COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY

DATE:

January 27, 2005

BOARD MEETING DATE:

February 15, 2005

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

10 day notice

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Marcia Raines, Director of Environmental Services

SUBJECT:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Consideration of Midcoast Local Coastal Program (LCP) Update Project

RECOMMENDATION

Take tentative action on the LCP and zoning amendments for the topics described in the main staff report.

VISION ALIGNMENT

Commitment: Redesign our urban environment to increase vitality and reduce congestion. Preserve and provide access to our natural environment.

Goals: (12) Land use decisions consider transportation, infrastructure demand and environmental impacts. (13) The boundary between open space and development is fixed to protect the quality of the natural environment.

The proposal contributes to these commitments and goals, by (1) lowering the Midcoast growth rate limit, (2) initiating comprehensive lot merger to preserve the community’s planned buildout, (3) ensuring that small houses are built on small parcels, (4) protecting neighborhood commercial opportunities, (5) promoting open space and recreation uses for an obsolete roadway alignment, and (6) strengthening water runoff limits to reduce environmental degradation.

BACKGROUND

The intent of the Midcoast LCP Update Project is to update and revise land use policy affecting the unincorporated Midcoast with the aim of averting development permit appeals and improving Coastal Act consistency. The project has included numerous community workshops, followed by 15 Planning Commission hearings to review and refine project proposals.

On January 25, 2005, your Board approved a review process and schedule for subsequent public hearings. For the February 15, 2005, meeting, your Board will receive public testimony and consider the following topics:

h

Recalculate residential buildout

h

Evaluate the infrastructure capacity needed to serve Midcoast buildout

h

Reevaluate Midcoast traffic mitigation requirements

h

Determine the number of nonconforming parcels (substandard lots)

h

Consider a comprehensive lot merger program for substandard lots

h

Prepare impervious surface and winter grading limits for new development

The Planning Commission is proposing a set of amendments that, in general, preserve the community’s planned buildout and development density, decrease the rate of residential development, reduce house size on nonconforming parcels, and further protect Midcoast community resources. It does not include the updated Design Review standards which your Board approved in April, 2004, nor does it include changes to LCP sensitive habitats and wetlands policies. The Commission postponed consideration of these changes to provide time for additional analysis.

SUMMARY

The Planning Commission recommended amendments being discussed at the February 15, 2005, meeting include:

1.

As allowed by law, comprehensively merge applicable residential substandard lots up to 5,000 sq. ft. or the minimum parcel size of the zoning district.

2.

Require Transportation Demand Measures (TDMs) for Midcoast development projects that generate less than 100 peak hour trips and are not exempt from CEQA.

3.

Limit the amount of parcel area that may be covered by ground level impervious surfaces, e.g., pavement to 10% of parcel size, not to exceed 1,170 sq. ft.

4.

Prohibit winter grading unless it is shown that rigorous site containment will occur.

FISCAL IMPACTS

Comprehensively merging applicable lots may require additional staff resources for a limited time. Otherwise, there would be no additional cost to the County to implement the proposals discussed in the main report.