HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2013 1204 CCSA REG ITEM 09B ITEM 9.B.
CITY OF MOORPARK,CALIFORNIA
City Council Meeting
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MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL • -
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: David A. Bobardt, Community Development DirectorVI
DATE: November 25, 2013 (CC Meeting of 12/4/2013)
SUBJECT: Consider Resolution Amending the City's General Plan Amendment
Pre-Screening Application Review Procedure and Rescinding
Resolution No. 2013-3178
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City's General Plan Amendment (GPA) Pre-Screening Application Review
Procedure was last amended by Resolution No. 2013-3178 on May 15, 2013. Prior to
2013, the review procedure was last comprehensively amended in 2008. The current
procedure includes review and recommendation of an application by the Community
and Economic Development Committee (CEDC) without any noticing requirements for
their meeting, followed by a noticed public hearing and decision by the City Council.
The Zoning Ordinance currently requires public hearings to be noticed by sign,
newspaper publication, and mailing to property owners within 1,000 feet for the subject
property.
During a recent public hearing on a GPA Pre-Screening application, the Council heard
some complaints from neighboring property owners about not being notified of the
CEDC meeting on the application. Staff has in the past informally notified residents that
have expressed interest in a particular project of the CEDC meetings when their phone
or e-mail contact information was known. This notification approach, however, does not
provide for consistency in the processing of applications, and Council direction on
notification of GPA Pre-Screening applications before the CEDC is needed.
The intent of having GPA Pre-Screening applications go before the CEDC (previously
Affordable Housing/Community Development Committee) before consideration by the
City Council was originally to allow for applications to be refined or grouped at the
Council committee level before being considered by the full City Council. This working
role of the committee was significant when the City received a larger number of
applications. There are currently three GPA Pre-Screening applications (The Preserve
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Honorable City Council
December 4, 2013
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at Moorpark, Grand Moorpark, and Moorpark Property 67, LLC — James Rasmussen)
pending before the CEDC, two of which (The Preserve at Moorpark and Moorpark
Property 67, LLC — James Rasmussen) have been referred back to the CEDC by the
City Council. The Grand Moorpark GPA Pre-Screening application, to change the
planned land use of 4 acres on Los Angeles Avenue from commercial to residential, has
not yet been considered by the CEDC. There is little additional available undeveloped
land within the City limits for future applications.
While recognizing the need for consistency in the processing of applications, staff has
concerns that on certain GPA Pre-Screening applications, there has been historically
more interest by the public than on other applications, which tends to cause more work
by staff at the committee level. This would be even more elevated if the GPA Pre-
Screening applications before the CEDC are treated similar to public hearing items.
With enhanced notification of CEDC meetings, the perceived role of the CEDC could
become more that of a hearing body, rather than a working committee as originally
contemplated. Although the current review procedure does not address how public
participation fits in to the CEDC review, the CEDC has historically allowed for public
comments on the applications. In addition, with more extensive public comment
expected with enhanced notification, much of the review by the CEDC on such
applications would be repeated at the public hearing before the City Council, creating a
duplicative process. Options to provide consistency in the processing of GPA Pre-
Screening application while addressing the above concerns include: 1) sending GPA
Pre-Screening applications directly to the City Council at a public hearing without
committee review; 2) only seeking the recommendation of the CEDC on GPA Pre-
Screening applications that are partially or totally outside the municipal boundaries; and
3) maintaining the current process with or without formal notification of CEDC meetings.
In Options 2 and 3, the issue of noticing CEDC meetings needs to be addressed.
The recently updated City website allows any interested party to sign up to be notified
automatically of CEDC meetings. Should the Council wish to require formal notification
of the CEDC meetings, a resolution is proposed for Council consideration to amend the
current procedure by requiring formal notification of CEDC meetings for GPA Pre-
Screening applications. This would provide consistency in providing notice of these
meetings. If formal notification of CEDC meetings is added to the review procedure, it
will be used for the three GPA Pre-Screening applications pending before the CEDC as
mentioned above.
One other issue of concern is the timing under which a decision to allow a General Plan
Amendment application to be filed is valid. Presently, GPA Pre-Screening approvals
have no expiration. Four GPA Pre-Screening applications have been approved without
the filing of a complete project application following them. The John C. Chiu GPA Pre-
Screening application for an apartment project on Everett Street was approved in 2004.
Two GPA Pre-Screening applications, Pacific Communities for condominium and
homes on Los Angeles Avenue and AB Properties North Village for single family homes
north of North Hills Parkway, were both approved for the filing of a GPA application on
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February 17, 2010. A fourth GPA Pre-Screening application, 1 Moorpark LLC — Ernie
Mansi, for a retirement community north of Casey Road, was approved by the City
Council on May 15, 2013. Applications have been submitted from John C. Chiu, Pacific
Communities and 1 Moorpark LLC, but none is complete. Staff recommends that the
GPA Pre-Screening Application Review Procedure be amended for any new approval to
be valid for a two-year period, by which a complete application must be filed, and for
Pre-Screening applications approved by the City Council prior to December 4, 2013 to
be valid until December 4, 2015, by which a complete application must be filed.
The resolution attached to this report incorporates CEDC noticing requirements and a
two-year time limit after Council approval of a GPA Pre-Screening application for filing a
complete project application. If the City Council selects the option to take GPA Pre-
Screening applications directly to the City Council (Option 1), the attached resolution
could be amended at the December 4, 2013 meeting or it could be placed on the
December 18, 2013 meeting agenda. This Option 1 alternative is not proposed to affect
The Preserve at Moorpark or the Moorpark Property 67, LLC — James Rasmussen
applications, as these applications have already been referred to the CEDC by the City
Council. The Grand Moorpark application, however, would go directly to the City
Council if the Option 1 review procedure is approved.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
This is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act because the
proposed amendment to the General Plan Amendment Pre-Screening Application
Review Procedure does not have the possibility for having any impact on the
environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
Additional noticing costs under Options 2 and 3 would be charged to the developer
deposit fund for the processing of these applications. If additional noticing is required,
staff would recommend evaluating whether the $5,800.00 deposit would need to be
increased.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Direct staff as deemed appropriate.
ATTACHMENT: Resolution No. 2013-
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RESOLUTION NO. 2013-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE CITY'S
GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PRE-SCREENING
APPLICATION REVIEW PROCEDURE AND RESCINDING
RESOLUTION NO. 2013-3178
WHEREAS, at a special meeting on May 15, 2013, the City Council adopted
Resolution No. 2013-3178, amending the City's General Plan Amendment Pre-
Screening Application Review Procedure; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to amend this procedure by requiring
notification of Community and Economic Development Committee meetings consistent
with the City's notification requirements for public hearings on zoning applications, and
by establishing a time period for which approved General Plan Amendment Pre-
Screening application approvals are valid.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOORPARK
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Resolution No. 2013-3178 is hereby rescinded.
SECTION 2. PRE-SCREENING PROCEDURE: The City Council hereby
amends the City's General Plan Amendment Pre-Screening Application Review
Procedure as shown in Exhibit A, attached.
SECTION 3. CERTIFICATION OF ADOPTION: The City Clerk shall certify to
the adoption of this resolution and shall cause a certified resolution to be filed in the
book of original resolutions.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 4th day of December, 2013.
Janice S. Parvin, Mayor
ATTEST:
Maureen Benson, City Clerk
Attachment— Exhibit A Pre-Screening Procedures
CC ATTACHMENT
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Resolution No. 2013-
Page 2
EXHIBIT A
GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PRE-SCREENING APPLICATION
REVIEW PROCEDURE
PURPOSE:
To provide a pre-screening review procedure for property owners or their agents to
present information to the City Council related to proposals for amendments to the
General Plan.
APPLICATION:
An application for pre-screening must be submitted to the Community Development
Department on the Universal Application form along with appropriate accompanying
maps and materials required by the Community Development Department and a deposit
to process the application consistent with the adopted Council resolution. Application
materials may be obtained from the Community Development Department, Moorpark
City Hall, 799 Moorpark Avenue, Moorpark, California, 93021 or on the City's website at
www.ci.moorpark.ca.us.
SUBMITTAL CYCLES:
Two application submittal cycles are established in November and May for each
calendar year.
ACTION CYCLE 1 CYCLE 2
Application Cycle Deadline November 30th May 31st
(Application must be deemed
complete by this date)
Community and Economic Not later than the following Not later than the following
Development Committee March regular meeting September regular meeting
(CEDC) Recommendation
City Council Public Hearing Not later than the second Not later than the second
and Decision regular meeting in May regular meeting in November
Except as provided below, all complete pre-screening applications are reviewed by the
standing City Council Community and Economic Development Committee. Notice of
the City Council Community and Economic Development Committee meetings for Pre-
Screening applications shall be provided consistent with notification for public hearings
required by Section 17.44.070 of the Municipal Code. The Committee recommendation
regarding the requested amendment shall be forwarded to the full Council for a decision
on whether or not to accept an application for amendment.
A Councilmember may request in writing within 30 days of the application cycle
deadline that the City Council conduct a public hearing on the General Plan Amendment
Pre-Screening application without review by the Community and Economic
Development Committee. Such request will be considered by the City Council within 60•days of the application cycle deadline. " . ** • . .** * :••*- . 9,
2012 cycle not previously scheduled for review by the City Council Community and
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Resolution No. 2013-
Page 3
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A duly advertised and noticed public hearing shall be held by the City Council on the
pre-screening application to determine whether the Council decides to approve or deny
the filing of a formal application for amendment. The City Council decision shall be
made by resolution. In accordance with Section 17.44.060(D) of the Zoning Ordinance,
no resubmittal of a similar application may be made for one (1) year after a denial
decision.
City Council approvals of General Plan Amendment Pre-Screening applications are
valid for two (2) years from the date of approval, by which a complete application for a
General Plan Amendment along with all other required applications must be filed,
except that City Council approvals of General Plan Amendment Pre-Screeninq
applications approved prior to December 4, 2013 are valid to December 4, 2015, by
which a complete application for a General Plan Amendment along with all other
required applications must be filed.
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