states "The City will determine the water
available for allocation to new development by either; the adopted safe annual yield of the
City's water supplies minus present demand as identified in Policy 3.1.4, or the projected
demand at build-out as identified in Policy 3.1.3 minus present demand as identified in
Policy 3.1.4; whichever is less. Available allocations will be assigned to development in
a way that supports balanced growth, consistent with the General Plan." Policy 3.4 and
related policies define present demand as the current population times the adopted per
capita water use rate (145 gallons per capita per day). The following table summarizes
the total water supply available to serve new development:
Water Available for Development (Acre Feet)
Present Water Water Available
Safe Annual for Allocation
Year Population Demand Yield' based on General
@ 145 gpcd Plana
2008 44,697 7,260 a.f. 11,090 a.f. 1,836 a.f.
I Additional water needed to serve General Plan build-out population of 56,000
2 From Water Management Element, Table l: includes reductions due to siltation to date. Includes
the increase in safe annual yield from the Water Reuse Project (130 afy), the expanded
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Council Agenda Report
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page 7
conservation programs(120 afy)and the Nacimiento Project(3,380 afy).
3 Additional water needed to serve build-out population of 56,000 (demand at build-out minus
present demand or 9,096—7,260= 1,836).
Policy 1.13.2.A. in Chapter 8 "Water and Wastewater" section of the General Plan states:
"Allocations from a new water supply project shall be considered available at the time
project construction is initiated." With the Nacimiento Project currently under
construction, this policy means that the additional 3,380 acre feet per year of water from
the Nacimiento Project is now be added to the water available for new development. With
these additional water supply sources, the total safe annual yield for 2008 is 11,090 af.
With these available water supplies, the City can meet the projected water supply needs at
General Plan build-out of 9,096 acre feet, plus an additional 1,994 acre feet available to
meet secondary water supply needs identified in the Water Management Element for
unforeseen circumstances.
Planning Commission Recommendations
1. Land Use Policy 1.10.4
Policy l.10.4 addresses the City's intent to monitor non-residential growth and prompted
the Planning Commission to discuss the corresponding issue of jobs-housing balance.
The Planning Commission expressed discomfort with not having metrics to understand
how the non-residential development rates addressed by Land Use Element Policy 1.10.4
relate to residential development rates: It is important to recognize that this Land Use
Policy's consideration and monitoring of non-residential growth rate is not currently
based on residential growth. Likewise,the City's residential growth management policies
(LU 1.10.1 through LU 1.103) are not based on non-residential development. This is
discussed in more detail below with comparative metrics under the heading Jobs/Housing
Balance.
Policy LU 1.10.4 states:
LUE 1.10.4: Nonresidential Growth Rate:
Each year, the City Council will evaluate the actual increase in nonresidential floor
area over the preceding five years. The Council shall consider establishing limits for
the rate of nonresidential development if the increase in nonresidential floor area for
any five-year period exceeds five percent, except the first 300,000 square-feet of
nonresidential floor area constructed after 1994 shall be excluded from calculating
the increase. Any limits so established shall not apply to:
A. Changed operations or employment levels, or relocation of ownership change,of
any business existing within the City at the time the limit is set;
B. Additional nonresidential floor area within the downtown core;
C. Public agencies;
D. Manufacturing, light industrial, or research businesses.
Table 3-B of the Annual Report summarizes nonresidential construction since 1995.
I )
Council Agenda Report
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page 8
The cumulative increase in nonresidential floor area has exceeded five percent for every
five-year period since 1995. Each year the Council has considered whether or not to
implement limits to new nonresidential floor area and has decided against establishing
limits. It is important to note that if limits are established they would only apply to
certain types of new commercial floor area, such as certain types of offices or new retail
establishments outside of the downtown core.
In 2008, non-residential development slowed from the previous year. The averaged
annual non-residential growth rate in 2008 was 2.14%. The majority of development
occurred in the Services and Manufacturing areas at the south side of the City near
Suburban and Tank Farm Roads. Significant developments included commercial shell
buildings in the Airport Area, an addition to the Children's Museum in the Downtown
core, a new United Methodist Church facility, and various office buildings. There was a
notable increase in mixed-use projects with commercial components under consideration
in 2008, including completion of the People's Self Help project on South Higuera Street,
which has three commercial storefronts.
In the upcoming years, several entitled non-residential and mixed use projects could start
construction. Most of these projects will add to both non-residential and residential
statistics. While the economic conditions have depressed financing for commercial
developments, these projects have been entitled and could proceed once financing is
available:
1. Vaquero. A 33-unit mixed-use building on the corner of Marsh and Nipomo
Streets.
2. Pacific Courtyards. Mixed-use project with office and 11 residential units
located between Morro and Osos Streets on land currently used as a parking lot.
3. Foster's Freeze site. Mixed-use commercial and residential project on the
northwest corner of Marsh and Nipomo Streets.
4. 1120 Morro St. (Rose and Henry Tailors). Mixed-use project with commercial
and 12 residential units between Marsh and Higuera Streets.
5. Leitcher House. Office, hotel and residential mixed-use complex in the
Downtown core on Monterey Street.
6. Art Center. Three-story building downtown to replace existing center will
provide space for exhibition, education and related cultural events.
2. Jobs/Housing Balance
The City's Policy
The City's current policy regarding jobs/housing balance is based on the proportions of
residential and non-residential land use at buildout. According to General Plan Policy LU
1.4, "the gap between housing demand (due to more jobs and college enrollment) and
supply should not increase."
The General Plan goes on to establish an upper limit on the average annual growth of
housing supply (LU 1.10.2) and to monitor the 5-year growth of non-residential land uses
(LU 1.10.4). Policy LU 1.10.4's monitoring and non-residential growth rate
Bi -0�r
Council Agenda Report -
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page 9
consideration is not currently based on residential growth. Likewise, the City's
residential growth management policies (LU 1.10.1 through LU 1.10.3) are not based on
non-residential development. While Land Use Element Policy 1.4 indicates that the gap
between housing demand and supply should not get worse, it did not link timing of this
gap with the subsequent policies that address non-residential growth rates and growth
management policies. The overall growth pattern and buildout of the General Plan was
the basis for the EIR's evaluation of impacts, and this has remained the constant measure
of complying with Policy LU 1.4. Leading up to buildout, it is primarily the market that
is determining the rates of residential and non-residential growth. The City's residential
1% average annual residential growth rate could become a limit to the market, but since
its adoption that has not occurred.
Policy LU 1.4 was adopted in 1994 at the same time as a Land Use Map of the City. The
Environmental Impact Report for the 1994 Land Use Map addressed the City's
jobsihousing ratio. The Land Use Map established a ratio that has more jobs than
housing units. This was the result of setting a land use goal of being a regional
employment center and a hub for government, cultural, medical, professional, retail and
entertainment employment in the county while not growing beyond available natural and
fiscal resources. The LUE EIR predicted that new development subsequent to 1994
would result in a jobs/housing balance of 3.77, but when averaged with existing
development, at build-out, this ratio would be 2.16.
Table 5 shows the closest scenario to the ultimately adopted land use plan for jobs and
housing characteristics from the 1994 Land Use Element EIR:
Table 5—Jobs and Housing Characteristics
Employment Dwelling Units Em /DU
1994 Existing 33,342 19,150 1.74
New Development 18,932 5,023 3.77
only
Total at Buildout 52,274 24,173 2.16
Source: 1994 Land Use Element EIR
The City Council adopted overriding findings for this impact and included Land Use
Element policy 1.4 which states, "The gap between housing demand (due to more jobs
and college enrollment) and supply should not increase" [beyond what was
accommodated in the adopted land use map].
3. Policy Changes or Clarifications
The Planning Commission's recommended that Council direct staff to clarify policy
direction and to broaden options to improve the jobs/housing balance. Because current
data indicates that both residential and non-residential growth is substantially in line with
the growth policies in the Land Use Element, the Commissions' recommendation
suggests certain questions: q
Council Agenda Report
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page 10
1. Are the existing policies clearly worded?
2. Do the current growth management policies still reflect the City's values?
3. Should City policy be modified to require non-residential growth limits?
4. If so, are growth exemptions for specific uses (such as manufacturing, research,
public uses, and non-residential uses in the downtown core) still desirable?
5. Does the City Council's consistent annual determination that non-residential
growth limits would be incompatible with City goals for remaining a regional hub
and maintaining fiscal stability suggest that Policy 1.10.4 should be eliminated?
6. Is it the intent of the Council to simply evaluate non-residential growth annually?
7. Should the growth of residential and non-residential land uses be linked?
These questions will be asked as a part of the Land Use Element and Circulation Element
update and should be considered in light of the General Plan's primary land use goals.
This is scheduled to occur in 2010-2011. More complete information regarding numbers
of jobs will need to be developed to fully understand where the City is in its journey
toward "build-out". While the current square footage of non-residential development is
known, the actual numbers of jobs related to that square footage is not known.
Furthermore, evaluation of total acreage of non-residential land and changes to existing
zoning standards to allow development of residential units in non-residential zones needs
to be completed to understand how the relationship of these two sectors is developing.
It is also important to consider that regional policies are currently being developed
through a SLOCOG forum that are likely to inform the City's consideration of a
jobs/housing balance. In addition, the importance of maintaining and increasing local
revenues continues to increase as the State of California continues to reduce revenue
sharing and funding for local governments. For these reasons, it may be prudent to visit
the basic policy questions during the Land Use Element update.
FISCAL IMPACTS
When the General Plan was prepared, it was accompanied by a fiscal impact analysis,
which found that overall the General Plan was fiscally balanced. The annual report does
not change the General Plan and, therefore, has a neutral fiscal impact.
CONCURRENCES
The Community Development Department prepares the Annual Report on the General
Plan, with significant input from other City departments. The Public Works, Parks and
Recreation, Utilities, Police, Fire, Finance, and Administration departments provided
information for this report.
ALTERNATIVES
1. The Council may accept the 2008 General Plan Annual Report D I
D —/ L)
Council Agenda Report
2008 Annual Report on the General Plan Page 11
2. The Council may direct staff to make changes to the 2008 General Plan Annual
Report.
3. The Council may direct staff to address revisions to Land Use Element Policy 1.10.4
immediately instead of addressing non-residential growth rates as a part of the Land
Use Element update. This may require re-prioritizing of existing work efforts.
4. The Council may continue discussion if additional information is needed.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2008 General Plan Annual Report
2. Planning Commission Minutes, July 8, 2009
GACD-PLAMI KMURRYWnnual Repon\21008\GP-AnnuaICAR(2008)Final.doc
I I
Attachment 1
city of san Luis oBispo
2008
annual izepoRt on the qjeneRal plan
t r
e
.4, .
> y
The first section of the
_ Bob Jones City to Sea
l
r 1 Trail within the City
limits was completed.
r
,r
Mixed-use development
increased in 2008,
including construction of
the People's Self-Help
affordable housing project
on South Higuera.
Attachment 1
This report was prepared by the Community Development Department, for review
by the Planning Commission and acceptance by the City Council. The
Community Development Department's Long-range Planning Division often
takes the lead for staff work involving the General Plan. However, all City
departments and commissions are involved in General Plan issues, contributing to
the plan's implementation and this report.
City of San Luis Obispo
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is to serve all persons in a positive and courteous manner and help
ensure that San Luis Obispo continues to be a healthy, safe, attractive, and
enjoyable place to live, work, or visit. We help plan the City's form and character,
support community values, preserve the environment, promote wise use of
resources, and protect public health and safety.
Our Service Philosophy
The City of San Luis Obispo Community Development Department staff provides
high quality service when you need it. We will:
• Listen to understand your needs;
• Give clear, accurate and prompt answers to your questions;
• Explain how you can achieve your goals under the City's rules;
• Help resolve problems in an open, objective manner;
• Maintain high ethical standards; and
• Work to improve our service.
Report reviewed by the Planning Commission July 8, 2009, and accepted
by the City Council on September I S,2009.
13 ( - (3
Attachment 1
city of san Luis oBispo geneual plan annual aepoRt 2008
Report at a Glance
Introduction Page 5
The General Plan is a comprehensive statement of the City's goals and how
those goals will be achieved over the long-run.
Administration of the General Plan
General Plan Status
Amendments Page 5
In 2008, amendments were approved to the General Plan to upzone areas
around Cal Poly to promote infill housing. An amendment was also approved
to rezone land near the railroad station to accommodate a new Housing
Authority development.
Implementation of the General Plan
Development& Population
Housing& Residents Page 9
According to the California Department of Finance, the population of the City
of San Luis Obispo was estimated to be 44,697 residents as of January 1,
2008, representing a small increase in City population of 1% from the prior
year's population of 44,239.
Ouantified Objectives Page 10
About 27% of all housing production during the Housing Element planning
period (January 2004 to July 2009) was affordable to very-low, low and
moderate income households.
Affordable Housing Page 10
People's Self Help Housing on South Higuera completed construction funded
in part by the Housing Program. The City also helped finance Laurel Creek,
Humbert Street Housing, and provided down payment assistance for two loans
through the First Time Homebuyers Program.
Growth Management
Residential Growth Management Page 17
The last three years of housing production have been below average and did
not approach the limits established by City growth management regulations.
Commercial and Industrial Growth Management Page 18
Development of commercial floor area slowed to an annual growth rate of
1.05 percent, bringing the cumulative growth rate for the past five years down
to 10.87 percent. The majority of commercial development was in Services
and Manufacturing areas near the airport.
Open Space Protection Page 21
The Natural Resource Protection Program increased the City's open space
protective holdings by 851 acres at Stenner Ranch and on the Stenner Creek
Road property.
paC4E 1 ,-,y
Attachment 1
city of san Luis osispo GeneuaL plan annual aepoRt 2008
Annexations Page 21
In 2008, progress continued on the Council approved annexation phasing plan
for the Margarita Area and Airport Area. In the first phase, all of the
remaining portions of the Margarita Area were annexed, along with major
portions of the Airport Area, including development along Suburban Road,
Vachell Lane, Broad Street and Tank Farm Road.
Major Implementation Plans
Margarita Area Specific Plan Page 22
City staff continued to work with Margarita Area property owners on
additional subdivision plans and on plans for installing key infrastructure
required to serve the new residential development.
Airoort Area Specific Plan Page 22
Efforts are on-going to annex the remaining portions of this major City
expansion area that are still under County jurisdiction, and the MOU with the
County provides the City with significant influence on land uses in the
remaining area to the south of the city.
Orcutt Area Specific Plan Page 23
Several public hearings on the Draft OASP and EIR occurred during 2008.
These included hearings by the Cultural Heritage Committee, Architectural
Review Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Airport Land Use
Commission, and nine separate Planning Commission meetings.
Broad Street Corridor Plan Page 23
In 2008, expanded traffic studies began for the Corridor in response to
Planning Commission direction. Form-based codes and architectural
standards were updated to address comments from the public and advisory
bodies.
Vehicle Sales Area at Auto Park Way Page 24
An "S" overlay is being considered to accurately document the intended uses
of the site and implement General Plan policy goals to locate auto dealership
uses at Auto Park Way.
Water Supply Page 24
With the Nacimiento Project currently under construction, the City can meet
the projected water supply needs at General Plan build-out of 9,290 acre feet,
plus an additional 1,800 acre feet available to meet secondary water supply
needs identified in the Water Management Element for unforeseen
circumstances.
Circulation
Transportation Network Improvements Page 25
Among many improvements, new traffic signals were installed at several
intersections and the LOVR Bridge over US 101 was restriped to
accommodate three lanes instead of two.
paGC 2 �!S
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city of san lues oaispo geneRal plan annual RepoRt 2008
Transportation Planning Improvements Page 26
The City was successful in obtaining sizable State Bicycle Transportation
Account grants for several phases of the Railroad Safety Trail. Also, the first
section of the Bob Jones City to Sea Trail within City limits was completed.
Neighborhood Traffic Management Page 28
Eighteen (18) neighborhoods actively pursued the preparation of
Neighborhood Traffic Management(NTM) Plans for their neighborhoods.
Safety
Staff Training Page 29
In 2008, the Police Department continued its efforts to provide training for
City employees in National Emergency Reponses, as required by the Federal
Government.
Critical Facilities Location and Reducing Structural Hazards Page 29
In 2008, Seismic Retrofit deadlines were a major focus with good progress
being made. With 72 buildings in compliance by the end of 2008, 54 buildings
still require strengthening.
Neighborhood Quality Page 31
Code Enforcement—Community Development
Code enforcement cases relating to neighborhood quality (e.g. garage
conversions, housing code violations) accounted for 10 percent of all cases in
2008.
Neighborhood Mediation Services Page 32
The SLO Solutions Program, a free mediation service, served 1,113 residents
during the past contract period.
Parks & Recreation Page 32
Attendance has increased at the SLO Swim Center because of the new
Therapy Pool. Renovations to Laguna Lake Golf Course are completed and
the Playground Replacement Program continues is implementation efforts.
Program Status Page 34
This report includes an update of the status of all General Plan
implementation programs, in spreadsheet format.
For More Information Page 57
Come in, write, call, or visit the City's website to learn more about the
General Plan and the City's planning activities.
paGE 3
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ent 1
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
pace 4
Attachment 1
city of san lues osispo GeneRal plan annual RepoRt Zoos
Introduction
The General Plan is a comprehensive statement of the City's goals and how those goals will be
achieved over the long-run. Policies and programs in the General Plan provide guidance to the
public, staff and decision-makers on development related issues. Policy and program statements
also guide City efforts to promote a stronger community through programs ranging from Adult
Sports to the Neighborhood Enhancement Ordinance. The General Plan is adopted and amended
by the City Council, after considering recommendations by citizens, appointed advisory bodies,
other agencies, and City staff.
Each year, the City publishes an Annual Report on the status of its General Plan and provides an
overview of actions taken to implement the Plan during the past year. This report is provided to
help citizens and City officials gauge progress towards achieving the City's stated goals and
objectives. It is also an opportunity to review how well the Plan's programs are being
implemented and determine if the programs are still relevant or if priorities should be reassigned.
The Annual Report fulfills the requirements of State law, and the General Plan itself, which call
for an annual report.
Administration of the General Plan
General Plan Status
State law requires each city and county to adopt a general plan that addresses seven topics,
typically referred to as `elements.' Additional topics, or general plan elements, may be included.
The law also requires general plans to be comprehensive, internally consistent and that they
provide a long-term perspective. The Governor's Office of Planning and Research publishes the
General Plan Guidelines, which includes the following general plan basics:
1) Geographic Comprehensiveness: The general plan must cover all of the territory within
the jurisdictions boundaries.
2) Regionalism: The general plan must take into account regional plans for transportation,
air quality and water quality, and must spell out measures needed to meet federal or state
standards for the region.
3) Issue Comprehensiveness: General plans must address the jurisdiction's physical
development over the long term, but because the general plan is the most comprehensive
expression of the general welfare, it should also recognize social and economic concerns.
4) Internal Consistency: All of the general plan elements must be internally consistent.
Each element's data, analyses, goals, policies and programs must be consistent and
compliment one another. This includes consistency with area plans and specific plans.
5) Long-Term Perspective: The general plan must address the welfare of current and future
generations, although the time-frames may vary among the different elements. The
Housing Element, for instance,must be updated every five years.
State law says the General Plan should be kept current. The City of San Luis Obispo does this
through this annual review process, comprehensive updates, and through amendments. Updates
to entire elements are done as needed. They look at underlying conditions and preferences.
Amendments are typically smaller in scope and involve changing one part in a way that fits with
paGE 5 3 r,�0p-
Attachment 1
city Of sail LUIS OBIspO r4eneRal plan annual RepORt 2008
the overall framework. Consideration of amendments is triggered by private applications or by
direction from the City Council. Changes to the General Plan require hearings by the Planning
Commission and by the City Council. The type of notice provided for the hearings depends on
the type of proposed change, but always includes a descriptive item on the meeting agenda,
which is published in the newspaper. The City's website and public access television channel
provide additional information.
Element Updates
In 2008, there were no updates to elements of the General Plan. However, work began on the
2009 Housing Element update, as well as preliminary scoping of tasks related to future Land Use
and Circulation Element updates. In order to be prepared to evaluate future changes to the Land
Use and Circulation Elements, a revision to the City's circulation model is planned for the 2009-
2011 fiscal cycle.
Table 1 -General Plan Elements
Element Required or Date of Adoption or Major
Optional Revision
Land Use Re uired 1994
Housing, Re uired 2009
Circulation Required 1994
Noise Required 1996
Conservation and Open Space Required 2006
Element(COSE)
Safety Required 2000
Parks&Recreation Optional 2001
Water&Wastewater Optional 2004
Management
Table 2-General Plan Text Amendments initiated in 2008
Type Location or-Subject Chane Initiated b •comment
Housing Required 5 year Revisions to policy and City
update programs-
Land
ro ams.Land Use and 15 year update Revisions to circulation model. City
Circulation
PAGE 6 - 1
Attachment 1
city of san lues osispo Geneizal plan annual uepout 2008
Table 2a-Land Use Element May Amendments initiated in 2008
Location or Sub'ect Change .Area . Initiated b • comment
1292 Foothill Rezone from Medium-High 116;500 s.f. Applicant;Approved
Density Residential(R-3)to
High-Density Residential(R-4)
to allow for fraternity use,and
provide viable future
redevelopment of adjacent
properties.
1310 Foothill Rezone from Medium-High 129,000 s.f. Applicant;Approved
Density Residential(R-3)to
High-Density Residential(R4)
to accommodate 16 unit
project,and provide viable
future redevelopment of
adjacent properties.
701 Highland Prezoning to High-Density 20,000 s.f. City; Pending
Residential(R4).
851 Humbert Rezone from Services and 238,500 s.f. Applicant;Approved
Manufacturing(M)to Medium-
High Density Residential(R-3)
to accommodate Housing
Authority development.
1050 Southwood Rezone from Services and 176,000 s.f. Applicant;Pending
Manufacturing(M-PD)to
Office 0 to allow office use.
Totalsquare footage u zoned: 680,000 s.f.
Amendments
During the annual review of the General Plan, individual amendments are analyzed to determine
whether or not they signal a trend or emerging issue that the City should address more
comprehensively. In 2008, the City began text amendments to the General Plan, as listed in
Table 2. Table 2a lists the 2008 amendments to the Land Use Element Map.
Infill Development
The Land Use Element (Policy 2.7.4) encourages housing development close to Cal Poly that is
likely to attract faculty or students, to reduce commute travel. In 2008, multiple properties were
rezoned near Foothill and Crandall, about 200 yards from the Cal Poly Campus. Rezoning of
these properties was initiated by applicants proposing a new fraternity project and a separate 16-
unit student housing project. These projects are consistent with General Plan Land Use and
Housing Element policies that encourage infill development to increase residential opportunities
for residents with very low, low, or moderate incomes. Increasing housing opportunities on and
adjacent to campus also frees up housing in other parts of the City. Figure 1 shows the area north
of Foothill Boulevard and surrounding Crandall Avenue that was rezoned from R-3 to R-4 in
2008.
The property at 1050 Southwood is listed in the Housing Element as a location to be considered
for a General Plan amendment to support residential and/or mixed use development. In 2007, the
owner pursued a General Plan amendment and rezone to High-density Residential (R4),
PAGE
►.� �.�.4 ,rt!:� as ,�� l '�e+'`�*2
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.�:: 'moi :� '�� .� •-� ,.:�,��i �:.� `+ ���� 01.•
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Attachment 1
city of san Luis osispo Geneaal plan annual Repout 2008
Implementation of the General Plan
Development & Population
Housing& Residents
According to the California Department of Finance, the population of the City of San Luis
Obispo was estimated to be 44,697 residents as of January 1, 2008, representing a small increase
in City population of 1% from the prior year's population of 44,239. Figure 2 shows the
anticipated City population growth to the year 2022 as indicated in Table 2 of the Land Use
Element. Actual numbers of population and dwellings are included based on 2007 Department
of Finance statistics.
Figure 2–General Plan Anticipated Housing and Population Growth
60,000
■Anticipated
50,000 number of
dwellings
40,000 N �, 0 Actual number
N N of dwellings
30,000N N N
\ ❑Anticipated
20,000 N— � _ number of
N people
10,000 N El Actual number
N of people
0-.1 ` .
1992 1997 2002 2007 2012 2017 2022
Source: City of San Luis Obispo General Plan Land Use Element,California Department of Finance,2008
The difference between the projected population and actual population in 2007 was about I1%,
which can be accounted for by a low average household size and fewer dwellings constructed
than anticipated. By contrast, the total number of dwelling units in the City at 20,222 is only
3.8%less than the trend for 2008.
The projections provided in the Land Use Element were the basis for many other assumptions in
the General Plan, such as transportation needs. Since the actual numbers are lower than the
projections, the assumptions based on these projected numbers should be sound.
Attachment 1
city of san lues oBispo ceneual plan annual Repotzt 2008
Ouantified Objectives
State housing law requires that each jurisdiction identify the number of housing units that are
likely to be built, rehabilitated, and preserved during the Housing Element's planning period,
which is January 2001 to July 2009. These projections are termed "quantified objectives," and
are included in Table 5 of the Housing Element. Chapter 2 of the Housing Element includes
goals, policies and programs to accommodate affordable housing programs that meet the City's
Quantified Objectives. The Housing Element also includes goals for mixed-income housing,
housing variety and tenure, and special-needs housing.
Table 3 shows the City's progress towards meeting the Quantified Objectives identified in the
Housing Element. These Quantified Objectives identify the number of housing units that the
City can accommodate through current zoning, but the construction of new housing units is
market driven. The last three years of housing production have been below average and did not
approach the limits established by City growth management regulations. Table 3 illustrates that
about 27% of all housing production in the City during the Housing Element planning period
was affordable to very-low, low and moderate income households, but did not achieve the
quantified objectives outlined in the table.
Figure 3—Progress towards Meeting Quantified Objectives
January 2001 to July 2009
Target: 4,087 units, Built: 1,602 units
1600
1390
1400
1200 1103 1081
VJ
L
1000
C 777 817
800 - 0 Target
E3 Built
600
400 313
200
79 129
0 ,
Very Low Low Moderate Above
Moderate
Income Category
Affordable Housine
In 2004, the City established a Housing Program Manager position to focus on affordable
housing development and other important General Plan goals. The following is a list of program
accomplishments for 2008:
. paGe 10 I ���
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city of san Luis osispo Geneizal plan annual Reporzt zoos
• People's Self-Help Housing (South Higuera Street.) - Construction of 27 apartments
designated to low and very-low income households was completed in the winter of 2008.
The City Council approved $350,000 from the City's Affordable Housing Fund to help fund
the project, along with an additional $500,000 in the form of a deferred loan for the project.
Project occupancy was completed in mid72008.
• Laurel Creek Project: Watt Communities continued construction of 176 housing units near
Orcutt Road and Sacramento Avenue. The City has been involved in the marketing and sale
of 10 BEGIN units in the project, which include down-payment assistance for eligible
moderate-income households. The down-payment assistance is made possible through a
combination of City Affordable Housing Funds and a State grant. During 2008, the City
opened an application period for a lottery for these units. However, a lack of lottery
applications resulted in the program moving to a "first-come, fust-served" basis for
allocating units. At the end of 2008, there was some interest in these affordable housing
units, however, no units had sold. Price reductions during 2009 are expected to improve the
pace of sales within the project.
• Margarita Area Specific Plan — Two major subdivisions with a total of 375 dwelling units
were approved in the Margarita Area in 2006. The City, Housing Authority, and developer
have come up with an affordable housing plan that could serve as a model for future
annexation areas. The developers are dedicating land (2.75 acres) in two distinct locations,
including completion of the associated public improvements, to the Housing Authority for
construction of affordable, multi-family housing. When the area is built out, 868 total
dwelling units are expected and a minimum of 15% of those will be affordable housing. In
2008, City staff continued to work with property owners to review public improvement
plans. However, the changing economic environment now makes it more likely that
commercial development will precede residential development in this expansion area.
• Moylan Terrace Project: In 2005, the City helped the Housing Authority acquire this site
from Union Pacific Railroad with a $600,000 loan (since converted to a grant) from the
Affordable Housing Fund. In 2008, City staff continued to support the project and worked
with HASLO on revised project plans, consistent with direction provided by the Planning
Commission and Architectural Review Commission. The project includes a total of 82
PUDs. A minimum of 25% of these units are slated for the very low-, low- or moderate-
income housing categories. This project will be the fust ownership housing developed by
HASLO and their development arm, SLO Non-Profit Housing Corporation.
• Inclusionary Units: The Housing Programs Manager administers affordable housing units
established through the City's inclusionary housing program. During 2008, the Housing
Programs Manager continued to implement the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, but because
there were few new housing units constructed in the City, the focus was on management and
oversight of existing units. In fact, at the end of 2008, the City helped a moderate-income
homeowner in the Rancho Obispo neighborhood sell their affordable home to another
income-eligible buyer. This marked the fust re-sale of a housing unit in the City's program.
• First Time Homebuyers Program: The first two loans under the City's First Time
Homebuyers Loan Program were made in 2008. These loans provide down payment
pace ll
Attachment 1
city of san Luis osispo gEneRal plan annual WPM 2008
assistance to low income households in a 30-year deferred payment loan. Affordable housing
fund monies are matched by Home funds to provide this assistance.
• Public Outreach: The City is conducting an increased and ongoing public outreach
campaign, seeking more funding through state and federal grants, and spreading the word
about opportunities and affordable housing units for sale. The Housing Programs Manager is
always seeking opportunities to speak to the community, and in 2008 this included the local
chapter of the California Association of Realtors, the Workforce Housing Coalition of San
Luis Obispo County, and at Cal Poly's Change the Status Quo conference. The City's
Housing website is also being updated regularly and includes additional information:
httrr//www.slociiy.orgcommuni!ydevelopment/Housin ousing.asp
pats 12 I ��
Attachment 1
city of san Luis osispo genepaL plan annual aepout 2008
Table 3—Progress towards Meeting Quantified Objectives
January 2001 to July 2009
Unit Type Very Bruit Low Built Moderate Built Above Built Total Built
Low Very Low Mod Moderate Above Total
Low Moderate
Single-family 20 0 283 0 234 16 226 209 763 225
Multi-family 1,351 60 424 59 352 66 340 335 2,467 520
Subtotal 1,371 60 707 59 586 82 566 544 3,230 745
Units
Completed, 19 19 70 70 231 231 537 537 857 857
I/l/01 thru
12/31/03
TOTAL 1,390 79 777 129 817 313 1,103 1.081 4,087 1,602
Assigned 1,484 - 844 - 870 1,185 - 4,383
RHNA
Source: Housing Element,City of San Luis Obispo,Community Development Department
'Given the deep subsidies needed to construct very-low income single-family units, most housing for very-low
income is expected to be multi-family units.
New housing construction objectives include 977 units of student and faculty housing to be developed by the Cal
Poly University Foundation, in addition to 201 apartments developed on campus in 2003. The objectives are based
on an assumed construction ratio of single family to multi-family housing of 40:60, and a percent distribution of
housing for income groups which is similar to that of the City's RHNA number: Very-low— 34%, Low — 19%,
Moderate — 20%, and Above Moderate — 27%. A reduced objective was set for Very-Low, Single-Family
construction given the high cost and deep subsidies needed for this type of housing. To meet this income need, it is
likely that virtually all of the units will be higher density,multi-family rental housing.
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Growth Management
Residential Growth Management
The General Plan says that "the City's housing supply shall grow no faster than one percent per
year, averaged over a 36-month period." In 2008, the single-year growth rate was .15 percent.
As shown in Table 3-A, annual increases in the number of dwellings have averaged .30 percent
over the past three years. Units that are deed-restricted as affordable to very low, low and
moderate income households are not factored into the Growth Management Schedule because
they are exempt from the Growth Management Ordinance. Dwellings built in the downtown
area are also exempt.
The low rate of residential growth experienced over the past three years has occurred because of
an overall slowdown in the housing market. A gap has now occurred between residential
construction in the DeVaul Ranch area (completed in 2005) and construction of new housing
units in the Margarita Area. Margarita Area housing construction has not begun even though
there is now an inventory of residentially zoned land in the area, with three major subdivisions
approved in 2006.
Phasing Schedule Update
Residential growth management policies are implemented by the Residential Growth
Management Regulations, SLOMC 17.88. The regulations provide for phased housing
construction in large annexation areas, such as the Margarita Area and the Orcutt Area. The
current phasing schedule, shown in Table 4 on the previous page, has been adopted consistent
with Land Use Element Policy 1.11.3. The schedule reflects the City's policy to complete one
neighborhood before beginning another,with some overlap permitted.
An update to the phasing schedule will be necessary during the current phase of the schedule,
2008-2010. The purpose of the update will be to redistribute the 80 units allocated to the
Margarita Area that were not built during the 2005-2007 phase. The update should also address
the potential for the overlap between development in the Margarita Area and Orcutt Area to be
greater than previously anticipated.
Alternatives to the Current Process
In 2006, the City Council provided staff with direction to consider alternatives for revising the
phasing schedule. One scenario discussed at the time involved increasing the length of each
interval in the schedule from three years to eight years, while maintaining an average growth rate
of one percent over the eight-year cycle.
The basic concern that has been identified is that the development horizons for housing in the
Margarita Area and the Orcutt Area appear to have converged. The 1994 Land Use Element
envisioned development of the Margarita Area between 2004 and 2010, and the Orcutt Area
between 2011 and 2017. Now it appears that both areas would be moving forward during the
2011-2017 timeframe.
Another alternative would be vesting of units within each expansion area based on the current
phasing schedule. In this scenario, once an interval is past, all of those units would be available
for construction during the next interval in addition to the units already planned for that time
period. This scenario would also maintain the one percent growth limit measured across the
entire time period identified in the phasing schedule.
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Both of these alternatives would allow for development in the Margarita Area and Orcutt Area to
occur simultaneously. The short-term impacts of this level of development could include
additional traffic, construction related air quality impacts, and other impacts associated with
increased population. Therefore, the! project to consider a change to the City's growth
management regulations would need to'consider the consequences of the change by comparing
the benefits of increased housing production with the short-term impacts from increased
construction and population growth.
While both scenarios need additional evaluation, the vesting scenario appears to have a couple of
key advantages in terms of stimulating housing development in the expansion areas. For
instance, it would allow developers to base their decisions on consumer demand for housing over
time, rather than receive a temporary unit allocation from the City that would be lost if all of the
units were not constructed by the end of the interval.
In addition, vesting would allow developers to better match the number of units that are
constructed with the infrastructure costs of that particular phase of residential development.
Presently, housing developers are being asked to make large outlays for public improvements,
such as Prado Road construction, that would be reimbursed over time with impact fees as more
and more units are constructed. If developers were better able to match the cost of required
infrastructure with the number of housing units they construct, the cost of financing these major
improvements could be reduced.
Finally, allowing housing production in the expansion areas to occur simultaneously would
benefit buyers by increasing housing options. Both expansion areas include plans for unique
housing types such as mixed-use development, attached single-family homes, various types of
multi-family housing and traditional, single-family detached housing. Increasing supply and
competition in the local housing market could mitigate the potential for housing costs to
skyrocket once the larger housing market rebounds.
Although no recommendation has been developed at this time, staff will continue to monitor the
potential for housing production to move forward in the expansion areas and will develop its
recommendation for amending the Growth Management Regulations as more certainty becomes
available regarding the direction of the overall housing market.
Commercial and Industrial Growth Mana eg ment
Land Use Element Policy 1.11.4 includes the City's policies for commercial and industrial
growth management:
I
Nonresidential Growth Rate: Each year,the City Council will evaluate the actual increase in
nonresidential floor area over the preceding five years. The Council shall consider
establishing limits for the rate of nonresidential development if the increase in nonresidential
floor area for any five-year period exceeds five percent, except the fust 300,000 square-feet
of nonresidential floor area constructed after 1994 shall be excluded from calculating the
increase. Any limits so established shall not apply to:
A. Changed operations or employment levels, or relocation of ownership change, of any
business existing within the City at the time the limit is set;
B. Additional nonresidential floor area within the downtown core;
C. Public agencies;
D. Manufacturing, light industrial,or research businesses.
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Table 3-B of this report documents nonresidential construction since 1995. The following table
is a summary of Table 3-B, denoting existing and projected nonresidential growth in the City:
Table 5—Nonresidential Growth Summary
Land Use Areas Gross Floor Area(sq. ft.)
Citywide since 1995 294679863
Institutional 189,310
Office 543,863
Retail 940,285
Services&Manufacturing 794 407
Margarita Area (Undeveloped) 969,017
Neighborhood Commercial 10,000
Business Park 959 017
Airport Area(Undeveloped) 593979706
Business Park 2,114,695
Service Commercial Zone 2,597,191
Manufacturing Zone 685,820
Projected Total 8,834,586
'Total does not include future infill commercial development outside of Margarita and Airport Area
In 2008, non-residential development decreased from the previous year, with the majority of
development occurring in Services and Manufacturing areas on the south side of the City near
Suburban and Tank Farm Roads. Significant developments included commercial shell buildings
in the Airport Area, expansion of the Children's Museum in the Downtown core, a new United
Methodist Church facility, and various office buildings. There was a notable increase in mixed-
use projects with commercial components under development in 2008, including completion of
the People's Self Help project on South Higuera Street, which has three commercial storefronts.
In 2009, nonresidential development is expected to increase. Projects in the pipeline include:
• Vaquero: A mixed-use residential/retail building on the corner of Marsh and Nipomo
streets downtown.
• Pacific Courtyards: Mixed-use project with office and 11 residential units located
between Morro and Osos Streets on land currently used as a parking lot.
• Foster's Freeze site: Mixed-use commercial and residential project on the northwest
comer of Marsh and Nipomo Streets.
• 1120 Morro St. (Rose and Henry Tailors): Mixed-use project with commercial and 12
residential units between Marsh and Higuera Streets.
• Leitcher House: Office, hotel and residential mixed-use complex in the Downtown core
on Monterey Street.
• Art Center: Three story building downtown providing space for exhibition, education and
related cultural events.
• City Emergency Communications Center: A new dispatch center and storage building
located at Fire Station#1 on Santa Barbara Street.
According to Table 3-B, the actual increase in nonresidential floor area has exceeded five
percent for every five-year period since 1995. Each year the Council has considered whether or
not to implement limits to new nonresidential floor area and has decided against establishing
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limits. It is important to note that if limits are established they would only apply to certain types
of new commercial floor area, such as new offices or new retail establishments outside of the
downtown core.
Jobs/Housing Balance
The discussion of non-residential growth relates to the ratio of jobs to housing units anticipated
in the Land Use Element. The 1994 Land Use Element(LUE) and associated EIR addressed the
City's jobs/housing ratio. The Land Use Element and its accompanying map anticipated a ratio
that has more jobs than housing units. This was the result of setting a goal of being a regional
employment center and a hub for government, cultural, medical, professional, retail and
entertainment employment in the county while not growing beyond available natural and fiscal
resources. The LUE EIR predicted that new development subsequent to 1994 would result in a
jobs/housing balance of 3.77, but when averaged with existing development, at build-out, this
ratio would be 2.16.
When adopting the General Plan, the City Council adopted overriding findings for this impact
and included Land Use Element policy 1.4 which states, "The gap between housing demand(due
to more jobs and college enrollment) and supply should not increase" [beyond what is
accommodated in the adopted land use plan]. Based on the State Department of Finance
information, in 2008 the total number of dwelling units in the City was 20,222. If the
employment figures from the Greater San Luis Obispo Region are used with the number of
housing units within the city limits, the ratio of jobs to housing is currently 2.24 — less than the
3.77 anticipated for new development subsequent to 1994 and slightly more than the 2.16
projected at build-out. However, this ratio is not completely accurate because it compares
information from slightly different geographic areas. The employment numbers from the
Economic Forecast for the Greater San Luis Obispo Region include areas outside of the City
limits and include over 6,100 state jobs (including Cal Poly and The Men's Colony), most of
which occur outside of the City limits. The resulting comparison shows a higher jobs-housing
ratio than might otherwise result with employment numbers from jobs within the City limits
only. The planned residential development in the Margarita Area and the Orcutt Area, as well as
conversion of non-residential areas to residential or mixed use development (such as the Broad
Street corridor, downtown area mixed use projects, Peoples' Self Help Housing, and Laurel
Creek Development), will be factors in the jobs/housing ratio at buildout.
A more complete evaluation will be conducted with the LUE policy and program analysis
scheduled to occur in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Open Space Protection
The General Plan contains many goals, policies and programs focused on open space protection.
The policies apply to sensitive lands within the City's urban reserve as well as land in the
greenbelt area that is protected for its biological, agricultural, aesthetic and/or recreational value.
The Land Use Element and Conservation and Open Space Element address this subject in detail.
In 2008, the City's Natural Resource Protection Program completed a multifaceted acquisition
that involved five separate transactions on three properties involving a total of 1,037 acres. The
transactions were:
Sale of a 14 acre surplus property on Stenner Creek Road to the Glick family;
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• Donation of a conservation easement over 13 acres of the 14 acre property (excluding
only the site of the existing residence there);
• Transfer of a conservation easement burdening the 185 acre Bowden Ranch Open Space
to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County;
• Purchase of a 50% undivided interest in the 185 acres from the Glick family; and
• Purchase of an agricultural conservation easement covering the 838 acre Stenner Ranch
in Stenner Creek Canyon, from the Glick family.
The end result of these transactions was to increase the City's open space protective holdings by
851 acres(838 acres at Stenner Ranch, 13 acres on the Stenner Creek Road property). Funding
for the transactions was as follows:
• $300,000 from the City's General Fund;
• $320,000 from the sale of the Stenner Creek Road property; and $350,000 from the
U.S. Department of Defense's Army Compatible Use Buffer(ACUB) program, as the
Sterner Ranch is adjacent to Camp San Luis Obispo.
Annexations
Annexations expand the area over which a city has land-use authority, which is a fundamental
way to implement the General Plan. Annexations can also increase development potential, open
space protection, tax revenues, space for public facilities, as well as service demands and costs.
In general, annexations require approval by the property owner(s), the City, the County, and a
separate countywide body called the Local Agency Formation Commission(LAFCO).
Margarita and Airport Area Annexation
In 2008, progress continued on the Council approved annexation phasing plan for the Margarita
Area and Airport Area. In the first phase, all of the remaining portions of the Margarita Area
were annexed, along with major portions of the Airport Area, including development along
Suburban Road, Vachell Lane, Broad Street and Tank Farm Road. Undeveloped land between
Buckley Road and Suburban Road was also part of the first phase of the annexation, which was
acted on by LAFCO in April, 2008.
The second phase of the annexation would include property served by the Fiero Lane Mutual
Water Company along Fiero Lane, Clarion Court and Santa Fe Road. City staff has inspected
the water company's existing infrastructure and the property owners in this area are considering
financing options to cover the costs of switching over to City water and sewer service. Presently
no date has been determined for the initiation of the second phase.
The third phase of the annexation would include the Chevron tank farm property and the County
of San Luis Obispo Regional Airport. Review of the proposed annexation along Tank Farm
Road for the Chevron project began in July, 2008.
Miscellaneous Annexations
A 20,000 square foot parcel of vacant land near the Highland entrance to Cal Poly is in the
process of being annexed to the City. It is owned by the City and has been prezoned to R-4. This 1
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parcel could provide affordable housing opportunities for students and faculty in accordance
with General Plan policies for infill development near the campus boundary.
Major Implementation Plans
The General Plan requires approval of specific plans as a precursor to development of the City's
major expansion areas. Specific plans typically contain more detailed land-use and design
standards than the General Plan, and address the timing and financing of public facilities.
Specific plans can supersede the Zoning Regulations, or lead to changes in them. The process for
adopting a specific plan is similar to the process for adopting or amending a section of the
General Plan.
Margarita Area Specific Plan
The Margarita Area Specific Plan was approved on October 12, 2004. In 2006, the City Council
approved the first residential subdivisions planned for this expansion area. These subdivisions
include new residential neighborhoods with approximately 315 dwelling units, and land that will
be dedicated to the Housing Authority for the construction of affordable housing. In 2008, the
remaining portions of the Margarita Area in the County were annexed into the City. After
annexation, City staff continued to work with Margarita Area property owners on additional
subdivision plans and on plans for installing key infrastructure required to serve the new
residential development.
Airport Area Specific Plan
The Airport Area Specific Plan was adopted by the City Council in August, 2005. With the
approval of the specific plan, the City's Urban Reserve Line (URL) matches the County's Urban
Services Line so that there is no County land designated for commercial or industrial
development south of the City's URL. In addition, an MOU between the City Council and the
County Board of Supervisors establishes a protocol whereby applicants proposing to develop
land within the City's urban reserve will first be referred to the City to discuss annexation.
The adoption of the specific plan, on-going efforts to annex the remaining portions of this major
City expansion area that are still under County jurisdiction, and the MOU with the County,
provide the City with significant land use control over this 1500 acre area in the southern part of
the city.
Orcutt Area
The Orcutt Area is located in the unincorporated county, southeast of and adjacent to the City
limits. The 230 acre area is bounded on three sides by the existing city limits, with Tank Farm
Road to the south, Orcutt Road to the east and north, and the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) to
the west. There are currently 21 parcels, with thirteen different property owners, in the Orcutt
Area.
A public hearing draft of the Orcutt Area Specific Plan (GASP) was published in December,
2007, and work continued on the Environmental Impact Report for the project. The OASP
includes policies and programs that will guide future annexation and development of the area in
a manner consistent with the General Plan, as required by state law. It calls for open space, park,
residential, and mixed residential and commercial land uses (mixed-use development) as well as
associated roads and multi-use pedestrianibike paths. Residential development would take up
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approximately half of the total area, open space and recreation approximately 45%, and the
remaining land would be developed with mixed-use and public facilities. At full build-out, the
plan provides for 979 homes.
Several public hearings on the Draft OASP and EIR occurred during 2008. These included
hearings by the Cultural Heritage Committee, Architectural Review Commission, Parks and
Recreation Commission, Airport Land Use Commission, and nine separate Planning
Commission meetings. Progress stalled at the end of summer, 2008, because of issues relating to
the cost of infrastructure financing. In addition, the Airport Land Use Commission had
expressed significant reservations regarding the school site that had been planned within the
Orcutt Area. As a result, some additional planning work was undertaken during fall and winter
2008 to resolve these and other issues, and progress on the plan is expected to continue in 2009.
Broad Street Corridor Plan
The South Broad Street Corridor is designated as an Optional Use and Special Design Area in
the Land Use Element. Once adopted, the Plan will include special use and design standards to
promote mixed-uses, higher density housing and more attractive, walkable neighborhoods in the
South Broad Street Corridor. In 2008, expanded traffic studies began for the Corridor in
response to Planning Commission direction. Form-based codes and architectural standards were
updated to address comments from the public and advisory bodies.
The planning consultant, Rick Engineering, has conducted traffic counts and completed draft
traffic signal evaluations and neighborhood traffic calming measures. The next work phase will
be to review and refine a draft street improvement plan for Broad Street between South and
Upham Streets and incorporation of the traffic results into the project's initial study and plan.
Staff anticipates bringing the additional traffic information, Draft Plan and proposed mitigated
negative declaration back to Planning Commission in the late summer or fall, with Council
consideration anticipated to begin by the end of 2009.
Vehicle Sales Area at Auto Park Wav
Four separate parcels are zoned C-S on Calle Joaquin meant for expansion of auto sales at Auto
Park Way. These parcels were rezoned to implement LUE Policy 3.6.7, which calls for the City
to create around Auto Park Way an easily accessible and attractive auto sales and service center.
Questions have arisen regarding other potential uses for the site that are allowed in the C-S zone.
Staff recommends an "S" overlay for the site to clarify that the subject land is exclusively
reserved for auto sales.
The 25.6-acre piece of property at 1413 Calle Joaquin to the immediate northeast of Kimball
Motors was officially annexed to the City of San Luis Obispo on November 7, 2005. Prior to
that,the former property owner, Kelly Gearhart,had received approvals from the City for a General
Plan Amendment, pre-zoning, a parcel map, and annexation of the property to develop one-half of
the site with four separate parcels for an expansion of auto sales and retaining the remainder in open
space.
At the time that the property was annexed, the assumption was that further development of the
four sites for auto dealership uses was imminent. Although it is clear from the policy and
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environmental analysis conducted when the project was reviewed that the intention was to
develop the sites for auto sales, there was no specific overlay added to the site's Service-
Commercial (C-S) zoning mandating auto dealership development.
Since the sites have not developed and there has been a downturn in the economy and auto
dealerships have been particularly hard hit, there has been interest in expanding the range of uses
allowed at the site consistent with the site's C-S zoning beyond auto sales. Thus far staff has
been successful in advising potential developers of the General Plan policy inconsistency with
establishing other uses at the site. However, in the interest of supporting the long-range goals of
the City's General Plan and accurately documenting the intended uses of the site for auto
dealership uses, an "S" overlay could be added to the site's C-S zoning. The "S" overlay would
create a cross reference to the policy, but not create an added level of restriction to potential
development.
Water Supply
The policies in the Water Management Element of the General Plan determine the water
available for new development. Section 8.2.A. states "The City will determine the water
available for allocation to new development by either; the adopted safe annual yield of the City's
water supplies minus present demand as identified in Policy 3.1.4, or the projected demand at
build-out as identified in Policy 3.1.3 minus present demand as identified in Policy 3.1.4;
whichever is less. Available allocations will be assigned to development in a way that supports
balanced growth, consistent with the General Plan." Policy 3.4 and related policies define
present demand as the current population times the adopted per capita water use rate (145
gallons per capita per day). Table 7 summarizes the total water supply available to serve new
development:
Table 7—Water Available for Development(Acre Feet)
Present Water DemandWater Available for
Year Population Safe Annual Yield' Allocation based on
@ 145 gpcd General Plan'
2008 44,697 7,260 a.f. 11,090 a.f. 1,836 a.f.
1 Additional water needed to serve General Plan build-out population of 56,000
2 From Water Management Element,Table 1:includes reductions due to siltation to date. Includes the increase in
safe annual yield from the Water Reuse Project(130 afy),the expanded conservation programs(120 afy)and the
Nacimiento Project(3,380 afy).
3 Additional water needed to serve build-out population of 56,000(demand at build-out minus present demand or
9,096—7,260=1,836).
Policy 1.13.2.A. in Chapter 8 "Water and Wastewater" section of the General Plan states:
"Allocations from a new water supply project shall be considered available at the time project
construction is initiated." With the Nacimiento Project currently under construction, this policy
means that the additional 3,380 acre feet per year of water from the Nacimiento Project is now
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be added to the water available for new development. With these additional water supply
sources, the total safe annual yield for 2008 is 11,090 af. With these available water supplies,
the City can meet the projected water supply needs at General Plan build-out of 9,096 acre feet,
plus an additional 1,994 acre feet available to meet secondary water supply needs identified in
the Water Management Element for unforeseen circumstances.
In addition to the Nacimiento Pipeline Project, the City has begun supplemental water supply
projects including the use of recycled water and increased water conservation strategies. The
City began delivery of recycled water to the first customers in spring 2006 and will expand its
customer base at about 10 acre-feet of water per year. Ultimately, the City will provide
approximately 1,000 acre-feet per year of recycled water for approved uses with the Water Reuse
Master Plan area. Consistent with the Water Element of the General Plan policy 6.1.1, the City
will increase its supplies from Nacimiento by 3,380 afy to provide for secondary supply
requirements of increased reliability and the ability to meet our peak daily demands with one of
our major supply sources off-line. Currently, water delivery from the Nacimiento Pipeline
Project is expected to occur by the end of 2010.
Circulation
Transportation Network Improvements
In 2008, the following improvements were made to the City's transportation network, consistent
with the Circulation Element of the General Plan.
Vehicular
• A traffic signal was installed at the intersection of Johnson at Ella to reduce the
frequency and pattern of collisions occurring at the intersection. Traffic signals were
reconstructed at Osos and Marsh, and Santa Rosa and Marsh. In addition several traffic
signal equipment upgrades were completed within the downtown.
• Design was completed for the Safe Route to School improvements at Hawthorne,
Sinsheimer, & San Luis Obispo High schools. Construction began on the Buena Vista &
Garfield intersection realignment.
Bicycle
• The City was successful in obtaining sizable State Bicycle Transportation Account grants
for several phases of the Railroad Safety Trail, and construction was underway on Phase
4, from Hathway to Foothill.
• The first section of the Bob Jones City to Sea Trail within the City limits was completed.
The 1.1 mile section is from Prado Road south to just north of Los Osos Valley Road.
• Design on the final phase of the Bill Roalman Bike Boulevard was completed.
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• In September, the City's Police and Parks and Recreation Departments held its annual
Bicycle Rodeo instructing City youths on safe bicycling techniques and proper riding
habits.
• The City's supply of short term bicycle parking continued to expand during the fourth
year of the City's"Racks with Plaques"bicycle rack donation program.
• In May 2008 the City participated in Bike to Work Month activities encouraging the
public to use alternative transportation.
• Bike valet parking service continued for its third year at the weekly Thursday night
Farmer's Market. By the end of 2008, almost 11,000 bicyclists made use of the free
weekly service.
Transit
• Starting in September 2008, SLO Transit extended the evening service trips running
Monday thru Friday, funded largely by a State Transportation Assistance (STA) grant of
$205,000. Evening service is currently being evaluated for successor funding in order to
continue the service in FY 2009-2010.
Transportation Planning Improvements
In 2008, the following transportation planning projects were implemented, consistent with
programs in the Circulation Element of the General Plan.
Vehicular
• The City published its seventh annual Traffic Safety Report identifying high crash
locations within the City and recommending mitigation measures to reduce the crash
rates. This was the first report that fully integrated Public Works and Police activities.
This report also marked the lowest number of annual collisions reported since Public
Works began tracking in 1999, 30% down from 2002 when the project first began.
• The City began development on a new Traffic Operations Program intended to address
traffic congestion issues using the same methodology as the City's Annual Traffic Safety
Program.
• The City began development on a new Travel Demand Model in preparation of a
Circulation Element update.
• A Caltrans Project Report and Environmental Determination for the Los Osos Valley
Road interchange improvements were submitted for public circulation and approval.
Bicycle
• Cal Poly State University completed construction of their portion of the Railroad Safety
Trail between Campus Way and Mustang Stadium.
• The City received an $890,000 BTA grant for the construction of the Railroad Safety
Trail between the Amtrak train station and Marsh Street.
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• The City was granted a lease agreement from Union Pacific Railroad to permit the
construction of a portion of the Railroad Safety Trail bicycle path from Hathway Street to
Foothill Boulevard.
• The City collaborated with the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo to develop a fundraising
effort for the Railroad Safety Trail.
• The City entered into a memorandum of understanding with Madonna Enterprises to
develop the Madonna Inn bikeway; a Class 1 bikeway identified in the Bicycle
Transportation Plan
• The City began design of a Safe Routes to School Class I path and bridge connecting the
Oceanaire and Laguna Lane neighborhoods.
• The City collaborated with the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition and other community
volunteers to offer bicycle safety education training.
Transit
In 2008 and 2009, the City did the following in support of maintaining and improving bus
service and other public transportation:
• Continued to monitor the Free Fare Subsidy Program for Cal Poly faculty and students.
• Purchased two 35' and four 40' Gillig Low Floor Heavy duty transit buses that were
delivered in December 2008.
• Purchased a new 30' trolley that was delivered in October 2008
• Continued to utilize the new color scheme and branding utilizing City of San Luis Obispo
colors for all new transit vehicles starting with the October 2007 bus deliveries.
• Considered and implemented route and timing changes to respond to service requests.
• Carried 50,860 evening passengers on routes 2,3,4 and 6a&6b in Fiscal year 2008 and
averaged 23 passengers per hour.
• Provided rides to 127,071 citizens in October 2008—an all time high for monthly
activity!
• Provided rides to 1,031,920 citizens in calendar year 2008!
• Received Federal High Intensity Funding due to system performance being above
nationwide average.
• Was awarded a 24 month $20,000 FTA Section 5317-New Freedom(NF) Grant
Program administered by Caltrans. The City's program is intended to educate senior and
mobility challenged individuals about the availability of various transit options through
training materials and educational opportunities.
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Pedestrian
The City conducted its third Halloween Traffic Safety campaign passing out over 4000 reflective
Halloween bags to elementary school students in the City.
Neighborhood Traffic Management
Eighteen (18) neighborhoods actively pursued the preparation of Neighborhood Traffic
Management (NTM) Plans for their neighborhoods. Staff proceeded with the two most critical
NTM requests, the Oceanaire Neighborhood&the Pismo/Buchon Neighborhood. The Oceanaire
Neighborhood voted not to support the formation of an NTM program, therefore traffic issues
will be addressed as part of the City's annual traffic safety report. The PismoBuchon
Neighborhood voted to support the formation of an'NTM program, an action team was
established and as of the end of 2008 this neighborhood was undergoing detailed study.
Because so many neighborhoods are requesting NTM projects, staff is currently in the process of
revising the NTM program in its entirety, with particular focus on developing a new criteria for
neighborhoods to qualify for the program and a new methodology for prioritizing the projects.
The criteria include traffic speeds, volumes, presence or absence of continuous sidewalks,
bicycle facilities, collisions, and presence of schools or other activity centers.
A new portable radar activated speed trailer was purchased by the City to use for NTM
neighborhoods and other streets with traffic concerns. The radar speed trailer is a useful addition
to enforcement activities and can easily be moved from one location to the next. It also has the
distinct advantage of possibly impacting the offending drivers, while not posing problems for
compliant drivers.
Safety
Staff Training
Section S 8.2.3.A of the Safety Element states that the City will train police officers and other
City employees to levels appropriate for their tasks and responsibilities.
The training of police officers and communication technicians is regulated by the California
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), which mandates minimum
content and hours for basic and in-service training. The Police Department maintained
compliance with POST requirements for in-service training hours for required employees. This
was accomplished by sending employees to POST certified training courses in various topics,
with the associated costs reimbursed by POST, and by providing in-house training for
employees.
In addition to State mandated training, the Police Department continued its efforts to provide
training for City employees in National Emergency Response as required by the Federal
Government. In compliance with a 2003 Presidential Directive, the Office of Homeland.Security
implemented a National Emergency Response plan that required municipalities to become
pagE 28 8 1—c f
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city of san Luis oBispo ceneRal plan annuaL RepoRt 2008
trained in the area of critical response and emergency management utilizing the operation of the
National Incident Management System (NIMS). Initial training for City employees was
provided by Police Department staff in 2006. In 2007, the Police Department provided
additional training for supervisors and managers from various City departments. The training
included tabletop exercises in the management of critical incidents. In 2008, staff from various
City departments participated in two countywide emergency preparedness drills involving mock
weather and nuclear events which necessitated the activation of the City Emergency Operations
Center(EOC) at Fire Station 1. One of the drills was evaluated by FEMA personnel.
Critical Facilities Locations and Reducing Structural Hazards
Section S 8.6.1 of the Safety Element tasks the City with identifying and evaluating hazards in
existing structures, with the highest priority given to critical facilities. This effort includes
maintaining and replacing City facilities, routine code inspections of certain commercial and
residential buildings, complaint-based code inspections for all buildings, mitigating hazards
associated with unreinforced masonry buildings (URM), and outreach regarding structural safety
of private wood-frame buildings.
Unreinforced Masonry Hazard Mitigation
In 2008, Seismic Retrofit deadlines were a major focus with good progress being made. In 2004,
the City accelerated its timeframes for mandatory strengthening of URM buildings and also
established low planning and building fees, low contractor parking fees, and hired a part-time
Seismic Coordinator to aid building owners in complying with the City requirements. To
facilitate timely construction, the City set deadlines for requesting and obtaining building
permits for retrofit work. During 2007, the Council further revisited the deadlines for every
building that had not achieved Level A strengthening by July 1, 2007, as stipulated by City URM
Ordinance adopted in 2004.
The 2004 URM Ordinance required full strengthening by July 2010 unless partial, Level A,
strengthening was completed by July 1, 2007. Where Level A was completed by the deadline,
Level B work could be delayed until July 1, 2012. Level A strengthening consists of installation
of anchors between the buildings walls and roof, walls and floors and bracing any parapets.
Level B consists of Level A work plus installation of the steel members that stabilize the
storefront and frame. Distinction between Level A and B was established by ordinance to
encourage owners to complete this significant portion of the strengthening process as soon as
possible.
If Level A work was not completed by July 1, 2007, the Ordinance provided that the Council
would assign a Level B deadline for each unstrengthened building based on relative hazard.
Work on a hazard rating system was undertaken in conjunction with the San Luis Obispo
Chamber of Commerce Seismic Task Force during 2006 and early 2007 to facilitate Council
consideration of earlier deadlines for 68 unreinforced buildings identified in advance of the July
1,2007 deadline.
In April 2007, the Council approved accelerated deadlines for 49 of the 68 buildings that had
been identified as unstrengthened. Prior to Council action all 68 buildings had a reinforcement
deadline of July 1, 2010. Fourteen buildings were assigned an accelerated Level B deadline of
July 1, 2008; thirty-five were assigned an accelerated Level B deadline of July 1, 2009. The
pace 29 13 1-9o?,
Attachment 1
city of san Luis o8ispo geneizal plan annual uEpout 2008
remaining 19 buildings retained a Level B deadline of July 1, 2010. Only those buildings that
were owned by not-for-profit organizations and those buildings subject to redevelopment
projects were allowed to retain the deadline of July 1, 2010. All other buildings were assigned
new, earlier deadlines subject to exceptions for "planned retrofits". Following Council action,
only one building owner requested a"Planned Retrofit"exception, which was granted.
Ten Level B projects were completed during 2008. With 72 buildings in compliance by the end
of 2008, 54 buildings still require strengthening. Three of the original 14 went beyond the July
1, 2008 deadline but are making continued progress towards completion; nine of the original
thirty-five with July 1, 2009 deadlines have been completed ahead of schedule; and two of the
original nineteen in the July 1, 2010 deadline group have been completed. A total of eight
buildings strengthened to Level A must comply with a strengthening completion deadline of July
1, 2012.
Reinforcement projects continued to start in 2008. These included several buildings from the
July 1, 2009 deadline group with work continuing from 2008 into 2009. Good progress
continues to be evident in all retrofit projects started prior to the economic downturn late in 2008
with owners reporting that work will continue.
New Emergency Communications Center
During 2007, the City Council approved final plans for the construction of a new Emergency
Communications Center after an extensive study revealed that the existing center located at the
Police Department was significantly inadequate and the radio equipment unreliable due to its
age. The new Center is being constructed adjacent to City Fire Station 1 on a portion of the
existing parking lot area. The location of the Center is consistent with General Plan
requirements for critical facilities and the building will be constructed according to essential
services act specifications. A project to upgrade and replace the City's outdated emergency
radio system is proceeding in conjunction with the Emergency Communications Center project
and will be completed at the same time. Ground breaking for the new Center occurred in
December 2008.
Multi-Dwelling Property Inspection Program
The Fire Prevention Bureau has been assigned the task of inspecting all multi-dwelling
properties (3 or more units) in the City to ensure that they meet a reasonable degree of fire and
life safety for the thousands of renters in our community as well as visitors who choose to
patronize our local hotels and motels.
Fire and Life Safety Inspections
Staff inspects a variety of commercial and institutional occupancies; including assisted living
centers, nursing homes, hospitals, day care centers, schools, retail businesses, office buildings,
restaurants, and churches. In 2008,nine existing downtown properties had sprinkler retrofits
completed, and 12 properties have sprinkler retrofits currently in progress.
PAGE 30
Attachment 1
My of san Luis osispo GeneRal plan annual RepoRt 2008
Neighborhood Quality
Code Enforcement—Community Development Department
The City's Code Enforcement Office, which reports directly to the Building & Safety
Department's Chief Building Official, deals primarily with violations of building codes and
zoning regulations. There were 556 code violation investigations conducted during 2008. Code
enforcement activities that impact neighborhood quality include violations such as:
a Garage conversions
a Conversions of other structures, such as storage buildings
a Uniform Housing Code violations
a High Occupancy Residential Use
a Sign Code violations
a Fence Height violations
a Debris in yard
a Animal issues
a Noise and light nuisances
As a result of our citizen's support of Measure Y tax revenues the Code Enforcement division
received additional funding and an added Code Enforcement Officer. Subsequently, the Chief
Building Official developed a Safe Housing Initiative in conjunction with the Neighborhood
Wellness Project Plan. Through this enhanced Code Enforcement program, which provides
cross training to other City staff in order to seek out unsafe conditions, we are able to discover
violations rather than react on a complaint driven basis. Once a violation is discovered, the Code
Enforcement Office notifies property owners in writing of substandard conditions that must be
corrected, and provides clear direction on how to abate the violations and eliminate the hazard.
Community Development Department staff work with property owners to determine whether the
illegal construction can be upgraded and remain in place, or if steps are necessary to remove any
illegal or unsafe construction.
Neiehborhood Mediation Services—SLO Solutions Program
Background
In response to the need for non-adversarial processes that address community conflicts, the City
of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly University, Cuesta College, and Creative Mediation, a local non-
profit, developed the SLO Solutions Program in 2004 to offer free conflict resolution and
mediation to City residents. SLO Solutions is a vehicle to address community and civic disputes
by opening new windows of opportunity for resolving a wide range of conflicts, including
neighbor/neighbor, landlord/tenant, and roommate/housemate disputes. By redirecting conflict
situations from public or judicial intervention to mediation and problem solving, it both
empowers those involved in the conflict to craft their own lasting solutions and alleviates local
government from the burden of repeatedly treating the symptoms rather than the cause. The
SLO Solutions Program continued in 2008, and is being recommended for funding in 2009-10.
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city of san lues osispo Geneual plan annual uEpout 2008
Results
During the period from September 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008, Creative Mediation handled
580 inquiries and served 1,113 residents via the SLO Solutions Program. Of those served 546
were students from either Cal Poly or Cuesta College. A total of 107 mediation sessions were
conducted with 79 resulting in a written agreement among the parties involved. Creative
Mediation conducted twelve public workshops involving a total of 365 residents during which
attendees learned basic conflict resolution skills. Three of these workshops were held at Cal Poly
and three at Cuesta College. Usage of the program has been steadily increasing since the
program was implemented in 2005.
Customer satisfaction surveys were administered to individuals who participated in referral
services, conflict coaching, or mediation sessions. The results of the surveys indicated an
extremely high level of satisfaction with the program. Of 169 individuals surveyed about their
satisfaction with the services, 99% responded that the services were helpful to them. Of the 70
individuals surveyed about their willingness to refer others to the program, 99% responded that
they would recommend SLO Solutions Program services to others.
Parks & Recreation
In 2008, the Parks & Recreation Department accomplished the following tasks related to the
Parks & Recreation Element of the City's General Plan:
• The addition of the therapy pool at the SLO Swim Center has resulted in community use and
support that has exceeded expectations. The facility has been well attended with monthly
uses nearly doubled from 2007. Families are enjoying more pool time in the evenings at the
warm water facility.
• At Laguna Lake Golf Course, replacement of the Hole #6 bridge with a prefabricated bridge
was completed; staff has restored the hole to its former configuration. Barrier netting along
Hole #5 was replaced as a result of damage due to high winds during winter storms. The
course now features 10 holes by utilizing the temporary hole put into play during the Hole#3
reconstruction.
• The Playground Replacement Program continues to be implemented. Construction work on
French Park playground was completed in 2008 and the design is underway for replacing the
Laguna Lake Park equipment.
• Ranger Services performed work on the Stenner Springs Open Space to reroute a '/z mile
stretch of the elevator trail. Johnson Ranch Open Space is now open to the public with a 2.1
mile loop trail traversing the area; 150 volunteers assisted in building the trail from SLO
Leadership class #17, 3CMB, California Conservation Corps, Pi Kappa Alpha fratemity,
students from Cal Poly and Cuesta as well as local outdoor enthusiasts.
• Children Services continued to provide safe and enriching care for children before and after
school, as well as during school breaks. The pilot preschool program, Little Rec'ers, became
state licensed under California Community Care Licensing. Children's Services also
committed to health and the environment, honoring National Environment Education Week
with the Spring Camp theme Beyond the Backyard.
Each quarter the five school sites completed Community Action Projects, held "on-site field
trips" or visited places in the community, and had visits from various guest speakers. Guest
PAGE 32 8 '-4-5-
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city of san Luis owspo ceneaal plan annual aepotzt 2008
speakers included the Cal Poly Marching Band, SLO High School American Red Cross
Program, local medical professionals, the SLO City-County librarian, family members, Cal
Poly Dairy, local artists, Cal Poly Satellites Club and Cal Poly N.A.S.A. club.
Group Community Action Projects included a Silent Auction/Family Night with over$500
collected to benefit the Children's Health Initiative as well as an"Almost Sleepover"family
event focused on literacy and collection of goods for the Pajama Program(to benefit youth in
need of warm pajamas and books to read). Individual sites also wrote letters for families of
soldiers serving abroad, collected money for Shriner's Hospital,made dog cookies for
Woods Humane society, collected change for P.O.U.N.C.E., and worked in school
community gardens.
• Volunteers are still the backbone of many Parks & Recreation programs and events. Over
500 volunteers were used as youth sports coaches and officials, support for the SLO
Triathlon,Jack House docents, Golf course marshals and Senior Center hosts.
• Collaborations with other agencies continued in 2008. In cooperation with the SLO County
YMCA, the Parks & Recreation Department provides youth sports programs in the
community with a youth basketball program for over 700 K-6th graders, flag football for 150
children and 300 children in the Futsal (indoor soccer) program. A partnership between the
City and the SLO Rotary Club de Tolosa results in an annual track meet for 7`' and 8h
graders that draws 400 participants from SLO County. A portion of the Monster Skate
Contest series was held in San Luis Obispo; the event is collaboration with other County
parks and recreation agencies from Atascadero, Templeton, SLO County, Paso Robles and
Grover Beach with over 400 participants and 23 sponsors. Staff continues to work with San
Luis Obispo Police and the Bicycle Advisory Committee to offer the annual Bike Rodeo
while the Easter Egg Hunt and Halloween Hoopla are co-sponsored with the Downtown
Association. For the third year, the 4th of July celebration has been held at Mitchell Park
through a cooperative effort between Parks & Recreation, the Senior Center, and the Rotary
Club of San Luis Obispo. Staff also participated on the board of the SLO Youth Sports
Association, a collaborative of local youth athletic organizations dedicated to the
advancement of youth sports in the community.
Children's Services collaborated with many local agencies to provide both opportunity and
education to the children served. With the support of SLO Regional Rideshare, children had
the opportunity to create bike sculptures for Spoke Create. and each site hosted Bike in
Breakfasts. The L.O.O.K. (Language Opportunities and Outreach to Kids) program provided
weekly instruction in Russian, American Sign Language, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese and
French at each program site. The City of San Luis Obispo Rangers educated children each
month, following an environmental education curriculum. Cal Poly Recreation 260 Class,
under the guidance of Professor Brian Greenwood, presented cooperative games for each
program site. Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes Center made weekly visits to the C.L. Smith
S.T.A.R. program,providing more environmental education and hands on activities.
• Staff has been working with stakeholders to expand the Santa Rosa Park Multi-Use Court for
roller hockey play; construction is anticipated in.2009.
• The Santa Rosa Skate Park master plan was completed in 2008 and design for the project is
scheduled for the second half of 2009. In the meantime, replacement of the wood structures
at the existing skate park with sturdier metal components will occur in early 2009 and serve
as a temporary facility until the permanent skate park is built.
paQ6 33 el —q67
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crty of san Luis osispo ceneRal plan annual RepORt 2008
• The Community Garden program is still highly popular and there are waiting lists for all
three sites. Staff began a best practice evaluation of other community garden programs and a
Council study session was set for January 2009 to review the existing program and make
recommendations for changes.
• Work began on renovating the Senior Center kitchen as well as construction on a parking lot
adjacent to the Center. Both projects are expected to be complete in the first half of 2009.
• Parks and Recreation staff worked with landowners on the Public Facilities section of the
Orcutt Area Specific Plan.
Program Status
The General Plan contains an array of programs covering most types of City actions. The
Housing Element, in particular, includes many programs with specific time frames. The written
portion of this report touches on the major programs that saw activity in 2008. A status list of all
General Plan programs follows. While General Plan elements are usually revised on a 5 to 10
year cycle, the City Council makes priority determinations as part of the two-year budget
process, which supersedes the target program-completion dates contained in the General Plan.
Staff will continue to update and correct this list throughout the City's goal-setting and
evaluation activities.
paQ6 34
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My of san luis osispo GeneRal plan annual Repout 2008
For More Information
I, Community Development Department offices are located at 919 Palm Street, which is
downtown at the comer of Palm and Morro streets. Office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00
pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The mailing address is:
919 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, California 93401-3218
OShort-term parking spaces are available on Palm Street and additional parking is available
in two parking structures, also located on Palm Street.
The department's main entry is wheelchair accessible, and there is a curbside, disabled
parking space on Palm Street and accessible parking in the parking structures.
Osos Street at Palm Street is a meeting point for local and county bus routes.
Maps and publications may be viewed or purchased at the Community Development
Department. Paper document purchase prices reflect only the cost of printing. Large
documents are usually made available as "pdf' files at no cost through the City's Web
site, or at nominal cost on CD's. Most items are also available for reference at the City-
County Library across the street from City Hall, and at the Documents and Maps
Section of the Cal Poly Library. The libraries generally have evening and Saturday
hours.
The department phone number is 805 781-7172; the fax number is 805 781-7173. TDD
iii The City's Telecommunications Device for the Deaf number is 805 781-7410.
Through the City's web site you can read or download the Digest General Plan
and City regulations, learn more about City services, and check on some meeting
agendas and meeting updates. The Web site is http://www.slocity.org.
s Se puede hacer preparativos para traducir en espaiiol.
TAGameral Plan Mnual Report�Annual Report_2008.doc
81-LIS
pats 35
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SAN LUIS OBISPO
Attachment 2
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
July 8, 2009
ROLL CALL:
Present: Commissioners Michael Boswell, Michael Draze, Eric Meyer, Airlin
Singewald, Mary Whittlesey, Vice-Chairperson Michael Multari, and
Chairperson Charles Stevenson
Absent: None
Staff: Deputy Community Development Directors Doug Davidson and Kim
Murry, Associate Planner Phil Dunsmore, Natural Resources Manager
Neil Havlik, Deputy Public Works Director Tim Bochum, Housing
Programs Manager Michael Codron, Economic Development Manager
Claire Clark, Supervising Civil Engineer Hal Hannula, Assistant
Planner James David, and Recording Secretary Janet Miller
ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGENDA:
The agenda was accepted as presented.
MINUTES: Minutes of June 24, 2009, were approved as amended.
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS:
David Brodie, San Luis Obispo, requested that top priority be given to the planning
elements of the General Plan. Mr. Brodie urged the City to initiate creation of a historic
preservation element right away to ensure local heritage and economic benefit of older
buildings are preserved.
There were no further comments made from the public.
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
1. City-Wide. GPI 53-09: Annual progress report on General Plan program
implementation; City of San Luis Obispo — Community Development Department,
applicant. (James David)
James David, Assistant Planner, presented the staff report, recommending the Planning
Commission forward the 2008 Annual Report on the General Plan to the City Council for
acceptance. He noted that in 2008 there was a slight increase in population, slowing in
commercial development, and completion of significant projects that implement the
General Plan.
Chairperson Stevenson thanked staff for the report. Mr. Stevenson questioned the
ability to include policy language to support smaller lot sizes in the Margarita Area
Specific Plan. Mr. Stevenson requested that.summary information be provided for the
tables provided in the report. X31 -44
Planning Commission Minutes G Attachment
July g, 2009 2
Page 2
Commr. Meyer noted his concern for a balance between jobs and housing.
Vice-Chair Multari requested clarification on historical preservation element. Kim Murry,
Deputy Community Development Director, replied that the Council had identified
development of a historic preservation ordinance as a Council Goal for the upcoming
financial plan and that work.on the ordinance will be initiated later this summer.
Chairperson Stevenson requested clarification on vehicle sales at Auto Park Way. Staff
recommended the "S" Overlay to clarify that the parcels on Calle Joaquin are meant for
auto sales expansion.
Commr. Boswell asked if the "S" Overlay would come before the Commission for the
Auto Sales district. Michael Codron, Housing Programs Manager, replied that the
Commission would see the rezoning of the Auto Sales District in the future. Commr.
Boswell noted concern for the non-residential growth rate and would like to see a
balance between residential and commercial development.
Commr. Whittlesey inquired about the table on page 12 of the report, regarding student
housing. Ms. Murry explained that student housing provided by Cal Poly counts toward
the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation.
Commr. Meyer would like staff to provide clearer language in the report regarding the
Auto Sales District because the current description creates some confusion as to intent.
Commr. Draze supported the current commercial growth review process by the Council
and does not support a cap of commercial growth.
Commr. Singewald wondered what the bulk of code enforcement activities are in the
City. Ms. Murry explained that many cases are attributed to building code violations,
signs, and neighborhood issues.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
There were no comments made from the public.
On motion by Commr. Boswell, seconded by Commr. Meyer, the Planning Commission
recommends that Council direct staff to provide analysis evaluating Land Use Element
Policy 1.10.4 in order to clarify policy direction and to broaden options to meet the intent
of the jobs/housing balance concept.
AYES: Commrs. Singewald, Draze, Boswell, Meyer, Whittlesey, Multari, and
Stevenson.
NOES: None
RECUSED: None
ABSENT: None
The motion passed on a 7:0 vote.
i 'Sb
Planning Commission Minutes
Attachment 2
July 8, 2009
Page 3
On motion by Vice-Chair Multari, seconded by Commr. Whittlesey, to accept the
recommendation to forward the 2008 Annual Report on the General Plan to the City
Council for acceptance.
AYES: Commrs. Singewald, Draze, Boswell, Meyer, Whittlesey, Multari, and
Stevenson
NOES: None
RECUSED: None
ABSENT: None
The motion passed on a 7:0 vote.
2'. 11980 Los Osos Valley Road. GPA/R/ER/MS/ANNX/U 7-07: Review of the I
IR for a project to annex and develop vacant agricultural land along L Osos
ley Road with a new retail center (Prefumo Creek Commons); a equest to
am d the General Plan for Interim Open Space to General Retail; request for a
Use rmit to allow a retail sore up to 140,000 s.q. ft.; and a re est to subdivide
the prop rty into 4 lots with a 5th lot for open space; Irish s Plaza East, LLC,
applicant it Dunsmore)
Phil Dunsmore, A ociate Planner, presented the st report, recommending the
following:
1. Adopt resolution that recommends the Ity Council certify the Final EIR with
findings of overridin considerations re Ive to air quality and noise.
2. Adopt resolution B that comme s the City Council amend the General Plan
Land Use Map from Inte ' en Space to General Retail and pre-zone a
portion of the property to Co ercial-Retail.
3. Adopt Resolution C tha ecom nds the City Council approve the use permit
and subdivision ma ased on fi ings and subject to conditions and code
requirements.
Dan Gira, AMEC, pre nted a review of the EIR.
Neil Havlik, Natu I Resources Manager, discussed th open space components of the
project and rel ed environmental issues.
Tim Boc m, Deputy Public Works Director, discussed the affic implications of the
project nd responded to the testimony regarding the Laguna age Shopping Center.
Mr. chum spoke in support of the Summary Recommendatl presented in the
re rt.
Claire Clark, Economic Development Manager, spoke in support of the oject. Mrs.
Clark discussed: 1) local and regional benefits of additional retail uses; 2) ods and
desired complements to existing retail; and 3) sales tax revenue and additional j s.
-� REC:420169
ED
SFP 1
council mcmoizAnaum SLO CITLERK
FROM: Shelly Stanwyck, Assistant City Manager
Prepared by: Elaina Cano,Interim City Clerk
SUBJECT: CORRECTION TO AGENDA—BUSINESS ITEM 1
RECOMMENDATION
In reviewing this week's Agenda, staff noted that the recommendation for Business Item 1 is
incomplete (though it is complete in the actual Agenda Report). Staff's recommendation, which is
slightly different than the Planning Commission's was inadvertently omitted. The full
recommendation as contained in the Agenda Report is as follows:
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
Accept the 2008 annual report on the General Plan and direct staff to provide
analysis evaluating Land Use Element Policy 1.10.4 and recommend options to
clarify policy direction and to broaden options to meet the intent of the
jobs/housing balance concept.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Receive a presentation on the 2008 General Plan Annual Report and implement
the Planning Commission recommendation by directing staff to provide the policy
and data analysis related to Land Use Element Policy 1.10.4 during the Land Use
Element Update policy and program analysis scheduled to be conducted July —
December 2010.
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