DATE: June 6, 2017
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: 2016 General Plan Annual Progress Report covering the 2016 calendar year
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Adopt Resolution accepting the General Plan Annual Progress Report covering the 2016 calendar year and authorize the submittal of the Annual Progress Report to the State Office of Planning and Research and Housing and Community Development .
REPORT
This item comes to the Board with a recommendation for acceptance of the General Plan Annual Progress Report (APR) from the Planning Commission as documented in the Planning Commission Resolution (See Exhibit A).
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
The Board may determine not to accept the APR and direct staff to modify the document with specific direction as to those modifications and return to the Board with modified report.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Cost for the preparation of the APR and this agenda item, in the amount of approximately $11,000, is a Net County Cost, which is accounted for within the Department of Public Works and Planning Org 4360 FY 2016-17 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
California law requires the County to adopt a comprehensive, long-term General Plan to guide the physical development of the unincorporated areas and to accommodate growth while protecting the County’s natural resources. As the basis for local government decision making, the General Plan includes goals and policies by which projects are analyzed against and necessary actions are taken to achieve the overall vision for the County.
The General Plan must include seven mandated elements as required by State law (land use, circulation, housing, noise, safety, conservation, and open space). Additional elements of special and unique concern to a local government, including economic development, air quality, historic resources, parks and trails, and public facilities, may be included as optional elements. Implementation of the General Plan is the responsibility of various County departments as well as certain agencies that are not part of the County’s structure but are under contract to provide services to the County.
Government Code Section 65400 requires that cities and counties submit an APR on the status of their General Plan and progress in its implementation of its programs to the State Office of Planning and Research (OPR). Furthermore, a report on implementation of the Housing Element programs must be provided to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Staff has combined both reporting elements into a single document which is attached to this Agenda Item (See Exhibit D). The APR has been prepared in conformance with the County General Plan Policy LU-H.12 which requires that the County review the General Plan annually and revise it as deemed necessary. Staff notes that pursuant to OPR’s guidelines, with the exception of certain forms prescribed by HCD for reporting on the Housing Element, there is no standardized form or format for the preparation of the General Plan APR and that the APR need not be an elaborate and time consuming task.
The purpose of the APR is to inform the Board of Supervisors about the status of implementing the County’s General Plan programs and other planning activities that have occurred during the previous calendar year.
Staff notes that in accepting the APR for the 2015 calendar year in September of 2016, the Board directed staff to include more detailed explanations of implementation programs and program status as part of the 2016 APR, which is included in the 2016 APR.
Following the OPR guidelines, the 2016 APR includes the following:
• A table of contents
• An Executive Summary
• OPR’s Guidelines for the Annual Progress Report
• An overview of the General Plan, Vision Statement, and Key Goals
• Discussion of General Plan Elements noting activities associated with each element that occurred in 2016
• Planning and development activities in 2016
• Description of all General Plan Amendments that were processed in 2016
• Description of Zone Changes and Amendments to the text of the Zoning Ordinance that were processed in 2016
• Appendix A includes a matrix of all Implementation Programs of all General Plan Elements and the status of those Programs
• Appendix B includes a report on the Housing Element of the General Plan which consists of a discussion of the Housing Element Update for the Fifth Cycle Planning Periods and various tables showing residential building permits that were issued in 2016, progress toward the County’s meeting its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) on forms prescribed by the HCD. The Report also includes a matrix on the status of Housing Element Programs.
Planning Commission Hearing and Action
The Planning Commission held two hearings on the APR. The first hearing was held on March 30, 2017 which ended during public testimony due to the loss of a quorum and the continued hearing on April 13, 2017. The Planning Commission’s staff report for the March 30, 2017 hearing is attached to the agenda item as Exhibit B. The Addendum to the Planning Commission’s staff report for the April 13, 2017 hearing is attached to the agenda item as Exhibit C.
At the March 30th hearing, staff informed the Commission of the contents of the APR noting that there are no guidelines on how the APR should be prepared except for reporting the number of housing units permitted during the calendar year on forms prescribed by HCD. The Commission was also informed that the APR includes an overview of all elements of the General Plan and the activities associated with each element of the General Plan and includes two appendices; Appendix A is a matrix showing the status of the implementation program of all elements of the General Plan and Appendix B is a report on the Housing Element, including a matrix showing the status of the Housing Element implementation programs.
Staff noted that the purpose of the Annual Progress Report is to report on the status of the Implementation Programs and the planning activities that had occurred in the previous year which is required by law and the General Plan policy LU-H.12. Staff informed the commission that due to changes in circumstances and Board priorities, as well as new legislation, per General Plan policy LU-H.14, every five years a comprehensive review of the General Plan needs to be performed to evaluate the status of General Plan policies and programs and delete, add, or modify policies as deemed appropriate and presented to the Board of Supervisors for consideration. This process is taking place currently and the public will be provided opportunities to review the proposed changes.
Staff mentioned that correspondence received from the public points out that certain General Plan programs have not yet been implemented and certain programs have not been implemented as exactly described in the program. Staff mentioned that certain programs have not been implemented due to allocation of funds to implement those programs and some programs are being effectively implemented although they are not implemented as written. Members of the public who have concerns regarding General Plan policies and programs will have the opportunity to express their concerns and opinions as part of the General Plan Review process that is currently underway. The correspondence presented to the Planning Commission at the March 30, 2017 and April 13, 2017 hearings are attached to the agenda item as Exhibit E and Exhibit F respectively.
Upon consideration, the Planning Commission, with a unanimous vote of 5-0 (2 Commissioners absent) determined that the 2016 APR meets the statute and the OPR guidelines and follows the HCD’s prescribed format for the Housing Element Report and recommended that the Board of Supervisors accept the 2016 APR and authorize its submittal to the State OPR and HCD.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI # 12 September 13, 2016
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Exhibits A - F
On File with Clerk - Resolution
CAO ANALYST:
John Hays