COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

 

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY

 
 

DATE:

February 14, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

March 14, 2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

10 day published notice

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

 
 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

 

FROM:

Marcia Raines, Director, Environmental Services Agency

 

SUBJECT:

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

 
 

RECOMMENDATION

   

1.

Take tentative action for the remaining project topics.

2.

Direct staff to prepare final LCP amendments that reflect the tentative action.

   

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.

 

Board consideration of the project contributes to these commitments and goals, particularly, the recommendations to (1) lower the Midcoast growth rate limit, (2) initiate comprehensive lot merger, (3) ensure that small houses are built on small parcels, (4) protect Midcoast neighborhood commercial opportunities, and (5) strengthen water runoff limits to reduce environmental degradation.

 

DISCUSSION

 

The Board has held eight meetings to consider the Midcoast LCP Update Project. The project is intended to (1) update LCP baseline data and land use policy to guide future Midcoast development, and (2) avert future development permit appeals. The key project topics include:

 
 

Changing the allowed rate of residential development

 

Planning infrastructure availability to serve community demand at buildout

 

Merging substandard lots to maintain the planned level of development

 

Controlling development on non-conforming parcels

 

Controlling residential uses in non-residential zoning districts

 

Updating the development controls for Midcoast rural zoning districts

 

Increasing Midcoast commercial and employment opportunities

 

Limiting impervious surface coverage to control drainage and erosion

     

To date, the Board has taken tentative action on some policy proposals and deferred action on the others pending additional research and analysis.

 

In April, 2005, the Board appointed a subcommittee (Supervisors Gordon and Hill) to (1) assist in developing a set of principles to guide Midcoast growth, and (2) recommend policy changes that align with the principles.

 

In December, 2005, the Board held two hearings to consider the remaining project proposals. It closed the public hearing and requested additional evaluation.

 

The main report overviews the status of each project topic, and includes responses to the Board’s most recent requests and the Subcommittee’s revised recommendations.

 

FISCAL IMPACTS

 

Reducing the residential growth rate limit could reduce annual building and planning permit revenues. Merging applicable substandard 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.