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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2016 1111 CC SPC ITEM 05A ITEM 5.A. CITY OF MOORPARK,CALIFORNIA City Council Meeting of — ACTION: :, , , 42_ ,4011PWREM% MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL BY: .G . _• __ _____ AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council FROM: Prepared by: Joseph Fiss, Economic Development and Planning Manager DATE: November 9, 2016 (CC Special Meeting of 11/11/2016) SUBJECT: Consider an Interim Urgency Ordinance Prohibiting the Approval of Any Business Registration, Use Permit or Any Application for Massage Establishments in Any Zone During the Pendency of The City's Consideration of Amendments to the Moorpark Municipal Code and Declaring the Urgency Thereof and the Immediate Effectiveness of this Ordinance Pursuant to Government Code Sections 65858, 36934 And 36937 BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION On February 16, 2011, in response to Senate Bill (SB) 731, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 398, replacing Chapter 5.48 Massage Establishments and Therapists, of Title 5 Business Taxes, Licenses and Regulations; and amending Section 17.08.010 Application of Definitions of Chapter 17.08 (Definitions), and Section 17.20.060 (Permitted Uses in Commercial and Industrial Zones) of Chapter 17.20 (Uses by Zone), of Title 17 Zoning, of the Moorpark Municipal Code. SB 731, enacted by the state on September 27, 2008, provided for voluntary statewide certification of massage therapists and restricted local regulation of massage establishments and massage therapists or practitioners certified by the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). Local jurisdictions were still allowed to regulate uncertified massage establishments and massage therapists or practitioners. Prior to this, there was no statewide regulation of the massage industry. SB 731 was modified several times, but subsequently expired on January 1, 2015. For instance, in 2011, AB 619 provided that the only manner in which local government could exercise traditional land use restrictions on an individual certified by CAMTC or an establishment certifying CAMTC certified practitioners was if those same regulations were placed upon all other individuals and businesses providing "professional services". Due to the reduction of barriers to entry, this legislation created a substantial increase in the number of massage establishments within local jurisdictions, while at the same time 1 Honorable City Council November 11, 2016 Page 2 law enforcement agencies throughout the State reported increased complaints concerning prostitution and human trafficking. Prior to the sunset of SB 731, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1147, expanding local agencies' ability to regulate massage therapists and establishments within their jurisdictions, allowing them to impose reasonable zoning, business licensing and health and safety requirements for massage businesses, as well as requiring conditional use permits, and regulating hours of operation. This law divided responsibility for massage regulation between the State (regulating the certification of massage professionals though the CAMTC) and local governments (regulating massage businesses through their regulatory and land-use authority). In anticipation of AB 1147 sunsetting on January 1, 2017, Governor Brown signed AB 2194 into law on September 22, 2016, was by, providing some clean-up and extending its provisions to January 1, 2021. AB 2194 states that local governments shall impose and enforce only reasonable and necessary fees and regulations on massage businesses and massage establishments, in keeping with the requirements of existing law and being mindful of the need to protect legitimate business owners and massage professionals, particularly sole providers, and that local governments should give strong consideration to establishing a registration program that grants local governments the ability to either suspend or revoke a registration of massage business for specific violations. Staff recommends the adoption of an interim urgency ordinance (Attachment 1) to place a 45-day moratorium on the issuance of any entitlement or permits for new massage establishments. Enacting this moratorium would allow City staff time to determine appropriate zoning regulations to protect the public health, safety, and welfare consistent with State law the City Attorney has reviewed the draft interim urgency ordinance. A 4/5 vote is required for adoption. If adopted, this interim urgency ordinance would expire on Monday, December 26, 2016. If staff is unable to complete the necessary work prior to December 26, 2016, a schedule and recommendation for extension of the moratorium would be provided. A public hearing is required for adoption of an extension ordinance. Staff anticipates additional time will be necessary to thoroughly research and evaluate any proposed code changes and recommends the City Council direct staff to schedule and notice a public hearing for December 21, 2016 to extend the Interim Ordinance. STAFF RECOMMENDATION (ROLL CALL VOTE 415TH AFFIRMATION) 1. Adopt Ordinance No. 2. Direct staff to schedule and notice a public hearing for December 21, 2016 to extend the Interim Ordinance. ATTACHMENT: Draft Ordinance 2 ORDINANCE NO. AN INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE APPROVAL OF ANY BUSINESS REGISTRATION, USE PERMIT OR ANY APPLICATION FOR MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS IN ANY ZONE DURING THE PENDENCY OF THE CITY'S CONSIDERATION OF AMENDMENTS TO THE MOORPARK MUNICIPAL CODE AND DECLARING THE URGENCY THEREOF AND THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS ORDINANCE PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 65858, 36934 AND 36937 WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Moorpark does ordain as follows: SECTION 1. Findings A. The City desires to provide for the public safety, health and welfare of the residents and visitors to the City of Moorpark ("City"). B. One means of doing so is by regulating businesses that provide services that may create additional public safety, health and welfare impacts within the City. These businesses include massage establishments, which are currently regulated by Municipal Code Chapter 5.48 (Massage Establishments and Therapists) and Title 17 (Zoning). C. Recent changes in State law (AB 2194 signed into law on September 22, 2016,) have affected the ability for the City to regulate massage establishments under its current Municipal Code regulations, creating an inconsistency with State law. D. The City finds that without examining its current regulations in light of these changes to the State law, public welfare will be harmed by the inconsistency between local regulations of massage establishments and State law. The public welfare will additionally be harmed if massage establishments are initially allowed in certain zones, but then later prohibited or further regulated in those zones, creating non- conforming uses and an unnecessarily more complex regulatory environment. E. If the City continues to approve new massage establishments, each new entitlement would be granting a right to use the property in a manner which does not necessarily reflect the needs and wants of the public. Furthermore, it will not adequately protect the public's health, safety and welfare. As such, if the City fails to enact this moratorium immediately, all new entitlements for massage establishments will create a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare. F. The City Council intends to study how the application process and entitlement granting process for new massage establishments should be revised to be both consistent with State law, and protect the public health, safety, and welfare. 3 Ordinance No. Page 2 G. The City Council finds that this ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; it prevents changes in the environment pending the completion of the contemplated municipal code review. SECTION 2. Imposition of Moratorium A. In accordance with the authority granted to the City of Moorpark by Government Code Section 65858, and pursuant to the findings stated herein, from and after the date of the enactment of this ordinance, no use permit, variance, building permit, zoning clearance, business registration or other applicable entitlement shall be approved under Municipal Code Chapter 5.48 and Title 17 for a new "massage establishment" as defined in Municipal Code section 5.48.20. B. This ordinance is an interim urgency ordinance adopted pursuant to the authority granted to the City of Moorpark by Government Code Section 65858, and is for the immediate preservation of the public health, safety, and welfare. SECTION 3. Severability If any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this ordinance are severable. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted this ordinance irrespective of the invalidity of any particular portion thereof. SECTION 4. Effective Date Consistent with Government Code 65858, this ordinance shall become effective immediately upon adoption if adopted by at least a four-fifths vote of the City Council and shall be in effect for forty-five (45) days from the date of adoption unless extended by the City Council as provided for in the Government Code. 4 Ordinance No. Page 3 SECTION 5. Publication The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this ordinance; shall enter the same in the book or original ordinances of said City; shall make a minute of the passage and adoption thereof in the records of the proceedings of the City Council at which the same is passed and adopted; and shall, within fifteen (15) days after the passage and adoption thereof, cause the same to be published once in the Moorpark Star, a newspaper of general circulation, as defined in Section 6008 of the Government Code, for the City of Moorpark, and which is hereby designated for that purpose. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 11th day of November, 2016. Janice S. Parvin, Mayor ATTEST: Maureen Benson, City Clerk 5