HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-06-2016 Item 13, RowleyCOUNCIL MEETING; fo 0 t ll 6
ITEM NO.:
Ali
Residents for Quality Neighborhoods R UCIN VED
P.O. Box 12604 • San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
September 6, 2016 SEP 0 6 2016
CLERK
SUBJECT: Item 13, Review Work Scope and Authorize RFP for Zoning Regulations
Dear Mayor Marx and Members of the Council,
City Councils, past and present, as well as individuals appearing before Council have often
remarked on the quality of our staff. We should take maximum advantage of their subject
matter expertise and of their knowledge of the issues that are particular to our city. Although
the Zoning Regulations update requires knowledge of state requirements, additionally it
requires a solid working knowledge of this community.
Due to the importance of the Zoning Regulations in our daily lives, Residents for Quality
Neighborhoods (RQN) recommends that the regulations be updated "in house." Any loss to the
day-to-day workload requirements of the selected employee can be back-filled by a contract or
temporary employee. Of course, there are other alternatives; for example, a (qualified)
contract employee could be hired to work exclusively on updating the regulations. Either of
these choices gives our community the added benefit of having an individual who is working in
the community, available to conduct outreach to residents -and stakeholders, and concentrating
on our project.
However, if you decide to approve the use of a consultant/consulting firm, we strongly
recommend that it be from San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara County. Hopefully, individuals
from those areas will understand the issues unique to a city of our size, demographics and
issues when performing the update.
As a result of dealing with updates of the Land Use and Circulation Elements, the undersigned is
particularly sensitive to the process that is used. In that case chapters we reviewed were
provided out of order and one topic was not always completed before another was begun. This
created problems and confusion for both task force members and the public.
Thus, for maximum understanding and clarity for residents who will be affected by the
regulations as well as those who use them routinely, it is absolutely necessary that the update
be done systematically with no skipping around. It should be clear which chapters and/or
sections are being updated and which chapters/sections will be next.
We support the use of legislative drafts throughout the process, not just at certain benchmarks.
The legislative draft should show all changes - format and, organization as well as changes in
the body of the document - and should provide a reason and reference for the change.
We are pleased to see that workshops are planned as well as other outreach techniques.
However, having learned from the LUCE process, we strongly recommend that none of the
workshops follow the "drop-in" format where a certain time period is specified, but individuals
may arrive and leave whenever they wish. Additionally, we wish to confirm that the planned
stakeholder meetings include meetings in the neighborhoods.
We support inclusion of LUE Programs 4.29, Coordination of Late Night Environment, and 4.32,
Alcohol Use Permits, to include implementing an alcohol outlet Public Convenience and
Necessity policy as recommended and requested by Save Our Downtown. And as a natural
(and needed) consideration of LUE Program 4.29, we support inclusion of LUE Program 2.14.13,
Neighborhood Wellness Action Plans, to help devise strategies to stabilize the rental/owner
ratio, to maintain neighborhood character, safety, and stability.
We, also, hope that you will enlarge the scope of Ordnance 1130 so that it will apply to and
provide protection for all residential neighborhoods that back up to the creek along Monterey
Street and elsewhere. Residents have been good stewards of the creek and it makes sense for
us to protect their privacy so they can comfortably continue their stewardship.
In summary, RQN requests that you provide the following guidance for the scope of work for
the Zoning Regulations update:
1. Hire an individual (or company) who will do the update locally;
2. Do the update systematically, with notice given as to what will be worked on and when;
3. Use legislative drafts throughout the process, to include the reasons and references for
recommended changes;
4. Prohibit "drop-in" workshops;
5. Specify that stakeholder meetings shall include neighborhood meetings;
6. Include LUE Programs 4.29, 4.32 and 2.14.13 into the work program;
7. Enlarge the scope of Ordinance 1130.
Thank you for your time and your consideration.
Sincerely,
Sandra Rowley
Chairperson, RQN
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