HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/06/1997, 6 - ANNUAL REPORT ON THE GENERAL PLAN council
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j agenba REpont I�N.�
C I TY OF SAN LU IS O B 1 S P 0
FROM: Arnold B. Jonas, Community Development Director °
Prepared By: Glen Matteson, Associate Planner
SUBJECT: Annual Report on the General Plan
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Receive the Annual Report on the General Plan, and the record of testimony and discussion from
the Planning Commission meeting.
DISCUSSION
The General Plan provides a comprehensive, long-range vision focusing on preserving, or
changing in desirable ways, the physical features of the community. The General Plan is adopted
and amended by the City Council, after considering recommendations by citizens, appointed
advisory bodies (mainly, the Planning Commission), other agencies, and City staff.
The City publishes an annual report on the status of its General Plan and actions taken to
implement it. The report is to help citizens and City officials understand recent decisions
involving 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
the general plan and progress in it implementation, including the progress in meeting its share of
regional housing needs..." (California Government Code Section 65400). Depending on the
context, "planning agency" can mean the Planning Commission, staff of the Community
Development Department, or both. Our approach has been for staff to draft the report, and
present it to the Commission for review and direction before presenting it to the City Council,
which is the legislative body.
The General Plan itself also calls for an annual report, to be completed during the first quarter of
each calendar year (Land Use Element policy 9.3). According to this policy, the report is to
include the following items. Numbers in parentheses refer to pages of the attached report where
the items are addressed.
A A summary of private development activity and a brief analysis of how it helped meet
general plan goals(page 3);
B. A summary of major public projects and a brief analysis of how they contributed to
meeting general plan goals(pages 4 and 6);
C. An overview of programs, and recommendations on any new approaches that may be
necessary(page 6 and following multi-page Table 4);
Council Agenda Report- General Plan Annual Report
Page 2
D. A status report for each general plan program scheduled to be worked on during that
year, including discussion of whether that program's realization is progressing on
schedule, and recommendations for how it could better be kept on schedule if it is
lagging (Table 4, following page 6);
E. A status report on how the City is progressing with implementing its open space
preservation policies and programs (page 4);
F. Updated population or other information deemed important for the plan (page 3).
In the report, staff has tried to balance brevity and completeness. More could be said on each
topic, but staff hoped to give a concise overview.
Planning Commission Review
The Planning Commission considered the annual report on March 26, 1997, and voted
unanimously to forward it to the City Council, along with the minutes of the discussion, including
comments and questions from Commissioners and the public. Comments and questions focused
on traffic evaluations, circulation issues, population changes, commercial and industrial zoning,
downtown housing, downtown parking, and land use designations that reflect land characteristics
(such as flood plains). Staff has made some minor additions and changes to the Annual Report in
response to comments received at the Planning Commission hearing.
FISCAL IWPACT
Receiving the report will have no fiscal impacts. The fiscal impacts of proposed General Plan
amendments and implementation programs are discussed as those items are presented separately
to the Council for action.
ALTERNATIVES
No action is required. Council 'may give direction to staff concerning General Plan activities.
(Previous direction was given as part of the goal-setting process). Council may continue
discussion.
Attachments
Annual Report on the General Plan: 1996
Planning Commission minutes—March 26, 1997
GP annual report CAR
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City of San Luis Obispo
ANNUAL REPORT
ON THE GENERAL PLAN: 1996
The General Plan provides a comprehensive, long-range vision
focusing on preserving, or changing in desirable ways, the
physical features of the community. The General Plan is
adopted and amended by the City Council, after considering
recommendations by citizens, appointed advisory bodies, other
agencies, and City staff.
Starting in 1997, each year the City will publish this Annual
Report on the status of its General Plan and actions taken to
implement it during the year just ended. This report is to help
citizens and City officials understand recent decisions involving
the General Plan. It fulfills the requirements of state law, and
the General Plan itself, which call for an annual report.
For more information, contact the Community Development Department at 990
Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93401-3249; or telephone 805 781-7172.
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General Plan Elements
State law requires each city and county to adopt a general plan that addresses seven topics.
Additional topics may be included. Each topic may be addressed in a separately published
document, or topics may be combined. The published sections of the General Plan are called
"elements." Table 1 shows the status of San Luis Obispo's elements.
Table 1
GENERAL PLAN ELEMENTS
ELEMENT REQUIRED OR DATE OF ADOPTION OR COMMENT
OPTIONAL LAST MAJOR REVISION
Land Use Required 1994
Housing Required 1994
Circulation Required 1994 Includes"Scenic Roadways"
section.
Open Space Required 1994
Conservation Required 1973
Parks &Recreation Optional 1995
Noise Required 1996
Seismic Safety Required 1975 Update combining seismic safety
and safety topics is in progress.
Safety Required 1978
Energy Optional 1981
Conservation
Water& Optional 1996 State law requires an"Urban
Wastewater Water Management Plan;"the
Management City has put its policies in this
element.
As the table shows, two element updates were completed in 1996. The City revised policies of
the Water and Wastewater Management Element concerning water offset potential for
annexations, accounting for reclaimed water, and use of wells. An update of the Noise Element
resulted in a revision of the element itself containing policies and programs, and a new, separate
Noise Guidebook providing evaluation and design details.
Also, in 1996 the City published a General Plan Digest. The digest makes available in one volume
the policies and programs of all the elements, in a standardized format with cross references.
At the end of 1996, the County completed a long-pending update of its Land Use Element and
Circulation Element for the San Luis Obispo Area. City participation in staff work and hearings
aimed for the key goal of consistency between City and County plans. Several changes to the
County plan which the City opposed will present additional challenges for the City as it tries to
keep development within its adopted urban growth boundary.
General Plan Annual Report 1996 1 City of San Luis Obispo
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Amendments
In addition to the updates noted above, the following amendments of General Plan elements were
approved during 1995 and 1996.
Table 2
GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS
Location or Area
Type I Date Subject Change (acres) I Initiated by; comment
.. ..........
...........:.. ...
.... ...........................................................................................Land:Use:
Element ............................. -......
.......I.................
..............
Map Feb 95 1110- 1130 Orcutt Mod. density resid. to 2.5 City;to accommodate
Road Med-hi jzh dens resid. expansion of existing use
Map Aug 95 SW Sinsheimer Open Space to Park 2 City;to accommodate
Park proposed roller hockey rink
Map Aug 95 South Street Hills Move development City;for consistency with
I near Bridge Street limit line neighboring sites
Map Apr 96 Laguna Golf Recreation to Med- 0.19 City;for property sale to
Course high density resid. neighboring church
Map Jul 96 1318 Pacific Street Med-density resid.to 0.15 Applicant;convert house to
Office office
Map Jul 96 1772 Calle Joaquin Tourist Commercial 2.7 Applicant;convert restaurant
to Office to broadcast studio
Map Dec 96 40 Prado Road Office to 9 Applicant;develop stores
General Retail reversed in Jan. 1997)
[Text Apr 96 South Street Hills Allow wireless Applicant
&other hills telecom facilitiesText
Jul 96 Annexation& More flexibility for City;consistency with water
services policies water offsets I management policies
....................................................::....... ............. .............................
.......................................... .. ............ .:.: .....................................
.. ................... ...... ........................................... .......
...................... ...... .............................................. ..........
...........................................
.................
................ . .....
City;consistency with State
affordable housinlaw
I
Text Feb 96 1 Minimum term of Shorter term
...................
...............................................
............ ...
................... ............ ................. ...... ...............
.................................................. ........ . .................
................................................................................. . .......
................. ...............
Text Apr 96 Development on Allow wireless Applicant;consistency with
hills telecom facilities Land Use Element
As shown in the table, there were no large scale changes, and no overall pattern among the small
scale changes. The major issues were allowances for limited hillside development, conversion of
downtown houses, and the extent of retail areas outside downtown.
General Plan Annual Report 1996 2 City of San Luis Obispo
Population Trends
A 1996 estimate prepared by the California Department of Finance shows that despite the number
of households in the City increasing by about 500 from 1990 to 1996, the resident population did
not change over that time, due mainly to a smaller average household size.
Development
Taken as a whole, General Plan policies say housing construction should occur not much faster or
slower than one percent per year on average, that it should include a variety of housing types, and
that it should include dwellings affordable to low- and moderate-income residents. Also, the
policies imply that the overall rate of nonresidential construction should not exceed housing
growth in the long term. (The first 300,000 square-feet of nonresidential floor area constructed
after 1994 are to be excluded when evaluating percentage increases that could trigger actual
limits.) The following table summarizes construction activity for the last two years. "Market
Rate" refers to dwellings with no price limits or direct subsidies, while "Below Market" refers to
dwellings that do have a price limit or subsidy intended to make them more affordable to low- or
moderate-income residents.
Table 3
DEVELOPMENT
(Net Change Due to Completed Construction)
R�slent,al. :
tRumher of dwe ' s
...
Single Family Multifamil Total Annual
Market Rate Below Market Market Rate I Below Market Growth Rate
1995
32 0 14 1 20 66 0.4%
1996
53 0 31 1
0 84 0.5%
l�lnn�res�dentiai
floor ar . s: u�;e feet
Institutional Office Retail Service& Ware- Total Annual
Manufacturing house I Growth
1995
-32100 37 500 47,800 98,100 1 6,000 1 186,300 1 2.1%
1996
0 24,700 0 21,600 12,300 58,600 0.7%
While several major development proposals were under review during this period, actual
construction was modest.
General Plan Annual Report 1996 3 City of San Luis Obispo
Capital Projects
Capital projects are the City's major investments in facilities and equipment. They are one way to
implement the General Plan. During 1996, the City completed these major capital projects:
• The new Headquarters Fire Station on Santa Barbara Avenue
• The Marsh Street"make-over," including repaving and amenities for walkers (late 1995)
• Elks Lane Bridge replacement
• New Edna water tank
• The new Performing Arts Center on the Cal Poly campus
• New Islay Hills Park, Vista Del Collados Park, and Emerson Park Playground
• The new Recreation Department offices on Nipomo Street
• Improvements at existing parks, athletic fields, school gymnasiums, and the swim center
• Mission Plaza extension property acquisition and Mathews property acquisition
Open Space Protection
A basic General Plan goal is protecting the open land outside the City's urban reserve line, which
is the adopted growth boundary. Working with the Land Conservancy, the City set priorities for
land acquisition. In 1996, the City took two significant steps toward permanent protection when
it purchased the Maino property on the eastern slope of San Luis Mountain and a conservation
easement on the Guidetti Ranch in the Davenport Hills. (Amendment of the relevan?,parts of the
Land Use Element should follow purchase of the Maino property.) The City also put before the
voters an advisory measure proposing a citywide assessment to fund open space acquisition,
which was narrowly defeated. The City also obtains open space through dedications in
connection with annexation or development approvals. The last four acres of the 140-acre Ferinni
open space dedication east of Bishop Peak were received late in 1995.
The Creek Setback Ordinance, which had been in preparation for several years, was adopted in
1996, as an addition to the Zoning Regulations'property developments standards. Also in 1996
the City began a new inventory of biological resources under the direction of the recently created
position of Natural Resources Manager.
Affordable Housing
No below-market dwellings were built in 1996 (Table 2). However, some projects containing
dwellings affordable to moderate-income residents were being built (including the Laurelwood
and Islay Pointe projects). Also, the City took the following steps during 1995-1996 to help
make housing more affordable:
• Exempted low-income housing from residential growth rate limits
• Established a fee waiver program for certain affordable housing projects
• Approved temporary and permanent homeless services facilities at Prado Road
• Continued to participate in the Community Development 'Black Grant federal funding
program, in partnership with the County, started program for first time home buyers
• Adopted affordability requirements for condominium conversions
General Plan Annual Report 19% 4 City of San Luis Obispo
fi ',
Historic Preservation
The City took the following main steps toward historic preservation:
• Adopted Archaeological Preservation Guidelines (late 1995)
• Authorized applications to the National Register for the Bowden-LaLoma, Rodriguez, and
Canet adobes
• Conducted staff training sessions on historic preservation
• Took steps to better store and inventory materials recovered from the site of the Palm Street
Parking Structure
• Established the Historic Tax Incentive Pilot Program for one year
Code Revisions
A fundamental way to implement the General Plan is to adopt and maintain regulations which
result in development that is consistent with the plan. The City Council adopted two packages of
revisions to the Zoning Regulations for consistency with the 1994 Land Use Element update. The
first package, in 1995, contained additional property maintenance standards. The second
package, in 1996, contained the following items:
• Additional allowance for bed and breakfast inns in multifamily residential areas
• Adding categories and standards for"research and development" and"warehouse store"uses
• Allowing "planned development" zoning on parcels of any size in commercial or industrial
designations
• Reducing the range of retail stores allowed in Services and Manufacturing areas
• Excluding certain environmentally sensitive land from site area in determining allowed
residential development
The first three items implemented 1993 recommendations of the Economic Strategy Task Force.
Action was continued on provisions that would reduce the range of offices allowed in Services
and Manufacturing areas and the maximum height of some downtown buildings, with direction
that the Land Use Element be amended to reflect existing zoning provisions.
The General Plan is also implemented through the administration of codes and policies.
Administrative activities include public information, architectural review, use permits,
subdivisions, building plan checking and inspection, and code enforcement. The type and volume
of those administrative activities are summarized in the separate annual report of the Community
Development Department.
General Plan Annual Report 19% 5 City of San Luis Obispo
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Other Planning Activities
Several other City activities involve the General Plan. The significant activities were:
Specific Plans
• Amended the Edna-Islay Specific Plan to make annexation policies consistent with the Land
Use Element(1995)
• Amended the Higuera Commerce Park Specific Plan to allow smaller parcels and additional
uses in part of the southern 30 acres
Water
• Submitted to voters a Charter amendment assuring that the water supply reliability reserve will
be kept for that purpose as it is obtained (the measure was approved)
Recycling and Waste Disposal
• Established greenwaste curbside recycling
• As part of a countywide effort, approved a Waste Management Plan, a Siting Element, and a
Summary Plan
Transportation
• More frequent bus service on some routes
• Adopted and later revised the Chonro Area Neighborhood Traffic Calming Plan
• Amended the Bicycle Transportation Plan
• Adopted impact fees
Annexations
The City took steps to finalize these annexations:
• "TK" at South lEguera Street and Suburban Road
• "Goldenrod" on Broad Street in the vicinity of Fuller Road
• "El Capitan" on Broad Street in the vicinity of Tank Farm Road
Recreation Programs
• Targeting at-risk youth: S.T.A.R;Junior Giants; skate park;Laguna Middle School sports;
• Volunteers; ranger service; special events office
Neighborhood Quality
Several City actions concerning neighborhood quality are noted under other headings. To recap,
and note some additional, programs started during the reporting period:
• Started"Working to Improve Neighborhoods," involving several City departments in property
maintenance and neighborhood relations
• Started the Neighborhood Volunteer Program, helping enforce property maintenance rules
• Initiated a "Community Emergency Response Team," to help neighborhoods prepare for self-
help during and after disasters
• Experimented with "traffic calming," to reduce the harmful effects of traffic along residential
streets, especially near elementary schools
• Completed several improvements at existing parks
• Continued neighbor involvement in development proposals affecting existing neighborhoods
• Responded to neighborhood issues in updated General Plan elements
General Plan Annual Report 1996 6 City of San Luis Obispo
64
Program Summary
The General Plan contains an ambitious array of programs covering many types of City activities. The
Housing Element, in particular, includes time frames for carrying out programs. The City Council, as
part of the budget cycle, formally reconsiders program priorities and support levels every two years,
while General Plan elements are usually revised only every five years or more. Some programs depend on
participation by other agencies. Table 4summarizes the programs, other than continuing activities, which
adopted elements or recent City Council action indicate should have seen substantial progress during
1995 or 1996. For those that have been delayed beyond originally intended time frames, suggestions are
made for accelerating the program or for revising the appropriate General Plan element to extend or
delete the program. (Program item numbers are from the General Plan Digest; program dates are from
the separately published elements, which may have different identifying numbers.)
Table 4
GENERAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
PROGRAM STATUS
Program Topic
Number Target Date if anStatus Recommendation
LU 1.16.8 City-County Agreement Staff-review draft prepared; No change.
OS 1.3.1 presentation to decision makers
needs to be coordinated with
response to inconsistent County
area plan update.
LU 2.13 Inclusionary housing Staff-review draft prepared; No change.
H 2.3.1 ordinance(10/94) economic feasibility study being
updated.
LU 1.17.1 Transfer of development Council received draft; No change.
LU 6.3.2 credit refinement of"sending areas"in
0S1.3.6 DrORMS.
LU 7.11 Airport Area Specific Staff completed Council No change.
Plan direction from 12-12-95.
H 2.3.2 Housing trust fund Staff-review draft prepared. No change.
10/94
H 2.3.5 Innovative, efficient No staff work,due to other Extend to 3/98.
housing 3/95program demands.
H 3.3.1 Housing rehab loans No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/98.
6/95program demands.
H 3.3.9 Housing as noncon- No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/98.
forming use 6/96program demands.
H 3.3.2, Housing conservation No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/98.
3.3.3 3.3.4 downtown 11/95 roarm demands.
H 3.3.6 Prevent private house- No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/98.
moving restrictions program demands; demolition
(2/96) and moving regs were updated
(program H 3.3.5 .
G�d
Table 4 Continued
PROGRAM STATUS
Program Topic
Number Target Date if an Status Recommendation
H 3.3.7 Seismic upgrade No staff work,due to other Extend to 8/98.
education(8/95) program demands;there have
been some efforts by lenders,
utilities news media.
H 3.3.8 Seismic upgrade funding No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/99.
6/9 demands.
H 3.3.10 Revise codes that No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/99.
discourage housing program demands.
6/96
H 4.3.1 Revise regulations that Regulations reviewed. Delete program. City regulations
discourage mixed- do not segregate housing. Most
income housing(12/96) new construction will be in specific
plan areas, which will integrate
housing es.
H 5.3.1 Revise regulations that Regulations reviewed. Delete program. City regulations
discourage housing do not segregate housing. Most
variety(12/96) new construction will be in specific
plan areas, which will integrate
housing es.
H 6.3.2 Consider zoning change No action. Give program higher priority if
to require dwellings in implementation is desired.
new neighborhood
commercial 6/95
H 6.3.3 Require upper level No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/99.
dwellings downtown program demands.
6/95
H 6.3.5 Medium-high density in Primary planning area is almost Reconsider program when
Edna-Islay(2/95) built-out. Council did not sup- remaining annexation is considered.
port higher density in secondary
(annexation)area in Land Use
Element update.
H 6.3.6 First priority for No action. Water offsets are Consider revising or deleting
residential in service available in order completed; program.
allocations (2/95) recent changes for annexations
did not distinguish residential
vs. commercial.
H 7.3.4 Visibility for safety Revised ARC Guidelines under Extend to 6/97.
7/94 review.
H 8.3.5 On-campus fiatemities No staff work, due to other Extend to 9/98.
9/95 program demands.
H 9.3.2 Solar water heating No action. Program may Consider deleting program(see
6/96 conflict with State requirements. next item).
H 9.3.3 Energy committee(6/96) No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/98.
program demands.
H 9.3.4 Revise solar access No staff work,due to other Extend to 6/99.
6/96program demands.
Table 4 Continued
PROGRAM STATUS
Program Topic
Number Target Date Cif an Status Recommendation
H 10.3.7 Consider adopting No action beyond adoption of To be satisfied by monitoring
nonresidential growth Land Use Element's required by LUE.
management 7/95 nonresidential growth policy.
H 11.3.1 Adopt regulations to Required consistency of discre- Consider narrowing scope of
prevent housing on tionary approvals with General program, following Safety Element
unsuitable sites 6/95 Plan achieves same result. update scheduled for 1997.
OS 9.3.1 Prohibit commercial No action. Needs to be included No change.
mining in batch of Zoning Regulations
revisions.
OS 11.3.2 Scenic corridor No staff work,due to other No change.
OS 11.3.3 standards program demands;other ARC
Cl 14.9 Guidelines work underway.
OS 15.3.2 Parcel transfer tax for Open space funding advisory Consider revising or deleting pro-
open space maintenance group rejected transfer tax as gram in next element update.
art of funding package.
CI 1.6 thru Trip reduction Since element adopted, State Revise programs for consistency
1.10 law changed to prohibit mand- with State law.
atory trip reduction; City is
pursuing voluntary efforts thru
downtown access plan and its
own operations
Cl 2.8 thru Transit service Short-range transit plan in pro- No change.
2.13 gress;no work on long-range
plan;downtown trolley main-
tained; minimal efforts for
regional service,target riders
Cl 3.8, College biking Minimal efforts. No change.
3.10 3.11
Cl 3.9 Update bike plan Done in 1993. Revise to say"maintain Bicycle
Transportation Plan consistent with
Circulation Element."
CI 3.12 Zoning standards for No action. Needs to be included No change.
bike parking&showers in batch of Zoning Regulations
revisions.
Cl 3.13 Railroad bike path Acquisition and design in No change.
progress;phase 1 construction
targeted for 1997
CI 4.7 Adopt Pedestrian Trans- Draft for staff review No change.
rtation Plan completed.
CI 6.5, 6.6, Neighborhood traffic Chorro Street done; some work No change.
6.7 management on Augusta,Ramona,and Leff
streets; also,draft Margarita
Specific Plan;none specifically
for Oceanaire(not pursued by
residents)or Foothill; staff is
drafting citywide guidelines
Cl 7.6, 7.7 Traffic counts and Staff work started. No change.
resident surveys
Table 4 Continued
PROGRAM STATUS
Program Topic
Number Target Date if anStatus Recommendation
Cl 8.8 Building setbacks lines Some streets have set-back No change.
(beyond zoning, for lines; some to be set in specific
firture widening) plans;no other work done
CI 8.9, Prado Road phased Included in review&prepara- No change.
8.10 extension and state tion of plans for Dalidio, Prado
highway designation Road,and Margarita areas
Cl 8.11 Adopt standards for Adopted bike plan covers bike No change.
street medians,park- lanes;pedestrian plan to cover
ways, signs,utilities, sidewalks,parkways;previous
sidewalks bi7ce lanes draft median plan not adopted.
CI 8.13 Feasibility study of art- Council voted to defer this Delete program in next element
erial connection between project;project appears incon- update.
Santa Barbara Ave and sistent with bicycle,pedestrian,
Santa Rosa St 6/96 and transit efforts in this area.
CI 9.4 Truck delivery limits for No action. Needs to be included No change.
home occupations in batch of Zoning Regulations
revisions.
CI 10.7 Encourage quieter City staff has been involved No change.
aircraft with ort master plan update,
CI 10.8 Encourage update of City staff has done so in contact No change.
Airport Land Use Plan with Countystaff.
CI 11.6 Morning,evening daily Amtrak San Diegan now serves No change.
train service San Luis Obispo, in addition to
lon distance trains
Cl 11.7 Regional agency study of Route 101 study considered and No change.
rail service within county dismissed.
CI 12.5, Downtown parking Comprehensive study started, No change.
12.7 12.8 due mid-1997.
CI 14.8 Enhance views along No action. No change.
mghway 101
CI 14.9 Revise ARC Guidelines Staff work on revised guidelines No change.
to include view protec- started.
tion along scenic roads
Cl 14.11 Amortize billboards No action; need to verify effects No change.
along scenic roadways of state law on specific
billboards.
CI 14.12 Prohibit new billboards No action;need to verify effects No change.
along scenic roadways of state law on specific
situations .
Cl 15.13 Establish impact fees Done. No change.
gp annual report Table 4
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Draft Minutes
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 1997
CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
The regular meeting of the San Luis Obispo Planning Commission was called to order at
7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, 1997 in the Community Room of the City/County
Library, 995 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Commissioners Janet Kourakis, Charles Senn, Mary Whittlesey, Paul
Ready, David Jeffrey, and Barry Karleskint
Absent: None
Staff
Present: Assistant City Attorney Cindy Clemens, Associate Planner Glen Matteson,
and Development Review Manager Ron.Whisenand
ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGENDA:
The agenda was accepted as presented.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS:
There were no public comments.
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
1. General Plan Annual Report: Discuss the review of the General Plan Annual
Report, which implements the plan and trends that may indicate what changes will be
needed.
Associate Planner Matteson presented the staff report and asked for the Commission's
suggestions, changes, or comments.
Draft Minutes
Planning Commission Meeting
March 26, 1997
Page 2
Commissioner Jeffrey noted that Commission staff reports typically describe level of
service (LOS) rather than traffic counts. He thought it would be clearer if staff reports
reflect traffic counts instead of estimated levels.
Associate Planner Matteson said levels of service are usually derived rather than measured
directly. Most of the standards in the Circulation Element are expressed as a level of
service, which compares the volume of traffic with the capacity of the road.
Environmental studies usually include actual traffic counts.
Commissioner Ewan asked if there is any program presently in place that encourages
dwelling units downtown.
Associate Planner Matteson said there is no requirement. One could argue that the City
has not provided sufficient incentives, but the existing regulations allow the highest
residential density downtown and less parking than anywhere else in the city.
Commissioner Ewan requested a copy of the downtown parking study.
Associate Planner Matteson said staff would provide copies to the Commission.
Chairman Karleskint stated the Circulation Element requires biannual traffic counts.
Associate Planner Matteson stated traffic counts usually are done in response to a
question involving a specific area. So far, there has not been a systematic program for
counting every two years.
Commissioner Whittlesey asked staff to comment on the deletion of the solar water
heating program.
Associate Planner Matteson said the adopted Housing Element says that solar ,water
heating should be required. However, the State's "Title 24"rules allow solar water
heating as one option in meeting energy budgets for buildings. Other energy-saving
features may be more cost effective. The Housing Element also calls for a special
committee to review and recommend energy standards.
Commissioner Ewan said that at the last meeting there was discussion about a desired
range of uses that didn't seem to fit any of the zones we have. He asked how the process
is started to redefine zones.
Associate Planner Matteson stated one way to approach this is through an update of the
Land Use Element. The last update was in 1994. The Commission asked, from the results
of the 1994 update, for some help in evaluating the City's commercial zones. The basic
question was are they structured in a way that accommodates business activities we have,
Draft Minutes
Planning Commission Meeting
March 26, 1997
Page 3
while providing adequate regulation. There was a request going into the present budget
process for funds to get consulting help to look at our zoning regulations, to see if they're
current.
Development Review Manager Whisenand added this was a Commission goal and Council
didn't give it priority as a top City goal. A consultant will require funding.
Commissioner Kourakis asked if new zones will be considered with the specific plans in
the airport area.
Associate Planner Matteson stated staff is working on specific plans for the Margarita
Area and the Airport Areas. The Land Use Element identified a "business park"
designation for parts of the Airport Area. There may be a new zoning name
corresponding with a business park, and provisions that are along the lines of the existing
C-S and M Zones but more focused on research and light industrial. The only part of the
city that contains business park designations is the airport area.
Commissioner Ewan asked if this zone could be used in other parts of the city if needed.
Associate Planner Matteson stated this is possible.
Commissioner Kourakis, in reference to population change, asked about average
household size.
Associate Planner Matteson replied it is about 2.4. The average only includes households.
It doesn't include people living in group quarters.
The item was opened to public comment.
John Ashbaugh, 193 Los Cerros Dr., stated at the last meeting, the Commission did direct
that the specific plan consider a new zoning district that would combine the best features
of the C-S and M Zones to everyone's satisfaction. This zone would be available in other
parts of the city as well.
Brett Cross, 1217 Mariners Cove, stated one of the areas in the table deals with
neighborhood traffic management and discusses Oceanaire Dr. What it says is the
residents decided not to pursue traffic calming measures on this street. He believes the
residents were scared away from pursuing traffic calming. Maybe sometime in the future
the neighbors can get back together to come up with something. After the Chorro St.
debacle, the neighborhood had cold feet. There still is a traffic concern in this area and
future development on LOVR will push the problem along.
Draft Minutes
Planning Commission Meeting
March 26, 1997
Page 4
Bob Rountree, 808 Murray, stated unfortunately questions on the Circulation Element get
short shrift. In the report there are a three bullets on transportation, which do not include
the increase of transit frequency from hourly to half hourly on several routes. There has
been a major change with Cal Poly towards supporting transit. One of the comments
when work was being done on the Circulation Element was that it really didn't address
citywide circulation. One of the pieces that we didn't have an answer to at the time was a
more direct route for traffic coming up Broad Street into the center of town to get to Cal
Poly. He is distressed by the recommendation to delete the program labeled CE 8.13.
Mr. Rountree regretted that he had not become involved earlier in the Prado Road area
discussion. His recollection from working on the General Plan was that it was recognized
that the property at Prado Road and Elks Lane was in a flood plain. A land use element
should pay attention to the characteristics of the land when you're deciding how to use it.
We very reluctantly agreed that it could be zoned for offices. It was changed to retail and
there are flooding concerns that haven't been addressed.
Mr. Rountree stated between 1990 and 1996, there were significant reductions in
enrollment at Poly and Cuesta which resulted in reduced populations in the city.
Mr. Rountree said that the Circulation Element uses level-of-service standards for arterial
streets and traffic counts for residential streets. Levels of service are subjective, but there
is the quantitative feature of how long people have to wait at traffic lights.
Mr. Rountree said, concerning commercial zones, that the Commissioners should go back
and start over, and that they should talk among themselves to decide what they want,
rather than hiring a consultant.
The public comment session was closed.
Commissioner Senn moved to forward the Annual Report on the General Plan to the City
Council, along with the minutes of this hearing. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Ready.
Chairman Karleskint noted this was a very good report.
Commissioner Kourakis concurred. She added she's found most citizens are concerned
about neighborhood issues and quality of life for neighborhoods, and the Commission has
not discussed that.
AYES: Commissioners Senn, Ready, Ewan, Kourakis,• Whittlesey, Jeffrey, and
Chairman Karleskint
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
G-/7
Draft Minutes
Planning Commission Meeting
March 26, 1997
Page 5
Chairman Karleskint, in reference to determining City Council intent some time after an
action, said there should be more complete records of the discussion and reasons for votes
on controversial items.
COMMENT AND DISCUSSION:
2. Staff:
A. Agenda Forecast:
Development Review Manager Whisenand presented the agenda forecast for April 9,
1997. The hearing will be held in Council Chambers at 990 Palm St.
The Community Development Staff presented a plaque to Chairman Karleskint for his
eight years of service on the Commission.
3. Commission:
The Commission thanked Chairman Karleskint for this service and presented him with a
plaque.
A. Ad hoc committee report on meeting with Human Relations
Commission:
Commissioner Kourakis stated the ad hoc committee was to talk to the HRC to see what
they were coming up with regarding the Homeless Shelter that the Planning Commission
might be able to endorse. The HRC has not come up with anything as of yet. The shelter
issue will be heard by the HRC on April 2.
ADJOURNED at 8:15 p.m. to a regular meeting of the Planning Commission, scheduled
for April 9, 1997 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San
Luis Obispo, California.
Respectfully Submitted,
Leaha K. Magee
Recording Secretary