How Does it Affect Me By Bill Shoe, Neelima Palacherla and Leslie Little

Panel Presentation

Panel Presentations Bill Shoe, County of Santa Clara Principal Planner Neelima Palacherla, Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission Executive Officer Leslie Little, City of Morgan Hill Assistant City Manager

The County Perspective

Role of Principal Planner for Santa Clara County

Role of Principal Planner -Overview of My Responsibilities Manage comprehensive planning, General Plan Zoning Administrator/Zoning Ordinance Geographic Information System (GIS) staff Advise Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission & County Staff Represent County

Framework for Planning Decision-Making in Santa Clara County Federal & State regulations (mandates, pre-emptions, NEPA/CEQA) County’s General Plan Zoning Ordinance, County Ordinance Code (subdivision, single sites, grading, etc.) Building Code, Fire Code, road standards, etc.

General Plan Basics Last comprehensively updated 1994 Mandatory elements e.g.: Housing, Land Use Optional elements e.g.: Parks & Recreation Upcoming Element  Health Element

General Plan Structure Vision - Four Themes/Goals Chapters, Strategies and Policies 3 Plans in 1: Countywide, Rural, & Urban Islands Stanford Community Plan South County Joint Area Plan

Land Use Plan

Strategies Example - Natural Hazards#1: Inventory (map) hazards, monitor conditions#2: Minimize resident population in high hazard areas#3: Design, locate, regulate development to avoid/withstand hazards#4: Reduce magnitude of hazard if possible#5: Public information and awareness

General Plan’s Connection to You Why it is important to the average Santa County Clara citizen (constitution, blueprint for development/conservation) Connecting the General Plan to local projects - consistency requirements Community values - expresses key values, desired outcomes that are community driven

General Plan’s Connection to You -Vision and Desired Outcomes Managed urban growth and development Responsible resource conservation (e.g.: hillside preservation) Environmental stewardship, restoration Livable communities, smart growth Social and economic well-being Efficient, effective service delivery (urban services, health system, courts, social services)

Planning and Land Use Decisions Board of Supervisors (e.g.: GP amendments, zone changes, subdivisions, appeals, etc.) Planning Commission (e.g.: Use Permits) Architecture & Site Approval Committee Zoning Administrator (e.g.:Design Review, Variance, etc.) Staff (e.g.: single building site approval, grading approvals, lot line adjustments, etc.)

Interaction With Other Agencies Other key County agencies (e.g.: Roads & Airports, Environmental Health, Agriculture, Fire Marshall, etc.) County engagement with Morgan Hill, San Jose and Gilroy (e.g.: HSR, Coyote Valley, HCP) County engagement with LAFCO (e.g.: USA mods, island annexation, ag preservation) State/regional agencies (e.g.: Sustainable Communities Strategy, RHNA, BAAQMD, SFRWQCB, CCRWQCB)

Public Engagement and Information Importance of citizen engagement - an “informed citizenry” and balancing of perspectives Some elements to be considered:  Vibrant economies, tax base, service provision  Urban Growth Boundaries - tools for managing growth  Urban needs and open space protection  Rural services, impacts of rural development

Closing ThoughtsWatchword of the future…‘Sustainability’ Energy Economy Environment Equity Resilience / Adaptation

Thank you! Bill Shoe, County of Santa Clara Principal Planner

The LAFCO Perspective 18

What is LAFCO?An independent, state-mandated local agencywith a mission to: Promote Logical Boundaries of Local Agencies Discourage Urban Sprawl Preserve Agricultural and Open Space Land Ensure Efficient Provision of Public Services 19

What does LAFCO do?Regulatory Function Boundary changes for special districts and cities:  Annexations  Detachments  Incorporation / Disincorporation  Dissolution / Formation of districts  Consolidations & mergers of cities / districts  Sphere of Influence and Urban Service Area Amendments Extension of services outside agency boundaries Activation of new services for districts 20

What does LAFCO do?Planning Function Conduct Service Reviews for service providers within the County Establish and prepare 5-year updates of Spheres of Influence for cities and special districts Establish Urban Service Areas for cities Work collaboratively on growth, preservation and service issues 21

Santa Clara LAFCO Composition Local Agency Formation Commission The Commission consists of:  Two County Supervisors  One Council Member from San Jose  One Council Member from any other city  One Public Member 22

Santa Clara LAFCO Funding &Staffing Funded jointly by cities and the County 50% (County) 25% (San Jose) 25% (Cities) Contracts with County for staffing and facilities Contracts out for legal counsel services 23

Role of LAFCO ExecutiveOfficer and manage the LAFCO program Direct Receive policy direction directly from Commission Represent Commission and serve as liaison Process proposals and prepare recommendations Develop policy for Commission consideration Conduct special studies / service reviews Implement Commission decisions Track state legislation and local agency policies 24

Framework in Which Decisionsare Made at LAFCO State Law  The Cortese Knox Hertzberg Act  CEQA, Revenue & Tax Code Local LAFCO Policies and Procedures  Adopted by LAFCO based on local conditions and context 25

Which Hat to Wear? Local Agency Formation Commission LAFCO Commissioners must exercise independent judgment and represent:  NOT solely the interest of their appointing authority  the interest of the public as a whole in furthering the purposes of LAFCO 26

Interaction with Other Agencies Cities Special districts County departments: Planning, Assessor’s, Surveyor’s, Controller’s, Re corder’s... Regional/ statewide organizations: ABAG, CALAFCO, CSDA State Departments: State Board of Equalization, Dept. of Public Health, Dept. of Conservation… 27

LAFCO’s Legal Standing /Authority independent LAFCOs are LAFCO’s decisions are final. Decisions cannot be appealed to other administrative bodies Limited legal challenge as long as decision is not arbitrary and capricious Do NOT have land use authority 28

Joint Urban Development PoliciesLong-standing urban development policiesbetween LAFCO, the 15 cities and theCounty: Urban development should occur within cities County will not allow urban development in the unincorporated areas Cities to adopt urban service areas to indicate lands that they are willing and able to provide urban services and facilities to within the next five years 29

Urban Service Area (USA) Jointly adopted by cities and LAFCO in 1972 & 1973 Amended over time through the LAFCO process USAs are unique to Santa Clara County When LAFCO approves a USA expansion it is in anticipation of annexation and development Special legislation in CKH Act that allows Santa Clara County cities to annex land within their USA without LAFCO approval 30

Urban Service AreaUSA amendment requests can only come fromCities and LAFCO has special policies to helpguide its consideration of these requests: Need for expansion, given the amount of vacant land already within the city & USA and rate of absorption Availability of services e.g. police, fire, sewer… Availability of adequate water supply Impact on agricultural & open space lands Fiscal impact on other local agencies Ability of school districts to provide school facilities 31

Sphere of Influence (SOI) CITY LIMITS CITY URBAN SERVICE AREA SPHERE OF INFLUENCEIn Santa Clara County: State definition is relevant for special districts, but not for cities For cities, the USA is the more critical boundary for determining the location of urban development 32

Preserving Ag land 33

Preserving Ag land Less than 39,000 acres of agricultural lands with high quality soils remain in Santa Clara County (that is less than 5% of total land within the county) 34

What’s Sprawl Got To Do WithIt? Urbandevelopment, urbanservice area expansionsand service extensionscan disrupt theconditions necessary foragriculture leading to: Land use conflicts and increasing calls for regulation Land speculation which drives up the price of farmland Impermanence which causes disinvestment in agriculture 35

What Can LAFCO Do? Help educate local agencies, organizations, and the community on the importance of agriculture When approving proposals adjacent to agricultural lands, encourage local agencies to adopt measures to protect adjoining agricultural lands, to prevent their premature conversion and to minimize potential urban edge conflicts When reviewing /commenting or preparing environmental documents, ensure thorough analysis of impacts to agriculture Conversion of prime agricultural land should be a last resort and in some cases may not be appropriate Adopt policies and encourage other agencies to adopt policies aimed at mitigating the loss of agricultural lands 36

What Can You Do? Participate in various levels of decision making process, even prior to LAFCO process • At city council / planning commission stage • GP Amendment / Pre-zoning • CEQA analysis Provide comments Attend meetings / public hearings Contact LAFCO staff / commissioners, local elected officials Request a community workshop / presentation on issue 37

For more information onLAFCO:www.santaclara.lafco.ca.gov Neelima Palacherla (408) 299-5127 Neelima.palacherla@ceo.sccgov.org Dunia Noel (408) 299-5148 Dunia.noel@ceo.sccgov.org 38

The City Perspective

Role of Assistant City Manager forCommunity Development in Morgan Hill Direct activities of Planning, Building, Housing, Redevelopmen t, Code Enforcement, Engineering and Utilities  In Planning – Long Range Planning, Current Planning, Zoning and RDCS Administration  Advise CM; Make recs. to Planning Commission and City council  Represent City in regional Planning efforts, i.e. HCP, High Speed Rail, RHNA, Sustainable Communities Strategy (one bay Area Plan)

Framework in Which Planning Decisionsare Made in Morgan Hill Federal, County & State regulations and Mandates Morgan Hill’s General Plan and the Community Values expressed in the Plan City Council, Planning Commission & City Staff and community input Zoning and Building Codes

Planning Policy Basics Last Comprehensive GP Update 2001  Housing Element 2010 Circulation Element 2009  DT Specific Plan 2009 Hist. Res. Code 2006  Cal Green Standards 2009 Upcoming Ag Policy General Plan Key Goals  Economic Development : Strong, stable , diverse economic base; adequate jobs for locals; viable tourist industry  Housing: Adequate supply of new housing and range of densities; available to all income levels; Growth that matches service capacity and provides for affordable housing, RDCS  Thoughtful Capital Improvement Planning and infrastructure development  Open Space/Conservation :Preservation or open space, ag. uses, Hillsides, riparian, wildlife habitat; seek Greenbelt around City, help retail rural atmospheres as City grows; preserve cultural heritage

How the General Plan Shapes MorganHill Provides framework for City’s future and guides decision-making for consistency with General Plan Visioning process for comprehensive revision: Spring 2012

General Plan’s Connection to You The General Plan drives policy and decision making for most short term and long term actions General Plan policies have result in open space acquisition (El Toro), active and passive park development and location, facility development, infrastructure investment, policies regarding affordable housing, Downtown preservation and development, economic development activities, habitat conservation planning, water conservation, sustainability actions and planned housing growth Land use decisions must make findings of consistency with the General Plan

Land Use Decisions in MorganHill From the General Plan, decisions are made or influenced by:  City Council  Planning Commission  Planning and Community Development staff including Utilities, Engineering, Public Works, Building  Rec and Parks, Roads, Police and County Fire Services  Other City Commissions and committees

Interaction with Other AgenciesIn addition to local decision making, the city consults with and participates in regional decision-making.Interact and comply with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CALTRANS, VTA, Caltrain, MTC, Santa Clara County, LAFCO, SC County Water District, Association of Bay Area Governments, DTSC, State Finance Dept., State Controller, U.S. Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Census; San Jose , Gilroy, non- profit organizations and networks

Public Engagement Morgan Hill is a progressive community, embracing its citizens and business community members in most major decisions in a way that goes beyond most: RDCS, Redevelopment amendment ballot It is extraordinary in its commitment to community well- being – community facilities, infrastructure and affordable housing MH values citizen engagement – Council priorities to broaden with commitment to diversity

Upcoming Activities  General Plan update  Climate Action Plan  Downtown development (PDA)  Economic Development Activities  Urban Growth Boundaries (Urban Limit Line)  High Speed Rail  Caltrain long range planning (service and station development)  Open Space/Conservation (Ag Policies )

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How Does it Affect Me By Bill Shoe, Neelima Palacherla and Leslie Little

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How Does it Affect Me By Bill Shoe, Neelima Palacherla and Leslie Little — Presentation Transcript