COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Board of Supervisors

DATE:

November 27, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

December 12, 2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

No

VOTE REQUIRED:

4/5

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Rich Gordon and Jerry Hill

SUBJECT:

Recommendation regarding the Emerald Hills Design Review Committee

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that the Design Review Committee for the Emerald Hills area be disbanded effective immediately. The Design Review function for Emerald Hills will be temporarily assumed by County Planning Staff.

Supervisor Gordon will bring together various factions in the Emerald Hills neighborhood to discuss plans to eventually restore the Design Review Committee for Emerald Hills. If needed, the Planning and Building Task Force will also be re-activated to look at issues related to design review processes.

Attached to this memo is a staff report and ordinance from County Counsel regarding the changes to the Emerald Hills Design Review Committee.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Goal(s):

1) Our diverse population works well together to build strong communities, effective government, and a prosperous economy.

2) Civic engagement – including voting, public service, charitable giving volunteerism and participation in public discussions of important issues – is uniformly high among the diverse population.

BACKGROUND:

Last spring the Emerald Hills Homeowners Association requested that the County begin a process to enhance the design review standards for the Emerald Hills unincorporated area. Planning staff held a community meeting at which much anger was expressed from many in the community about the proposed changes. Subsequently the Emerald Hills Community Coalition was formed and collected nearly 1000 petitions in opposition to the proposed changes.

The Emerald Hills community has become factionalized over this issue. Many of the arguments are playing out at the Design Review Committee. Currently there is a public member who is active with the Emerald Hills Community Coalition and the public member alternate is active with the Emerald Hills Homeowners Association.

As the Board Sub-Committee on appointments to the Bayside Design Review Committee we have attempted to find new committee members who would not have “partisan” perspectives. This effort has not been successful at this time.

We have concluded based on feedback from participants in the process and from staff, that the current committee is not able to be effective in applying the current design review standards in an objective manner.

After consulting with staff, we have concluded that the current design review committee for Emerald Hills should be disbanded. The function can be transferred to staff.

The Planning Department will appoint a Design Officer. This individual will hold public hearings and take public input on development proposals in Emerald Hills. The Design Officer will then issue a ruling. The action of Design Officer would be subject to appeal to the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. This would essentially be the same process as the current Design Review Committee but would have the decision made by County Staff.

We believe that in the long-term the Emerald Hills community would be best served by a functioning design review committee. Supervisor Gordon has agreed to bring together members of the Emerald Hills community to discuss what steps would be necessary to restore the Design Review Committee. If necessary, the Planning and Building Task Force could also be re-activated to look at the design review process.

The ordinance eliminating the Emerald Hills Design Review Committee is an urgency ordinance, as to allow an immediate transition to the new design review structure.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There may be some incidental savings by elimination of the requirement to convene the Committee.