COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

DATE:

November 20, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

December 5, 2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

4/5 Vote

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

County Counsel

SUBJECT:

Adoption of Urgency Ordinance Amending Design Review Regulations to Eliminate the Design Review Committee for Emerald Lake Hills and Oak Knoll Manor, and Waiver of Reading of Ordinance in its Entirety

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt an urgency ordinance amending Section 6565.7 of Chapter 28.1 of Part One of Division VI (Zoning Regulation) of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code to Eliminate the Design Review Committee for Emerald Lake Hills and Oak Knoll Manor, and waive reading of the ordinance in its entirety.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government

Goal(s): Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than on temporary relief or immediate gain.

BACKGROUND:

County zoning regulations provide for the creation of Design Review Committees for certain designated unincorporated communities. The committee is comprised of two architects and a member of the community.

DISCUSSION:

It is proposed that the Design Review Committee for Emerald Lake Hills and Oak Knoll Manor be dissolved, and that the County’s Community Development Director or her designee, acting as the Design Review Administrator, assume the functions of the Committee. The Design Review Administrator would be required to hold a public hearing on any Design Review applications.

Adoption of the proposed amendment would eliminate the Design Review Committee for the Emerald Lake Hills and Oak Knoll Manor areas, and return the design review function to the Design Review Administrator. Appeals will still be available to the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.

The ordinance is being presented for adoption as an urgency ordinance, to go into effect immediately upon adoption by a four-fifths vote of the Board. Since it is an urgency ordinance no second reading is required. The reason for the urgency is the need to ensure the orderly and immediate transition of the design review functions to the Design Review Administrator in order to allow all procedural requirements to be met before the next design review hearing for this area in January 2007.

Attached to this report is a redline version of section 6565.7, subdivision A, which shows the change proposed to be made to the County’s design review regulations.

FISCAL IMPACT:

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