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Minutes 1989-11-20 164 . MINUTES I JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1989 CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 215 EAST BRANCH STREET ARROYO GRANDE, CALIFORNIA The City Council and Planning Commission met at 7:05 P.M., with Mayor Mark M. Millis presiding. Present were Mayor Millis and Council Members A. K. "Pete" Dougall, Gene Moots and Doris Olsen, and Commission Chairman Robert Carr and Commission Members Drew Brandy, Sharon Fischer, Tony Flores, M. P. "Pete" Gallagher and Clark Moore. Absent were Council Member B'Ann Smith and Commission Member JQhn Soto. Mayor Millis opened the meeting by saying that the purpose of the workshop was to allow the City Council and Planning Commission an opportunity to review the General Plan Update documents. He said this was a time for Council and Commission Members to ask questions of Staff and Consultants about the General Plan Update. He said Public Hearings will take place at a later date, but the public could ask questions at this meeting. Planning Director Doreen Liberto-Blanck referred to her Staff Report of November 16, 1989, and said the General Plan Update documents consist of (1) General Plan text (Land Use, Housing, and open space and Conservation Elements), (2) Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and (3) the Existing Setting and community Issues Report. She referred to a proposed land use plan map displayed on the wall. She said the draft General Plan and EIR have been sent to the State for a 45-day review period. She said public hearings will begin in January, 1990. Lloyd Zola of the Planning Network, a firm which is preparing the General Plan for the city, listed the events and procedures which led up to this meeting, including a series of interviews, town meetings, workshops and an analysis of the Existing setting of the Community. He said general goals in the update included: (1) Promote a rural, small town atmosphere and retain Arroyo Grande's traditional ties to agriculture. (2) Accommodate a balance and variety of urban and rural lifestyles in Arroyo Grande, providing the best possible quality of life for all residents. (3) Recognize limitations upon the natural resources necessary to support urban and rural development, and live within those limits. Mr. Zola said everyone should realize that there is a difference between this plan and zoning. He said what is now being set is basic land use policy, policy concerning distribution of land uses and types of land uses. He said following the adoption of the General Plan, a zoning ordinance, a subdivision ordinance and resource management ordinance will be adopted, and they will be the detailed development regulations. He said in State law the General Plan is the lead document and takes precedence. He said zoning must be consistent with the General Plan..' Mr. Zola said there were several issues that should be considered. He said many of the areas designated on the General Plan with a ten acre minimum lot size as agriculture are zoned for one acre lots. He said the recommendation is to move forward with the 10 acre minimum lot size. He said the other issue is the Senior Citizen designation on the General Plan Map. He said a maximum density of 30 units per acre has been suggested to create a sufficient intensity of use. 1 i , 165 council Member Olsen said in the Land Use Element of the Update single family density has been raised from 4.5 to 6.0. She said that should be cut back to the current use. Council Member Olsen said the apartment density also should be cut back. She said condominiums and townhouses must have room on site for parking. She said she was not comfortable with the Senior Housing of 30 units per acre. She said that is too high to allow for anything but housing. Mayor Millis and Council Member Moots agreed with Council Member Olsen on .the density issues. They said any designation of Senior Citizen housing in the City has to allow for parking. Mayor Millis said referrals to population figures should be changed. He said the City only has enough Lopez and ground water to get to a population of 16,500 to 17,000 people, or an additional 2,000 to 2,500. He said the city has no other water. He said citizens are telling him that the only purpose of buying the expensive State water would be additional growth, which they don't want. After further questions, the discussion turned to agriculture. Mr. Zola said the issue is how much designated agriculture land will stay in production over the long term. He said clear agriculture programs are needed. There was a consensus that no transfer of agriculture water rights should be allowed. Council Member Olsen said the Council already is on record as opposing taking any agriculture water for development. A discussion of ten acre minimum for agriculture land took place. Council Member Moots said soil classification should be brought into the ten acre minimum issue. Mr. Zola said one of the issues is the discrepancy between the density involved and the fact that the land realistically could not be farmed. Mayor Millis said the one acre parcels are not viable for farming. Ms. Liberto-Blanck said a reasonable density to reflect lot sizes could be set. She said one parcel in the City shows ten acre minimum on the General Plan, but is zoned RAB-3. . After considerable discussion and questions of the consultants, Mr. Zola said the different alternatives for density of the agriculture land will be presented to the Commission and Council at the Public Hearings. A discussion took place of tying the General Plan into the city's growth and its natural resources. Mayor Millis suggested that the General Plan should reflect the City's water policy. Commissioner Gallagher asked questions about buffers between the various types of zones, and Mr. Zola said many buffer areas would be needed. - A "Right to Farm" ordinance was discussed, and Ms. Liberto- Blanck said the ordinance would be before the commission and council at about the time of the Public Hearings on the General Plan. In the discussion of commercial and industrial areas and a jobs and housing balance in the City, commissioner Gallagher said he sees the City as having an agriculture base, as being a "bedroom community" for the nearby larger cities, and as serving the tourists. Mr. Zola added the city could be the "local market" for the Five Cities area. Mr. Zola covered Land Use Elements Objectives 6.0,"Identify the components of 'rural atmosphere' and 'srnall town lifestyle,' 2 - 166 and ensure that these components are protected"; 8.0, "Limit the intensity of land use and area population to that which can be supported by the area's resource base, as well as circulation and infrastructure systems"; and 10.0," Maintain City boundaries which are logical in terms of existing resource availability, City service capabilities, economic development needs, social and economic interdependence, citizen desires, and City costs and revenues". Commissioner Carr asked for clarification on Objective 7.0 on achieving a pattern of land use, and Mr. Zola said he would reword the objective. The was discussion of the affect of development outside the City. Council Member Moots asked if there should be mitigation if there are cumulative effects. Ms. Liberto-Blanck said the General Plan Update picks up the suggestion of a Fringe study, a plan which could be worked out cooperatively with the county. She said the City and County could reach agreement on what are the development impacts, consistent designations and densities, and appropriate mitigation. Commissioner Moore said the whole infrastructure in the County around the City needs to be discussed. Long Range Planner Sandy Bierdzinski covered the Staff Report section on the Housing Element. There were questions on sources of funding for some proposals in the element; housing for the homeless; second units such as "granny" housing and guest houses; an "in-lieu" fee program to develop a housing fund, and implementing POlicy program 1.2, "Issuance of the maximum number of building permi ts per year, based on the city's Resource Management Plan". Council Member Olsen said that there should be some changes of wording concerning public buildings in the General Plan Update. She said that land next. to the Community Center has been incorrectly slated for a youth center, and law enforcement agencies sharing of facilities at the South County Regional Center is no longer appropriate. Council Member Olsen referred to an incorrect referral in the South County/Arroyo Grande Transportation Study, Page 39. Public Works Director Paul Karp said that corrections to the study already had been addressed, and that the study is not part of the General Plan, only a separate study. The following are questions from the audience and responSes from Staff, Council Members and Commission Members: 1. In the area south of the high school on land zoned for agriculture, could the 1 1/2 acres parcel size be translated into density? Could there be clustering? Mayor Millis said the area has not been changed from the existing plan because the parcel is in the "pipeline" in terms of a request for rezoning. Ms. Liberto-Blanck said under the present General Plan, clustering can take place through the approval of a planned development, but that Mr. Zola will look at the policy in the update and clarify it. 2. with regard to senior residences with 30 units per acre, how many acres are allowed? Mayor Millis said there are federal requirements for locating land for senior housing. He said only one of the sites on the General Plan map meets federal requirements. Commissioners Gallagher and Fischer said in the Land Use Element, 6- and 12-acre alternatives for senior housing are given. 3 i _ __ _._._~..__...._.. ______u___.__.._._,._......__~_.._<. 167 3. Is there a recommendation to annex an area between Noyes and Prince roads? Ms. Liberto-Blanck said that it is not in the proposed recommendation to annex that land. 4. With regard to the employment and housing relationship, do some cities have in their long range plans a mUlti-generational employment plan so that our "fast food" employees, for example, could move up to other jobs and eventually find housing close to home? Could there be a policy in the General Plan to identify and enhance the City's employment base and recruit businesses which would expand? Council Member Olsen said Santa Maria and San Jose have such policies. Commissioner Gallagher gave other examples and said the resources of Cal Poly could be used. Commissioner Carr asked if a City this size could handle this program, and whether Staff time could be allocated. Mr. Zola said it would be a matter of identifying how much time and manpower the City could afford, and then setting a program in place. 5. How many public hearings will there be? Commissioner Carr said the Planning Commission would have two or three, and Mayor Millis said the Council would have as many as necessary. Ms. Liberto-Blanck asked that concerns or comments be directed to the Planning Department before the hearing so that they could be on the agenda. She said copies of the General Plan Update are available at the Library, in the City Clerk's Office and in the Planning Department. 5. There were comments by an audience member on the need for qual! ty jobs in the city, and the need for the General Plan to address this issue. 6. How will the city attain the General Plan goals of low, very low, moderate housing and will developments be favored which contain this housing? Ms. Liberto-Blanck said the City needs to assess what funds are available, formulate a policy and then work with organizations like People's Self Help Housing to implement low cost housing. 7. Is this the final plan, or a proposed plan? Mayor Millis said everything in this plan (General Plan Update) could be modified at the public hearings. Mr. Zola said the final plan and map will be what is adopted at the end of the hearings. He said the current draft General Plan and Land Use Plan map are just starting points. Council Member Olsen said there has been a consensus to hold the City's population to roughly 17,000, and relate the City's growth to available resources such as water. Ms. Liberto-Blanck said that at the first Planning Commission public hearing, there will be a Staff Report incorporating comments made at this meeting. She invited members of the audience to add their names to the General Plan mailing list. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 P.M. ~.J~JL R ,. ATTEST: ~a.~ CI CLERK 4