HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2021 1215 CCSA REG ITEM 09DCITY OF MOORPARK,
CALIFORNIA
City Council Meeting
of December 15, 2021
ACTION CONSENSUS TO
RECEIVE AND FILE REPORT.
BY K. Spangler.
D. Consider Update Regarding the Status of the 2050 General Plan. Staff
Recommendation: Receive and file report. (Staff: Doug Spondello, Planning
Manager)
Item: 9.D.
Item: 9.D.
MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: Doug Spondello, AICP, Planning Manager
DATE: 12/15/2021 Regular Meeting
SUBJECT: Consider Update Regarding the Status of the 2050 General Plan
The 2050 General Plan update is well underway, and this report serves as an update on
the progress made following the City Council’s adoption of the Vision Statement (below)
in February 2021. This report will also provide a preview of the work ahead in 2022.
The General Plan Advisory Committee has adopted a vision statement for their efforts
which serve as a guide to decision-making throughout the general plan update process:
Moorpark in 2050 is a virtually and physically connected community that
provides a sustainable, diverse, inclusive, equitable and safe place to live,
work, and play for all generations. Moorpark supports and values local
businesses, arts and education, innovation, healthy living, and maintains its
family-oriented small-town feel. We are stewards of the environment and honor
our agricultural and cultural heritage. We balance these values to maintain a
high quality of life for our residents.
DISCUSSION
The objective of this year’s work has been to establish a preferred Land Use Plan,
which will designate the high-level land uses that will be permitted on all properties in
Moorpark (residential, commercial, open space, etc.). The Land Use Plan will also
establish standards for the intensity of development to be permitted (including building
types, units per acre for residential uses, and floor area ratio for commercial and
industrial uses). The General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) also engaged in the
planning and policy development for the Housing Element.
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Land Use Element
The 17-member GPAC began developing land use recommendations for potential areas
of change within the City in the first quarter of 2021. The areas of changes, known as
“Opportunity Sites”, were selected based on the likelihood that the development or use
of these sites would change between now and 2050. Opportunity Sites were identified
by the GPAC members and members of the public based on three categories:
unimproved land, under-improved land, and improved land for redevelopment.
Over the course of two meetings, held on February 25 and March 18, 2021, the GPAC
members refined and approved a preliminary list of Draft Opportunity Sites. In advance
of their next meeting on April 29, 2021, GPAC members were asked to submit images
of the development character that they would like to see in Moorpark over the next 30
years. At the meeting in April, those images were shared in a group discussion and live
polling exercise where the GPAC voted for the types and character of land uses that
should be considered in Moorpark.
The Project Team leads the GPAC in a discussion regarding preferred commercial development types using images
provided by the GPAC on April 29, 2021.
An online workshop was conducted with the community on May 27, 2021, to present the
sites and land use categories identified by the GPAC and obtain input regarding the
desired uses in various locations in the City. During this meeting, and over the next
week, 197 individual comments on potential future land uses that might be
accommodated within the Opportunity Sites, and elsewhere in the City, were collected
via an online mapping activity that allowed participants to view a description of the each
of the potential Opportunity Sites and provide comments on what future land uses they
would like to see occupy each Opportunity Site. A summary of the feedback received
and appendix that lists each comment provided at the workshop and online activity was
published online.
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The GPAC conducted a day-long work session on July 10, 2021, to determine which
uses/development sites were preferred for each opportunity site. This was the first
opportunity that the GPAC had to gather in-person. In preparation for this meeting, the
City sent letters to each landowner associated with the identified Opportunity Sites,
informing them of the meeting objectives within the context of the overall General Plan
update process, and inviting them to provide a brief overview identifying the current use
of their property and what they envisioned for the future. During this meeting, working
groups of GPAC members considered the feedback provided by the representatives of
two property owners along with the multitude of comments submitted with the earlier
online mapping activity. The meeting concluded with the GPAC identifying one or more
preliminary land use alternatives for each Opportunity Site. These alternatives were
presented as the Preliminary Land Use Ideas for Opportunity Sites which includes a
detailed description of the potential uses for each site as recommended by the GPAC
and community.
GPAC Members work in small groups to provide land use recommendations for the City’s Opportunity Sites at the July 10,
2021, Workshop
From this point forward, the consultant team worked to guide the community and GPAC
towards refining these recommendations with the goal of one selection for each site. To
provide some context for these decisions, staff conducted an analysis of potential
buildout scenarios for the recommended land use alternatives, and the impacts of those
scenarios on indicators such as traffic and vehicle miles travelled, greenhouse gas
emissions and wet infrastructure (water, sewers, and storm drainage). The results of
that analysis were published in the Land Use Alternatives Report.
Staff held a focused Land Use Workshop on November 14, 2021, at City Hall alongside
the Farmer’s Market. The Workshop was attended by nearly 100 people. The intent of
the workshop was to present and solicit public input on the land use alternatives
recommended by the GPAC for each opportunity site. The project team discussed
these options and addressed questions in English and Spanish. Attendees were asked
to vote for their preferred option or to offer other input using stickers. A bi-lingual online
survey was also published for two weeks following the workshop to allow those who
missed the live event to provide input. The survey was completed by an additional 94
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(left) Board illustrating public support for the new Mixed-Use District (MUD) land use designation at Mission Bell Plaza
(right) Staff was available to discuss the different options with attendees as they worked through each opportunity site.
Housing Element
The GPAC met on September 2, 2021, to discuss concepts related to housing, review
key trends, strategies for meeting the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)
and to provide preliminary input on housing policies. The GPAC will meet again on
December 9, 2021, to finalize recommendations for the Housing Element. While
progress on the Housing Element has been underway, the work has been delayed while
the Preferred Land Use Plan is being prepared, as significant assumptions about
housing in the City are driven by the land use plan that has been pending completion.
The Preferred Land Use Plan will serve the City through 2050, while the Housing
Element is focused on a more-defined eight-year period, from 2021 through 2029. The
GPAC had requested an additional meeting to deliberate on the opportunity sites.
Additional time was also required to ensure thoughtful opportunities for public input and
outreach during COVID-19 when gatherings were prohibited.
State law requires the City’s Housing Element to be reviewed and approved by the
California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). In order to
comply with the law, the City was to submit the adopted Housing Element to HCD by
October 15, 2021. The law provides for a 120-day grace period from this date and HCD
is authorized to begin assessing penalties to the City if the draft Housing Element is not
received by February 12, 2022. The Community Development Director sent a letter to
HCD’s Senior Accountability Manager on November 24 advising the agency of our
status and committing the submittal of the draft Housing Element by February 12. The
project team also discussed the City’s efforts to come into compliance with HCD staff in
a conference call on December 3, 2021.
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NEXT STEPS
General Plan Update project schedule
The land use recommendations from the November 14, 2021, Workshop will return to
the GPAC on December 16, where the GPAC will be asked to make the final selections
that will become the Preferred Land Use Plan. This Plan will be presented on to the
Planning Commission and City Council. The Plan will also advance the GPAC’s
discussions on to new topic areas that will fill out the remaining elements of the General
Plan, including Circulation, Conservation/Open Space/Recreation, Economic
Development, etc. The endorsement of the Preferred Land Use Plan by the Planning
Commission and City Council will be the first priority entering into 2022. Following the
selection of this Plan, the project team will begin work on the Program Environmental
Impact Report assessing the potential environmental impacts of Moorpark’s
development by 2050.
Mid-late 2022, staff will also begin work on a comprehensive update to the City’s Zoning
Code to implement the new General Plan land uses, streamline the City’s permit
process, and modernize the provisions governing the uses and development of
individual properties. A comprehensive update to the City’s Development and Impact
Fees is also expected to begin during 2022. Staff’s expectation is that the General
Plan, Zoning Code, and fee update will culminate in late 2022. This work is consistent
with a 2019 Community Development Organizational Audit prepared by Management
Partners that highlighted the need for the City to complete a comprehensive review of
fees for the Community Development Department.
These three initiatives – the 2050 General Plan, Zoning Code update, and fee update –
will establish Moorpark in a firm position to implement the desired character of the
community and address future challenges strategically. All this will continue to occur
with a community driven approach ensuring the communities vision comes to fruition.
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FISCAL IMPACT
None. This report is for informational purposes.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE
The preparation of the 2050 General Plan directly implements the following City Council
2021-2023 Goals and Objectives:
Goal 1, Objective 1.3: “Complete the 6th Cycle Housing Element, which will
include housing opportunity sites, and goals and policies to support the creation of
housing for all”; and
Goal 3, Objective 3.7: “Complete the Comprehensive General Plan Update,
which will include elements dedicated to Land Use and Economic Development”.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file report.
References
The following links are provided for more information on the work completed:
Draft Opportunity Sites
May 27th Land Use Workshop – Summary and Appendix
Preliminary Land Use Ideas for Opportunity Sites
Land Use Alternatives Report
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