COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence
PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT
DATE:
November 3, 2008
BOARD MEETING DATE:
November 18, 2008
SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:
None
VOTE REQUIRED:
None
TO:
Honorable Board of Supervisors
FROM:
Lisa Grote, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
Long Range Planning Services Fiscal Year 2008 - 2009 Work Plan
RECOMMENDATION
This item, which is informational, does not require action by the Board of Supervisors. Staff recommends that the Board review the proposed work plan, afford an opportunity for public comment, and provide guidance to staff on its content and implementation.
VISION ALIGNMENT
Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government.
Goal 20 states: “Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.”
The proposed Work Plan allocates planning resources to projects and programs that will have long-term benefits. Abiding by the work plan will avoid the diversion of these resources to competing demands that may have short-term objectives.
In addition to carrying out the commitment and goal described above, the specific projects and programs contained in the work plan will implement many additional elements of the County’s Shared Vision, as denoted by the summary table included as Attachment 1.
BACKGROUND
Long Range Planning Services (LRPS), a division of the Planning and Building Department, is seeking input on its proposed work plan (attached) for the following reasons:
1.
2008 - 2009 Budget Performance Measures
The 2008 - 2009 budget includes a new performance measure for LRPS, under which 80% of projects are to be processed in accordance with established priorities, timeframes, and budgets. This hearing provides an opportunity for the Supervisors and other interested parties to influence the plan that will guide LRPS work and be used to measure the performance of the division at the end of the fiscal year.
2.
Workload Management
In the course of processing various types of permits for development, the need to clarify, supplement, or revise particular regulations often becomes apparent. Issues raised by proposals for new and expanded telecommunication facilities, for instance, recently led to the creation of a new ordinance that provides specific regulations for such facilities.
Individual applicants and neighborhoods also occasionally petition for amendments to existing policies and regulations. For example, residents concerned with the Design Review process being implemented in the community of Emerald Lake Hills prompted the survey and evaluation of existing zoning standards that is currently underway.
When combined with the need to initiate and complete longer-term planning projects and perform essential ongoing tasks (such as processing General Plan conformities, responding to requests for data, and participating in regional planning efforts), it is clear that the demand for long-range planning services exceeds available resources. The establishment of an annual work plan is intended to set priorities among these competing demands and help prevent new proposals from interfering with the completion of these priorities.
Planning Commission Action: This item was presented to the Planning Commission at its July 23, 2008 meeting. The Planning Commission did not suggest any changes to the work plan. In the three months since the Planning Commission reviewed the work plan, staff has considered new information relevant to the work plan, and adjusted the timelines and next steps for completing priority projects necessary to keep the plan as accurate and up to date as possible.
Report Prepared By: Steve Monowitz, Long Range Planning Manager, Telephone 650/363-1855
DISCUSSION
A.
CURRENT STAFF AND FUNDING LEVELS
There have been some significant changes in the staff of Long Range Planning Services (LRPS) in the recent past. Specifically, George Bergman retired from his position as Division Manager and was replaced by Steve Monowitz in September 2007. For a brief time following his retirement, Mr. Bergman provided extra help to LRPS, and acted as the Planning Department’s Zoning Hearing Officer. This assistance ended on July 1, 2008. In addition, the Special Projects Manager position formerly held by Mark Duino remains vacant and will be left unfilled for the foreseeable future to assist in addressing the County’s budgetary challenges.
Current LRPS staff consists of its Manager (Steve Monowitz), a Senior Planner (Matt Seubert), and one Planner II (Will Gibson).1 Mr. Monowitz also manages the Planning Department’s Code Compliance and Graphics Divisions, and generally spends approximately 75% of his time on LRPS items, although new vacancies within the Graphics and Code Compliance Divisions have placed greater demands on his time. Mr. Seubert has recently been selected to replace Mr. Bergman as the Department’s new Zoning Hearing Officer. It is estimated that this duty will consume about 25% of his time. With Mr. Gibson dedicated full time to long-range planning matters, LRPS has approximately 4,700 per year of staff time available to carry out its programs and projects.
For the most part, the LRPS is funded by an allocation from the General Fund that covers staff time and benefits. Exceptions include:
h
A one million dollar fund established to update the County’s General Plan;
h
A $500,000.00 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments, and a local match by the Housing Department of up to $150,000.00, for updating of the North Fair Oaks Area Plan; and
h
A maximum reimbursement of $25,000.00 from the Housing Department to help cover costs associated with implementation of the County’s Housing Element.
B.
PRIORITY PROJECTS
As shown by the summary table provided as Attachment 1, approximately 15% of LRPS total staff time is required to cover the ongoing programs discussed in Section C of this report. Accordingly, about 85% of staff time will be dedicated to initiating, processing, and completing specific long-range planning projects detailed by Attachment 2. Of these projects, staff proposes to divide 60% of its time equally among to the following four, each of which will receive approximately 15% of total available staff time:
h
General Plan Update;
h
North Fair Oaks Area Plan Update;
h
Midcoast Local Coastal Program Update; and
h
2009 Housing Element Update.
Another priority is completing the update of the County’s Williamson Act Program, which is currently underway and needed to address the Department of Conservation’s 2007 audit. A draft of the updated program has been completed for review of the Agricultural Advisory Committee in December 2008. It is anticipated that this update will take approximately 10% of staff’s time and be completed in March 2009.
Approximately 7% of total staff time will be spent contributing to the County’s Watershed Protection Program. An important component of this work will be initiating an update of the County’s grading ordinance.
Completion of the new Telecommunication Facilities Ordinance is an additional priority that is estimated to consume 5% of staff time. Included in this time will be the follow-up with the Coastal Commission required to implement this ordinance in the Coastal Zone.
The remaining three priorities are projects that are near completion and will each receive about 1% of staff time to bring to at least a temporary conclusion. They include: following up on the results of the Emerald Lake Hills Design Review Survey; releasing the Phase II Midcoast Groundwater Study for public review and comment, and reviewing its conclusions with interested parties; and conducting a lottery and establishing a waiting list for allocating the LCP’s quota on caretaker units in Princeton.
C.
ONGOING PROGRAMS
As noted above, LRPS is responsible for many of the Planning Department’s ongoing programs, and will spend approximately 15% of its time on these programs. Of the 12 ongoing programs listed by the proposed LRPS Work Plan, two are required to implement California State Law and the County Code. These are performing general plan conformity reviews and conducting Zoning Officer Hearings. Formal County resolutions and/or memoranda of understanding establish many of the other ongoing programs, such as the Housing Element Implementation Program, the Midcoast Stormwater Drainage Committee, and staff participation on the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Critical Coast Areas Steering Committee. Additional programs that provide important opportunities for interagency coordination include staff’s participation on the Health and Built Environment Committee, the C/CAG Transportation Advisory Committee, and committees associated with the El Camino Real “Grand Boulevard” Initiative. The remaining ongoing programs are needed to maintain and enhance the Department’s efficiencies and effectiveness, including current efforts to build a Geographic Information System and organize planning records.
D.
FUTURE PROJECTS
The priority projects and ongoing programs described above represent a full workload given current staff levels and financial resources. As a result, there are four LRPS projects that have been initiated, but will be postponed for at least the remainder of the 2008 - 2009 fiscal year. These are the comprehensive update of the Zoning Ordinance; revisions to the secondary dwelling unit ordinance needed to reflect changes in State law; amendments to regulations regarding confined animal facilities; and, the establishment of size limits for new homes in the rural coastal areas.
FISCAL IMPACT
Implementation of the proposed work plan will help ensure that the work performed and contracted by LRPS remains within its 2008 - 2009 budget allocation.
ATTACHMENTS
1.
Summary Chart of the Proposed 2008 - 2009 Work Plan
2.
Work Program Details