DATE: June 4, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: 2018 General Plan Annual Progress Report
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Consider and adopt Resolution accepting the 2018 General Plan Annual Progress Report.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will accept the Annual Progress Report (APR) and authorize its submittal to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) and State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The General Plan APR informs your Board of implementation of the policies and programs of all elements of the General Plan, including the Housing Element during the 2018 calendar year. The APR was presented to the Planning Commission on April 11, 2019 and a summary of the Planning Commission’s and public comments are included in Attachment A. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may determine not to accept the APR and direct Department of Public Works and Planning staff to modify the report with specific direction and return to the Board for reconsideration. The APR is due to the State agencies by April 1st of each year, with a 60-day grace period.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action.
DISCUSSION:
Government Code, Section 65300 et seq. requires the County to adopt a comprehensive and 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 which guide the analysis of all projects including the County initiate projects and those initiated by the public. Actions taken by the decision-making bodies must be consistent with the General Plan.
The General Plan must include seven mandated elements as required by Government Code Section 65302: land use, circulation, housing, noise, safety, conservation, and open space. Senate Bill 1000 (Chapter 587, Statutes of 2016) was signed by the Governor on September 24, 2016 and took effect on January 1, 2017. The bill requires an Environmental Justice Element (EJ), or EJ goals, policies, and objectives in other elements, to be adopted or reviewed upon the adoption or next revision of two or more elements concurrently on or after January of 2018. 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 (a)(2) requires that cities and counties submit an APR on the status of their General Plan and progress in its implementation to their legislative body for consideration and acceptance. Upon acceptance, the APR must be submitted to OPR and HCD.
Government Code, Section 65400 requires generalized reporting on implementation of General Plan, with specific reporting requirements on the Housing Element. HCD revised their forms in 2018, which were provided to local governments on January 17, 2019, requiring a significant amount of additional information to prepare the Housing Element portion of the APR.
The APR is required to address implementation of the General Plan programs for the previous calendar year and are due to State agencies by April 1st of each year. Department staff has combined both reporting elements into a single document, the 2018 General Plan APR, included as Attachment C. The APR has been prepared in conformance with County General Plan Policy LU-H.12, which requires the County to review the General Plan annually and revise it as deemed necessary.
It is important to note that there is no standardized form, format, or required content for the General Plan APR with the exception that the report on implementation of the Housing Element must be prepared per the forms prescribed by HCD. Further, per the OPR guidelines, the APR is not required to incorporate all General Plan elements and is not intended to be an elaborate or time-consuming task.
There are two appendices attached to the 2018 APR, with one providing status of implementation for the 122 programs of all elements of the General Plan and the other a report on implementation of the Housing Element prepared per HCD’s requirement.
The 2018 APR meets the statutory requirements of Government Code, Section 65400 and exceeds the OPR’s advisory guidance for preparation of the APR. The Annual Housing Element Progress Report provides the status of implementation of the Housing Element programs including progress in meeting the County’s share of the Fifth-Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation.
PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING AND ACTION
On April 11, 2019, the Planning Commission, as part of its regular agenda, considered the 2018 APR. Department staff presented a summary of the APR noting the purpose of the report, major planning activities that occurred in 2018, and various development applications received and processed during the 2018 calendar year. A copy of the Planning Commission Staff Report and 2018 APR are included as Attachments B and C, respectively.
During the hearing, a member of the public mentioned a critique of the 2017 APR that he had prepared on behalf of the League of Women Voters, which was distributed to the Commission prior to the hearing (see Attachment D). The member of the public also distributed a letter addressed to the Commission regarding the Commission’s recommendation and certain Economic Development Programs.
The Commission recommended that your Board consider the following recommendations, see Attachment A:
• The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) should provide a comprehensive report on their annual progress promoting economic development in the County such as training programs to individuals to enable them to secure employment, etc
• The EDC should showcase any award given to the agency for their accomplishments.
• The Economic Development Action Team (EDAT) related to the Economic Development Program ED-A.B (The County shall create, support, and staff an Action Team to coordinate countywide economic development) that was approved by the Board in September 2016 should include an individual who is not affiliated with government.
• Fresno County accomplishments should be identified in an attachment.
• Resources should be provided to the unit that prepares the APR to allow personal contact with all County Departments and other agencies that are under contract with the County, to gather information for the APR.
Upon consideration, the Commission, with a unanimous vote of 8-0 (1 Commissioner absent) recommended that your Board consider the Commission recommendations.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #39, May 8, 2018
BAI #49, June 6, 2017
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Resolution
On file with Clerk - Advanced Agenda Material
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa