TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Nhung Madrid, Senior Management Analyst
Laurie Jester, Planning Manager
Andy Sywak, Economic Vitality Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Sepulveda Corridor Planning Initiatives (Community Development Director McIntosh).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council review and approve the Sepulveda Initiatives Work Plan and establish an Ad Hoc Working Group to be appointed by the City Manager.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undertaking these zone text amendments will require a significant commitment of staff time (Planning, Economic Vitality, and Transportation Engineering). Although this project was anticipated in the preparation of the annual budget, it was anticipated that a consultant team would take the lead on a broader more comprehensive study. Staff taking the lead on this project with little or no assistance will preclude staff work on other long range planning projects that may arise later in the year and potentially delay current ones.
BACKGROUND:
At the September 19, 2017, City Council Meeting, the Council directed staff to move forward with the Sepulveda Corridor Planning Initiatives and focus the study on items related to economic vitality, planning, parking, traffic and corridor beatification. As directed, staff will:
1) Initiate a zone text amendment to:
a. Add incentives for the redevelopment of “opportunity sites” for hotels or mixed use developments;
b. Possibly limit (but not prohibit) new office uses using a cap, or a locational requirement, or allowing only in a mixed use project; and
c. Update commercial parking requirements.
2) Amend the Sepulveda Boulevard Development Guide to include standards for addressing the commercial/residential interface on east/west streets, and at the rear of the commercial properties.
3) Appoint a working group committee to work with Staff and guide policy alternatives.
Additionally, Council directed Staff to return at a later date and provide a detailed work plan and options for the size and make-up of the working group committee. The working group committee should also have options to include and/or exclude Council members from the group as well as a list of the proposed individuals for the group.
The timeline for the project is approximately 10 months to coincide with the expiration of Interim Zoning Ordinance (IZO) No. 17-0020-U, which prohibits the establishment of new health care facilities on Sepulveda Boulevard without a use permit (Attachment 1).
DISCUSSION:
City Council directed that this project be completed without the assistance of paid consultants. In order to do this, several principles need to be established, therefore, Staff has prepared the following “SEPULVEDA CORRIDOR WORK PLAN” beginning with the following principles:
1) The project must be limited to the scope approved by the City Council on September 19 as stated above;
2) Technical expertise will be provided by community members with experience in real estate, development, economic development and/or planning;
3) Staff time must be allocated to specific tasks and deliverables.;
4) Strict time frames need to be followed, as outlined below, in order to enact the Ordinance amendments by August 6, 2018 when the Interim Zoning Ordinance is due to expire.
With only 10 months to complete the proposed work plan, the following timeline and schedule is proposed:
• Council approves Work Plan; establishes Ad Hoc Working Group: November 7, 2017
• Staff compiles resource materials: November 8, 2017 to December 8, 2017
• Working group meetings (January 8, 2018, February 12, 2018, March 19, 2018)
o First Meeting: Week of January 8 (Brainstorming meeting) - Informational packets provided to working group members by December 15, 2017
o Second Meeting: Week of February 12 (Evaluate options)
o Final meeting: Week of March 19 (Review proposed text. See deliverables*)
• Draft text completed: March 30, 2018 (see list of deliverables below)*
• Social media/website campaign to inform community of proposal: April 2-25, 2018
• Planning Commission first hearing: Wednesday, April 25, 2018
• Planning Commission final hearing: Wednesday, May 23, 2018
• City Council public hearing and first reading of Ordinance: Tuesday, June 19, 2018
• City Council second reading of Ordinance: Tuesday July 3, 2018
• Ordinance becomes effective: Friday, August 3, 2018
And the completion of the work plan will produce the following Deliverables*:
1) Draft text amendment - CG Commercial Zone
2) Draft text amendment - Development Standards
3) Draft text amendment - public hearing and noticing
4) Draft amendment to Sepulveda Guidelines
5) Draft commercial parking guidelines
6) List of additional ideas for Sepulveda that are raised but not a part of the scope of this project.
Staff is recommending that the City Council review, discuss and approve the proposed Sepulveda Corridor Work Plan. Additionally, staff is requesting that the Council establish an Ad Hoc Working Group of eleven or so members, with members to be appointed by the City Manager. An Ad Hoc Working Group allows for transparency in the process since it will allow for the general public to attend and observe. And, by establishing this group as an Ad Hoc Working Group, the meetings will not violate the Brown Act, there will not be a Chairperson, and no voting will take place. It will be more of a technical advisory group, which will be led by staff.
Additional community involvement and input will also be received from the public through the public hearing process when the project comes before the Planning Commission and City Council.
By way of background, to solicit applicants for the Working Group, Staff created an online application and utilized social media outlets such as NextDoor and Facebook to solicit interest. In total, Staff received a total of 24 applications representing members from various interest groups including Sepulveda adjacent residents, Sepulveda Boulevard property and business owners, representatives from organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Commercial Property Owners Associations, Realtors, Developers, and Investment Firms.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Staff created a Sepulveda Initiatives webpage on the City’s website, which will be updated regularly with information related to the project’s status, outreach and engagement efforts. Staff also utilized the website for the online application process for working group committee. Staff will continue to perform various forms of outreach and engagement in an effort to gain meaningful and balanced input from the community.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City has reviewed the proposed project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary at this time. A determination on CEQA requirements for future projects, as directed by the City Council, will be determined once those projects are defined.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachment:
1. Ordinance No. 17-0020-U