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February
23, 2002
DISCLAIMER
BEGINNING
OF CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
This agenda has been prepared to provide for the orderly progression of City business. Detailed staff reports on specific items are posted in the hallway for public viewing. The City Council wants to hear your comments, however, to run the meeting efficiently, please observe the following rules when you participate in the meeting. Please try to submit your REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL form to the City Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. You will be called at the appropriate time to make your remarks. For the sake of efficiency, the City Council agenda is divided into several sections: Consent Calendar: This section consists of routine items which, unless a request has been received from the public, council or staff to remove a particular item for discussion, are enacted by one motion of the City Council. If you wish to speak to any Consent Calendar item(s) you will be limited to three minutes. Public Hearings: This section is devoted to noticed hearings. Although the normal time limit is three minutes for each speaker, the Mayor may grant additional time to a representative speaking for an entire group; however, this should not discourage anyone from addressing the City Council individually. Regular Business: This section contains items of general business and you will be allowed three minutes to speak on any item. Public Comments: This part of the agenda is reserved for making comments on matters which are NOT on the agenda. If you have submitted a request to speak, you will be called by the City Clerk at the appropriate time and you may speak for up to three minutes. Please limit your comments to matters within the jurisdiction of the City Council. Due to State law, no action can be taken on matters brought up under Public Comments. If action by the City Council is necessary, the matter may be placed on a future agenda or referred to staff, as determined by Council. Please make your remarks at the lectern microphone and direct your comments to the City Council and not to the staff or the public. Conduct at the Council Meeting: The City Council has adopted a set of rules for conduct during City Council meetings. The following is an excerpt from those adopted Rules of Procedure: Section 6.3 The Mayor shall order removed from the Council Chambers any person(s) who commits the following acts at a regular or special meeting of the City Council: 1. Disorderly, contemptuous or insolent behavior toward the Council or any member thereof, tending to interrupt the due and orderly course of said meeting. 2. A breach of the peace, boisterous conduct or violent disturbance, tending to interrupt the due and orderly course of said meeting. 3. Disobedience of any lawful order of the Mayor which shall include an order to be seated or to refrain from addressing the Council. 4. Any other unlawful interference with the due and orderly course of the meeting.
SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 23, 2002
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
SCHEDULE OF INTERVIEWS
1. Discussion of proposed golf course for County landfill area. 2. Authorize Mayor to sign letter to FAA regarding:
SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 23, 2002
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
SCHEDULE OF INTERVIEWS
1. Discussion of proposed golf course for County landfill area.
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS FROM: DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, BUILDING & CODE ENFORCEMENT DATE: FEBRUARY 23, 2002 SUBJECT: NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND INITIAL STUDY FOR THE NEW SOUTH COAST COUNTY GOLF COURSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT Staff Coordinator:Kit Fox, aicp, Senior Planner RECOMMENDATION Review the Notice of Preparation (NOP) and related materials, and provide direction to Staff as deemed appropriate. BACKGROUND At the February 19, 2002 City Council meeting, the City Council directed Staff to agendize this matter for the Council’s review and discussion at today’s meeting. DISCUSSION Staff has prepared a draft comment letter on the NOP for the City Council’s review and input. Copies of the draft comment letter and NOP are attached to this report. The comment period ends on March 12, 2002. Staff contacted Joan Davidson regarding the information she discussed at the February 19th City Council meeting, but Mrs. Davidson was not able to provide copies of these materials in time to be attached to this report. Staff will obtain copies of all of Mrs. Davidson’s information. In addition, the City Attorney is researching records of the State Water Resources Board and other agencies for information regarding the former Palos Verdes landfill. Once these materials are received by Staff, we will revise the draft comment letter accordingly and present the revised letter to the City Council at the March 11, 2002 meeting for final comments before submitting the letter to the County by the March 12th deadline. Respectfully
submitted: Reviewed
by: Attachments:
23 February 2002
Larry
Hensley, Acting Chief of Planning
Dear Mr. Hensley: The City of Rancho Palos Verdes appreciates the opportunity to comment upon the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the above-mentioned project. The City respectfully requests the inclusion of the following issues within the scope of the potential environmental impacts analyzed in conjunction with the proposed golf course: 1) The project description states that the site is surrounded by a variety of uses, including a school across Crenshaw Boulevard to the southeast. Although not identified by name, we assume that this is a reference to the private Rolling Hills Country Day School. It should also be noted that the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) has an elementary school campus (Rancho Vista) located at Palos Verdes Drive North and Moccasin Lane, which is less than three hundred fifty feet (350’) from the southwesterly boundary of the project site. Residents of Rancho Palos Verdes attend both of these schools. The omission of the Rancho Vista Elementary School and the minimal references to the Rolling Hills Country Day School do not accurately reflect the sensitivity and vulnerability of these schools to the construction-related impacts of the proposed project. For example:
Based on the foregoing comments, the City requests that the project description and EIR for the proposed South Coast County Golf Course be revised to accurately discuss the proximity of Rancho Vista Elementary School to the site, and to incorporate a comprehensive analysis of all of the environmental impacts likely to affect both adjacent schools. 2) In the discussion of Hazards and Hazardous Materials and Transportation/Traffic, the Initial Study states that the project is expected to result in less-than-significant impacts with respect to emergency response and evacuation plans. The project site is bounded by Hawthorne Boulevard and Crenshaw Boulevard, which are two of the major north-south arterials that connect the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the Peninsula to the rest of the South Bay. The City is concerned that an incident on the project site involving hazardous materials, large-scale earth movement or some other catastrophic event—either during construction or after completion of the project—could block one or both of these arterials, thereby isolating the Peninsula and adversely affecting emergency response and/or the evacuation of residents. As such, the City requests that the EIR for the proposed South Coast County Golf Course include a more detailed discussion of project impacts upon emergency response and evacuation plans for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the Peninsula as a whole. 3) The discussion of Hydrology and Water Quality impacts in the Initial Study notes that less-than-significant impacts are expected. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes has extensive first-hand knowledge of the adverse impacts that can result from the infiltration of water into areas with questionable soil stability. Although the Initial Study suggests a number of methods to limit or prevent the infiltration of surface runoff (i.e., subsurface drains, protective liners, etc.) resulting form the proposed project, the City recommends that the EIR include a comprehensive analysis of the methods by which existing and future drainage problems—both on- and off-site—can be improved or corrected by the proposed project. 4) The discussion of Transportation/Traffic impacts in the Initial Study notes that potentially significant impacts are expected with respect to the level of service for roadways and intersections identified in the County’s Congestion Management Plan (CMP). Please note that the intersection of Western Avenue and Toscanini Drive in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes is one of the intersections that are monitored for compliance with the CMP. As such, the City requests that the traffic study and the EIR for the proposed South Coast County Golf Course include the intersection of Western Avenue and Toscanini Drive in the analysis of level-of-service impacts resulting from the proposed project. 5) The project description notes that two golf course design alternatives are proposed. Design A involves the relocation of the City of Rolling Hills Estates equestrian center to a different location on the site, and would be contingent upon the City of Rolling Hills Estates negotiating a lease with the County for the relocated equestrian center. Design B involves the relocation of the equestrian center off site, and would be contingent upon the acquisition of suitable private property to accommodate the relocated center. The project description also states that the new equestrian center would be required to accommodate one hundred fifteen (115) horses. The discussion of Recreation in the Initial Study only notes that "[the] relocation of the equestrian center is not anticipated to create a significant impact." Although the project description does not envision a project without a replacement equestrian center—either on-site or off-site—the environmental impacts of such an alternative should be considered in the EIR. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes appreciates the unique character and ambiance that the many equestrian neighborhoods contribute to the City and the Peninsula as a whole, and we do not support the elimination of an equestrian center from the proposed project. However, in the event that neither of the scenarios envisioned under Designs A and B are achieved, the horses currently kept at the equestrian center would need to be kept somewhere else—most likely, somewhere else on the Peninsula. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes currently has very limited opportunities for commercial boarding, and the operation of commercial boarding facilities in residential neighborhoods has been a recurrent concern of the City Council and many City residents. As such, the City requests that the EIR for the proposed South Coast County Golf Course include the discussion of an alternative where no replacement equestrian center is provided, and that this discussion include analysis of the impact on surrounding communities of the elimination of the existing equestrian center. Again, thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on this important project. If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact me at (310) 544-5228 or via e-mail at kitf@rpv.com. Sincerely,
2. Authorize Mayor to sign letter to FAA regarding:
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