COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY

DATE:

January 31, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

February 7, 2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Marcia Raines, Director of Environmental Services

SUBJECT:

Consideration of a Corrected Resolution Transmitting the Midcoast Design Standards LCP Amendment to the Coastal Commission

RECOMMENDATION

Adopt the corrected resolution, Attachment A.

VISION ALIGNMENT

Commitment: The Midcoast Design Standards Local Coastal Program (LCP) amendment promotes the commitment of redesigning our urban environment to increase vitality, expand variety and reduce congestion.

Goal: The Midcoast Design Standards LCP amendment promotes Goal 12, encouraging land use decisions that consider impacts on the environment and on surrounding communities by encouraging residential development that is compatible with the local neighborhood and surrounding community, and integrated with the natural setting.

BACKGROUND

The Board amended the Local Coastal Program (LCP) Visual Resources Component policies and adopted new Midcoast Design Standards for One- and Two-Family Residential Development in April, 2004. The LCP Policy amendments and the new design standards constitute an LCP amendment, which must be certified by the Coastal Commission to be in conformance with the California Coastal Act before it can become a permanent part of the County’s LCP. As required by the Coastal Act, the Board adopted a resolution transmitting the LCP amendment to the Coastal Commission.

DISCUSSION

Coastal Commission staff has informed the County that language stating when the amendment would take effect was inadvertently left out of the resolution. To correct this, a new resolution is attached for the Board’s adoption. The inserted language makes it clear that if certified by the Commission without modifications, the amendment will take effect immediately. If the Commission certifies the amendment with modifications, by law, these would need to be considered and accepted by the Board of Supervisors before the modified amendment could take effect.

The corrected resolution will allow the Coastal Commission staff to continue processing the amendment. At this point, Coastal Commission staff has indicated that they may recommend minor modifications to the amendment. County staff is working with Coastal Commission staff on the possible amendments and toward certification of the amendment at the Commission’s April hearing.

FISCAL IMPACT

None.