Rancho Palos Verdes City Council

TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

FROM: DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, BUILDING AND CODE ENFORCEMENT

DATE: DECEMBER 21, 2004

SUBJECT: GENERAL PLAN - PROGRAM FOR COMPLETING THE UPDATE

Staff Coordinator: Gregory Pfost, AICP, Deputy Planning Director

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the City Council:

Direct Staff to proceed with amending the General Plan Goals and Policies as recommended by the General Plan Update Steering Committee for future review by the Planning Commission and City Council;
Direct Staff to proceed with an update of the factual information within the General Plan for future review by the Planning Commission and City Council;
Direct Staff to proceed with the proposed improvements to the general format of the General Plan and the mandatory elements for future review by the Planning Commission and City Council in order to make the Plan more user friendly;
Direct Staff to release an RFQ to obtain consultant assistance with updating portions of the General Plan; and
Disband the General Plan Update Steering Committee.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The City's General Plan was adopted in 1975. There have been only minor amendments to the Plan since that time and therefore the Plan needs to be updated. On April 2, 2002, the City Council created a Steering Committee to review the existing goals and policies of the General Plan and make recommendations as to whether these goals and policies need to be maintained, amended, or eliminated, and if new goals and policies need to be added. After two years, the Committee has completed their task as assigned by the Council. Through the Committee's work, we learned that although there may be a need for some minor textual changes to the goals and policies, and changes to the factual information within the Plan, for the most part the context of the existing goals and policies still applies to today. Thereby, we learned that a major overhaul of the General Plan is not necessary. The purpose of this report is to provide a status report on the Committee's work, and seek direction from the City Council on a recommended "Program" for completing the General Plan Update.

BACKGROUND

The basis of the "Plan" for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes is the General Plan. Virtually all our other "Plans," whether they describe private development projects, City Master Plans or Capital Improvement projects, must be found in conformance with the General Plan before they are approved. Our General Plan was adopted on June 26, 1975 and has received only minor amendments since that time. While the goals and policies included in the Plan are still consistent with those currently followed by the City, much of the format and factual information contained in the General Plan is no longer accurate. The last significant update occurred in 1984 with the Eastview Annexation.

At its January 12, 2002 meeting, the City Council discussed master plan issues and specifically focused upon the City's General Plan. The City Council acknowledged that portions of the General Plan need updating and directed Staff to take the initial steps to assist the City Council in determining the direction and extent of the update. The City Council expressed that a thorough review of the goals and policies is a necessary first step, and that this would help to define the direction and extent of future updating work to be conducted by the Council, Staff and the community. Further, the City Council expressed the importance of including public input, encouraging the use of local talent within the community, and forming a community-wide task force to assist in the preparation of the update.

On March 9, 2002, Staff presented a report to the City Council identifying a recommended process for initiating the General Plan update. At the meeting, the City Council agreed that a "Steering Committee" should be formed to review the goals and policies, define a process for obtaining public input, and make recommendations to the City Council.

On April 2, 2002, the City Council determined what Commissions, Committees and Organizations within the community should be represented on the Steering Committee. It was determined that the Committee would be composed of representatives from 15 organizations. Below is a list of those organizations and all of the persons that have served on the Committee since its inception (past members are noted in parenthesis).

General Plan Steering Committee Representation List

Number of Members	Commission/Committee/Organization	Representative(s)
2	City's Planning Commission	Craig Mueller, Jack Karp, (Tom Long, Susan Cote)
1	City's Recreation and Parks Committee	Jean Longacre
1	City's Finance Advisory Committee	Gina Mcleod (Steve Wolowicz)
1	City's Traffic Committee	Ava Shepherd
1	City's Equestrian Committee	Richard Bara
1	City's Disaster Preparedness Committee	Mel Hughes (Jack Karp)
1	Council of Homeowner's Association	Brian Campbell
1	Council of Homeowner's Association (Eastview)	Don Shults
1	Peninsula Seniors	Ken Dyda (Tom Ford)
1	Peninsula Youth Recreation League Council	Mark Anderson
1	Docents	Vic Quirarte
1	School District	(Barbara Lucky)
1	Chamber of Commerce	Arthur McAllister
1	Palos Verdes Land Conservancy	Barbara Dye

The City Council created the 15-member General Plan Update Steering Committee with the purpose of focusing on the existing Goals and Policies of the General Plan to determine if these goals and policies need revision. The Committee was assigned the task of determining which Goals and Policies need to be eliminated, revised or maintained, and if any new Goals and Policies should be proposed.

The Steering Committee held their first meeting on October 30, 2002. Including their first and last meetings, the Committee met for a total of 22 times - on average of once a month.

Realizing that the process was moving rather slowly, in November 2003, the Steering Committee created 6 separate Subcommittees (Fiscal, Safety, Habitat/Open Space, Recreational Activity, Land Use/Sensory, and Infrastructure) to review the remainder of the Goals and Policies. There were 4 to 6 members on each Subcommittee. Between November 2003 and September 2004 there were 9 separate Subcommittee meetings.

All of the Steering Committee meetings as well as the Subcommittee meetings were publicly noticed in the Peninsula News, posted on the City's Web Page and General Plan List Serve Group, posted in 3 locations throughout the City, and sent to all Homeowner Associations within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.

DISCUSSION

The Steering Committee has completed their task of reviewing all of the existing goals and policies of the General Plan. The purpose of this report is to provide a status report on the Committee's work, and seek direction from the City Council on a recommended "Program" for completing the General Plan Update.

Committee Work Completed to Date

As shown in the tables below, of the 28 existing goals, the Committee has recommended amending 22 of them (79%) and eliminating 1 (3%). Of the 196 existing policies, the Committee has recommended amending 137 of them (70%) and eliminating 31 (16%). Additionally, the Committee has proposed 3 new Goals and 18 new Policies.

Goals

	Maintained	Amended	Eliminated	New
Number	5	22	1	3
Percentage of Existing	18%	79%	3%
	28 Existing Goals

Policies

	Maintained	Amended	Eliminated	New
Number	28	137	31	18
Percentage of Existing	14%	70%	16%
	196 Existing Policies

Although at first glance at the tables above, it would appear by the number of recommended changes to existing goals and policies that a substantial update to the General Plan is warranted, this is not the case. Many changes to existing goals and policies are a result of simple wordsmithing or correcting grammatical errors. Additionally, most of the goals and policies to be eliminated are goals and policies that do not apply to today's conditions. Through the Steering Committee's review, we learned that although there may be a need for some minor changes to the goals and policies, for the most part their context still applies to today. Thereby, a major overhaul of the General Plan is not necessary.

A copy of the Committee's recommended changes to the existing General Plan Goals and Policies is attached to this report. It is important to note that Staff is not asking that the Council review the adequacy of the recommendations at this time. Staff is recommending that consideration of the adequacy of the Committee's recommendations wait until the specific goals and policies are reviewed along with the updated text/elements of the General Plan by the Planning Commission and City Council through public hearings.

Work Needed to Update the General Plan

Aside from the Committee's review of the General Plan's Goals and Policies, Staff has reviewed the document to assess the minimum degree of work needed to update the factual information contained within the Plan. Staff's assessment is summarized below:

Of the 41 Figures, at least 33 of them need to be updated, while the remaining 8 may need updating. More specifically, of the 33 that need to be updated, 24 are maps that do not include the Eastview annexation. Of those 24, at least 22 need to be updated with new information besides merely updating the map to include Eastview. Attached is a more detailed description of each recommended update.

Of the 19 tables, Staff recommends that they all be updated. For the most part, the tables include statistical data that was available when the General Plan was first prepared in the mid-1970's. Although some tables have been updated over the years, they also need to be updated to include today's statistical data. Attached is a more detailed description of each recommended update.

Staff estimates that approximately 50% of the General Plan text needs to be updated, while another 40% needs to be completely re-written. Some of these updates are as a result of various General Plan Amendments that have been approved by the City Council since the General Plan was first adopted. Others are related simply to the developments that have occurred over the last 29 years.

Staff recommends that a new Land Use Plan map be created, which is computer generated and includes easy to read graphics. The Land Use Plan map shall be updated to include various General Plan Amendments that had been approved by the City Council over the past 29 years.

Work Needed to Improve the General Plan

In addition to updating the factual information contained within the General Plan, Staff believes that the following changes should be made to improve the layout and format of the Plan and make it a user-friendly document for the public:

State Law requires that a General Plan be composed of 7 mandatory elements (Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Safety and Noise). The City's current General Plan includes all of these mandatory elements, however, they are not located in distinct sections of the Plan. Staff recommends that since so much text needs to be revised, that the General Plan be re-formatted into a Plan that is more user-friendly and has at least the 7 mandatory elements segmented into sections. Additional elements may be added if desired, as discussed later in this Staff Report.

Staff does not have the original photos that were incorporated into the Plan. In addition to the changes to the Figures noted above, Staff recommends that new photographs be incorporated into the document.

Staff recommends utilizing state of the art desktop publishing software to provide a polished finished product that will be user-friendlier in hard copy as well as in an electronic format for the City's web page.

In addition to the general format improvements discussed above, Staff also believes that specific improvements should be made to the seven mandatory elements. These changes are summarized below:

Land Use Element:

Review existing land uses and identify/analyze any proposed changes

Includes review and analysis of City owned properties and other large vacant parcels.
Coordinate review with Open-Space/Conservation Elements.

Review, revise, and/or establish new Goals and Policies.
Re-analyze population density and land use acreages to determine built-out population and housing estimates.
Create a new General Plan land use map that is computer generated and includes easy to read graphics.

Update existing General Plan Map to include any changes to land uses over the past +29 years

Update other plans and tables that pertain to the Land Use Element.

Circulation Element:

Prepare an updated traffic study of the City, including updated traffic counts, and analysis of the condition of existing and proposed roadways.

Study to include analysis of any proposed changes to land use and how those changes may affect existing circulation.

Update, analyze and discuss existing and proposed other forms of transportation/circulation, such as: public transportation, trails (bike, pedestrian and equestrian).

Coordinate review with Open Space element.
Update all related maps, if necessary.

Update, analyze and discuss existing and proposed utilities (gas, sewer, water, electricity, etc.) and the ability for those utilities to continue serving the population.
Review, revise, and/or establish new Goals and Policies.

Housing Element:

Since this Element was recently adopted, there is no need to update this Element. However, some review and analysis will be required to ensure that the existing Element is consistent (text style, graphics, and text content) with all other revised Elements.

Conservation Element:

Update, analyze and discuss existing and proposed conservation, development and utilization of natural resources, including efforts related to various utilities (i.e. gas, water, electricity, etc.), solid waste, flood control, pollution of streams and other bodies of water, sensitive habitat, beach and shore erosion and other soil erosion.
Update, if necessary, all graphics (slope analysis, slope stability, sea cliff erosion, hydrology, biotic resources, NCCP/sensitive habitat areas for preservation of natural resources).
Include review and analysis of City owned properties and other large vacant parcels.
Review, revise, and/or establish new Goals and Policies.

Open Space Element:

Review, revise and/or establish new Goals and Policies.

Include discussion of City owned properties and other large vacant parcels.
Discuss and identify past, present and future recreational needs of the community.

Update open space and recreational maps/graphics.
Update sections on Agricultural lands.

Noise:

Prepare a noise study that addresses the existing and future noise level contours throughout the City's major local streets and primary arterials.
Review, revise and/or establish new Goals and Policies.

Address aircraft noise.

Safety:

Review, revise and/or establish new Goals and Policies related to safety issues, such as: geological, landslides, seismic, fire hazards, flood hazards, etc.

Include discussions of Zone Two and the remainder of the landslide areas.

Incorporate minor updates regarding fire protection, police protection, emergency response, civil defense and disaster, emergency communications, animal control, disaster routes, air pollution, coastal wave inundation, etc.

Scenic Highways Element (Optional Element):

Update Scenic Highways Element with any potential changes to the Visual Aspects/Viewing Areas currently existing in the General Plan.

Include changes to the graphics if deemed necessary.

Mandatory for all Elements:

Review and ensure consistency within Elements and between Elements.
Ensure consistency in graphic presentation throughout the Plan.
A thorough evaluation of all existing Goals, Policies and Programs.

Use of Staff and Consultants

Staff:

To reduce costs, it is envisioned that Staff will prepare most, if not all, of the necessary text amendments, table amendments based upon new technical studies, and overall re-formatting of the General Plan. Some graphics, such as photographs, will also be incorporated into the document. It is also envisioned that Staff (as opposed to a Consultant) will take the lead in the General Plan update project.

Consultants:

Although Staff believes that Staff can complete much of the work involved in updating the General Plan, Staff acknowledges that there will be a need to utilize consultants to prepare some of the technical and graphic aspects of the update. Staff recommends the use of consultants to prepare the following aspects of the Plan:

Graphics Consultant: Prepare a new Land Use Map and update all other graphic representations/figures within the General Plan. The City has recently invested in a new aerial mapping/GIS system. Depending upon timing, City Staff, with the assistance of PVNet, may be able to prepare some, if not all of these graphics.

Traffic Study: Prepare an updated traffic study in which the circulation element is based upon. The study shall include updated traffic counts, and analysis of the condition of existing and proposed roadways. It shall also include an analysis of any proposed changes to land use and how those changes may affect existing circulation. It is important to note that there have been some significant projects with related traffic studies that have been approved in the last ten years, which may assist in the production of this technical document.

Noise Study: Prepare a noise study that addresses the existing and future noise level contours throughout the City's major local streets and primary arterials.

Geological Study: Prepare updates to the geologic discussion within the General Plan.

Environmental Impact Report: The updated General Plan will most likely require a new EIR.

Review Bodies:

General Plan Update Steering Committee:

This Committee has completed their work as assigned by the City Council and therefore Staff is recommending that it be disbanded. As an alternative, the Council may want to retain the Committee if it wishes the Committee to be involved with the review of the updated Plan. For example, each "Draft" Element prepared by Staff could be presented to the Committee prior to Planning Commission and City Council review.

Planning Commission:

By State Law, the Planning Commission must review and recommend approval of the General Plan Update to the City Council. As shown in the "Draft" schedule below, Staff envisions that the Planning Commission would be involved in workshops with the City Council.

City Council:

By State Law, the City Council must adopt any update to the General Plan. Additionally, as shown in the "Draft" schedule below, Staff envisions that the City Council would be involved in various workshops during the update process.

Other Committees and Commissions:

As determined by the City Council, other City Committees and Commissions may be involved in reviewing portions of the General Plan.

Draft Schedule for Completing the General Plan Update

12/21/04 City Council meeting to discuss Staff recommended Program for updating the General Plan. City Council to give direction on the proposed process and authorize Staff to release a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for consultant assistance. Staff begins to collect and analyze data in preparation for future workshops.

Milestone Release Request for Proposal (RFP) to 3-5 consultants, based upon RFQ response.

Meeting City Council meeting to approve consultant selection and contract(s) to prepare portions of General Plan and related EIR.

Workshop 1 Discussion of Land Use, Open Space and Conservation Elements along with Steering Committee recommended changes to the Goals and Policies related to these elements. Notice of EIR Preparation released for General Plan Update.

Workshop 2 Continued discussion of Land Use, Open Space and Conservation Elements.

Workshop 3 Final discussion of Land Use, Open Space and Conservation Elements. Notice of EIR Preparation Ends.

Workshop 4 Discussion of Safety Element along with Steering Committee recommended changes to the Goals and Policies related to this element.

Workshop 5 Continued and final discussion of Safety Element. Release of Draft EIR.

Workshop 6 Discussion of Circulation, Housing and Noise Elements along with Steering Committee recommended changes to the Goals and Policies related to these elements.

Workshop 7 Discussion of any optional elements along with Steering Committee recommended changes to the Goals and Policies.

Hearing Planning Commission Public Hearing on adoption of General Plan Update - Final EIR prepared for Commission review.

Hearing City Council Public Hearing. Certification of EIR and approval of General Plan Update.

The proposed workshops would occur at least 1-2 months apart. The seven workshops will take at least one year to complete. Based on past experience the Planning Commission and City Council will spend an additional two to three months hearing and rehearing the elements of the General Plan before they approve it. Overall, Staff estimates that it would take at least 2 years, maybe more, to complete the update as proposed. The timeline could possibly be accelerated by increasing the use of consultants beyond what is being proposed by Staff.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A courtesy notice was provided for this meeting. It was published in the Peninsula News, sent to all Homeowner Associations, and posted in 3 locations within the City.

FISCAL IMPACT

Staff initially estimated that it would cost between $200,000-$400,000 to hire a consultant to prepare all the necessary updates to the General Plan. This was a conservative cost estimate that included the preparation of all necessary studies, text and graphics, the coordination of all public meetings and the preparation of the CEQA documentation - most likely an EIR. However, as discussed in this report, Staff expects that much of the update work will be done in house with a minimal need for consultants. As such, the true cost of the General Plan update will be better ascertained once the City Council provides direction to Staff on the scope of the necessary General Plan amendments and what responses Staff receives in its RFP(s) to consultants. It should be noted that the City Council approved a budget for updating the General Plan as part of the FY-02/03 budget. There is currently $200,000 available in the approved budget.

ALTERNATIVES

In addition to Staff's recommendation, the following additional alternatives are available to the City Council:

A. Given the complexity and policy implications related to any decision on the General Plan update, the Council may wish to hold a separate Workshop to discuss this proposed Program in further detail.

B. Provide direction to Staff regarding whether to reduce or expand the "Work Needed to Update the General Plan", "Work Needed to Improve the General Plan", "Use of Staff and Consultants", and/or "Draft Schedule for Completing the General Plan Update".

Respectfully submitted:

Joel Rojas, AICP

Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement

Reviewed,

Les Evans

City Manager

ATTACHMENTS

Staff Recommended Changes to the Figures within the General Plan

Staff Recommended Updates to Tables within the General Plan

General Plan Goals and Policies as Modified by the General Plan Steering Committee

Staff Recommended Changes to the Figures within the General Plan

FIGURE #	TITLE	PAGE	RECOMMENDATION

1	Regional Facility	1	OK-1
2	Regional Facility #2	2	Need Eastview
3	Climate	9	Eastview
4	Air Quality Status	10	Update with new stations
5	Slope Analysis	13	Eastview:Verify slopes & definitions
6	Geologic Section	12	OK
7	Slope Stability	14	Eastview; update slides?
8	Setback formula	18	OK
9	Sea Cliff Erosion	17	Eastview; update erosional aspects?
10	Hydrology	21	Eastview; update storm drains?
11	Biotic Resources	25	Eastview; Update? NCCP?
12	Public Safety	33	Eastview; Update?
13	Pres. Natural Resources	37	Eastview; Update? NCCP?
14	Nat. Env. Element	43	Eastview; Update?
15	Res. Activity Induced	76	Update per developed tracts & undeveloped potential
16	Commercial Activity	83	Update
17	Public Rec. Activity	97	Update; Eastview
18	Traffic	120	Eastview; update
19	Public Transit	124	Eastview; Update lines
20	Conceptual Bikeways Network	129	Eastview; Update? Update w/trails Network plan review
21	Conceptual Walkways Network	133	Eastview; Update?
22	Conceptual Equest. Network	135	Eastview;
23	Fire Hazards	141	Eastview; Update
24	Historic fire born areas	140	Eastview; Update
25	Pot. Flood inundation	147	Eastview; Update
26	General Geology	149	Eastview; Update
27	Selected faults	148	OK?
28	Epicenter locations	150	Update beyond 1972
29	Earthquake epicenters	153	Update?
30	Recurrence?	154	Update?
31	Contrasting Seismic	155	Update?
32	Earthquake Magnitude	157	Update?
33	Recurrence	158	Update?
34	Block Glide	159	OK
35	Arcuate failure	159	OK
36	Rockfall	159	OK
37	Mudflow	160	OK
38	Landslides	161	Eastview; Update?
39	Disaster Routes	171	Eastview; Update
40	Noise level contours	181	Eastview; Update
41	Visual Aspects	189	Eastview; Update

Staff Recommended Updates to Tables within the General Plan

TABLE #	TITLE	PAGE	RECOMMENDATION

1,2,3,4,5,6 & all other tables w/out #’s in The Housing Activity Section	Multiple-Family Units… Housing Units by Tenure… Age of Housing Inventory… Building Permits… Housing Inventory Changes… Net Housing Unit Changes…	61-75	Housing Element Insert/Convert to G.P. Format Eliminate & replace? Update
7	Retail Sales in Palos Verdes Peninsula Communities 1981	79	Update with new info
8	Estimated Retail Sales Generated By Residents of Rancho Palos Verdes 1973	80	Update
9	No Title (schools in RPV)	88	Update
Tables	No Title (school sizes)	89	Update
10	No Title (school sizes)	90	Update
Table	No Title (pupils/classroom size)	91	Update
11	Traffic Analysis	119	Update to today’s (not 1974) traffic counts. Need traffic study!
12	Summary of Known Active & Potentially Active Faults…	151	Update
Various tables	Recurrence of Magnitude	152-157	Update?
Table	No Title (fire stations)	166	Update fire protection
Table	No Title (population projections)	198	Update
13,14,15,16	Residential Units	199-201	Update per development activity
Table	No Title (base, GP plan range)	219	Update
Tables	Potential Revenues & Expenditures at full development operating-general fund. Highway Maintenance…	220-222	Update
Table	No Title (parks)	223-226	Update
Table 17	Example of Park Costs	227	Update
Table	Shoreline Bluff (in Thousands)	229	Update
Tables 19	Potential Expenditures at Full Development (in Thousands)	233	Update

General Plan Goals and Policies

As modified by the General Plan Steering Committee

(Final Adopted Modifications - November 4, 2004)

Notes:

Potential changes as adopted by the Committee are noted in ~~strikethrough~~ for text removed and in bold for text added.
Where a Goal or Policy does not include any strikethrough or bold text, the Committee has determined that the Goal or Policy should remain as originally adopted.
In some cases, the Committee has requested that a note or comment from the Committee be placed under a specific Goal or Policy to provide additional information to the Planning Commission and City Council pertaining to the Committee's review of the Goal or Policy.

Natural Environment Element

Goal:

A. It is the goal of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes to conserve, protect, and enhance its natural resources, beauty, and open space for the benefit and enjoyment of its residents and the residents of the entire region. Future development shall recognize the sensitivity of the natural environmental and be accomplished in such a manner as to maximize the protection of it.

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Policies for ~~Public Health/Safety Related to~~ the Natural Environment (G.P. pages 44-45):

1. Permit development within the Sea Cliff Erosion Area (RM1), only if demonstrated through detailed geologic analysis, that the design and setbacks are adequate to insure public safety and to maintain physical, biologic, and scenic resources. Due to the sensitive nature of RM 1, this area is included as an integral part of the Coastal Specific Plan ~~a Specific Plan District and should be more fully defined~~.

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2. Allow only low intensity activities within Resource Management Districts of extreme slopes (RM 2).

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3. Require any development within the Resource Management Districts of high slopes (RM 3) and old landslide area (RM 5) to perform at least one, and preferably two, independent engineering studies concerning the geotechnical, soils, and other stability factors (including seismic considerations) affecting the site.

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4. Allow no further development involving any human occupancy within the active landslide area (RM 4)

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5. ~~Develop, as a part of any specific area planning study,~~ Require a more detailed definition of the limits and composition of any RMD’s when reviewing any development proposal that contains one or more RMD's ~~related to Health and Safety with particular reference to the active/old landslide areas, the sea cliff erosion setback, and critical extreme slope areas~~.

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6. Develop and enforce a grading ordinance with detailed controls and performance standards to ensure ~~insure~~ both engineering standards and the appropriate topographic treatment of slopes based upon recognized site planning and landscape architecture standards.

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7. Prohibit activities that create excessive silt, pollutant runoff, increase canyon wall erosion, or potential for landslide, within Resource Management Districts containing Hydrologic Factors (RM 6).

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8. In addition to the Abalone Cove Ecological Reserve, establish~~ment of~~ the rocky inter-tidal areas throughout the reminder of the City's coastline as a marine reserves and ~~strict~~ enforce~~ment be applied to~~ all regulations concerning marine resources (Resource Management Districts containing Marine Resources RM 7).

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9. Encourage developments within or adjacent to wildlife habitats (RM 8) to describe the nature of the impact upon the wildlife habitat and provide mitigation measures to fully offset the impact.

Committee Note: although the Committee elected (vote of 6 ayes and 4 nays) not to change this Policy, because there was a minority of the Committee (4 votes) that felt strongly about changing the Policy by replacing the first word "Encourage" with "Require", the Committee directed Staff to add the minority vote to the final product presented to the City Council.

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10. Require ~~Encourage~~ developments within Resource Management Districts containing Natural Vegetation (RM 9) to re-vegetate with ~~native material wherever clearing of vegetation is required~~. appropriate locally native plants wherever reasonably possible whenever clearing of vegetation is required.

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11. Stringently regulate irrigation, natural drainage, and other water-related considerations, in both new development and existing uses affecting existing or potential slide areas.

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12. ~~Provide incentives to enable~~ Consider ~~unique and innovative~~ development exceptions in areas otherwise precluding development for health and safety reasons, only if the development can establish ~~its engineering feasibility~~ beyond a reasonable doubt that it can overcome the conditions otherwise precluding development, and is otherwise compatible with the intent of the General and Specific Plans for the area.

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13. Based on current information from State and Federal Agencies, the City should periodically publish a list ~~Provide a listing~~ of toxic chemicals ~~used~~ such as fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides which are determined to be damaging to the environment, with particular concern for the marine environment~~, at current use levels within the City (based upon water sampling, etc.) to all potential major users in the City, with use criteria or prohibition clearly indicated.~~ These lists should be distributed to all applicants for business licenses in the City. Additionally, the City should make efforts (including brochures, pamphlets, local community television, etc.) to continually inform and educate all residents and business operators about the impact of chemicals such as fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides on the environment and to encourage responsible use and disposal of such materials.

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14. Maintain the existing natural vegetation of the City in its natural state to the maximum extent possible in all existing and proposed developments, to the extent commensurate with good fire protection policies and encourage the re-establishment of appropriate native plants.

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15. Require a master landscape plan for any proposed development demonstrating ~~showing the retention/~~enhancement and protection of natural vegetation proposed, selection of new complementing vegetation and enhancement of the environmental factors. ~~, and all efforts involving retention/enhancement/protection of hydrologic factors, vegetation and wildlife factors~~.

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16. ~~Require all projects with any natural resource management district factors falling within their project boundaries to deal with these areas in detail in an Environmental Impact Report.~~

Committee Note: the Committee elected to remove this Policy because as required by State Law, all projects are already required to be reviewed according to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and according to CEQA may or may not require the preparation of an EIR. ____________________________________________________________________________________

Overall Policies (G.P. page 45):

Proposed New Policies Related Specifically to the NCCP:

1. Implement the Rancho Palos Verdes Natural Communities Conservation Plan.

2. Review all proposed development for consistency with the Rancho Palos Verdes Natural Communities Conservation Plan.

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1. ~~Develop a resource management ordinance to accompany the zoning ordinance, grading ordinance, and any other regulatory vehicles.~~ Continue to implement the City's Natural Overlay Control District and its performance criteria. ____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Develop a specific set of planning and design criteria for natural environment considerations with new development, and in upgrading existing areas for use by architects, planners, engineers, and others in a handbook/checklist form.

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~~3. Develop and integrate a specific review process covering the natural environment aspects of any proposed development with the normal review processes associated with proposed development.~~

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~~4. Consider in more detail natural environment factors in subsequent specific area studies as an integral part of these studies.~~ Continue to implement the natural environment policies of the Coastal Specific Plan.

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5. ~~Consider the establishment of~~ Collect baseline data for air and water quality in order to develop standards for evaluation of the impacts of current or proposed development in and adjacent ~~future enforcement of regulations specific~~ to Rancho Palos Verdes.

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6. ~~Consider~~ Pursue the acquisition of rights over the offshore tidelands area related to the City’s coastline. Develop proposals for grants and recognition as protected areas.

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7. Encourage study of and funding to preserve ~~unusual~~ native flora and fauna.

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Proposed New Policies for the Natural Environment Element:

Habitat Protection:

1. Work with neighboring jurisdictions to manage contiguous wildlife and habitat areas and recreational amenities such as trails.

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2. Encourage the restoration of vegetation throughout the City to indigenous native plant species. Encourage use of locally native plant species in City landscaping.

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Environmental Protection

1. Develop balanced programs to provide greater safe public access to the coastline consistent with protecting the environment. ____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Promote programs to encourage volunteer efforts to repair, protect and improve the environment.

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3. Make every effort to preserve or restore a state of natural hydrology when projects impact canyons or other natural drainage areas when such efforts do not conflict with public safety.

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4. Ensure the maximum preservation of the natural scenic character and topography of the City consistent with reasonable economic uses.

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~~Socio/Cultural Element~~

~~Goal:~~

~~A. It is the goal of the City to preserve and protect its cultural resources and to promote programs to meet the social needs of its citizens.~~

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~~Cultural Resources~~ Archeological, Paleontological, Geological and Historical Resources Element

Goal:

A. The City shall ~~strive to~~ protect and preserve all significant archaeological, paleontological and historical resources within the City.

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Policies (G.P. page 50):

1. ~~Monitor the State’s activities for developments that could provide~~ Seek fundsing for the identification, acquisition, preservation, and/or maintenance of historic places and archaeological, paleontological or geological sites.

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2. Encourage the identification and protection of archaeologically sensitive areas and sites - making such information available only to those that need to know.

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3. Require all projects, that are subject to the California Environmental Quality Act, for new construction, subdivisions, conditional use permits, and variances that occur in archaeologically sensitive areas to have a special archaeological component in their Negative Declaration, Mitigated Negative Declaration or Environmental Impact Reports.

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4. Forward Environmental Impact Reports to the University of California at Los Angeles, the Society for California Archaeology’s (SCA) Clearinghouse for this area, and to California State College at Dominguez Hills.

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5. Preserve locations of archeological and paleontological significance on site where possible. Allow salvage excavation of the site where some technique of preservation cannot be implemented.

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6. Actively press for the Point Vicente Lighthouse to be included in the National Register of Historic Places. Attempt to acquire property as an extension of Point Vicente Park. Consider supporting the addition of other appropriate historic sites in the City to the State and National Historic Register.

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Proposed New Policy for this section of the Socio-Cultural Element:

1. Require that any artifacts or materials of interest be offered to the Point Vicente Interpretive Center for inclusion in its collection. The Center should work with regional entities to share items of particular significance.

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Current social, service, and cultural organizations

Goal:

A. ~~Work toward a coordinated program to~~ Aid in matching the facility needs of the ~~many and diverse groups in the~~ community with existing and future facility resources throughout the City.

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Policies (G.P. page 51):

1. Provide leadership in ~~coordinating a cooperative approach to~~ solving the need for community meetings, cultural events, and recreational facilities.

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2. Plan for a ~~large community meeting facility in its~~ Civic Center.

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3. Encourage the building of meeting facilities by private or nonprofit groups. Existing and new businesses, churches, utilities, etc., should be encouraged to allow some use of their facilities by community groups.

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4. Encourage the building of playing fields for multiple uses by various recreational groups ~~on City land, school sites, and private land, which has not yet been programmed for development~~.

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~~Social Services~~ Community Participation and Services

Goals:

A. ~~Encourage programs for community involvement, participation, and action to minimize the sense of isolation and powerlessness felt by many individuals in the community.~~ It is the goal of the City to involve its residents in community and civic activities.

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B. ~~Encourage programs for recreation, social services, and cultural and educational achievement.~~ It is a goal of the City to encourage and provide facilities and resources for recreational, social, cultural, and educational programs for its residents.

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C. ~~Encourage a framework for interaction among the four cities of the peninsula and between the peninsula and its surrounding communities to solve common problems.~~ It is the goal of the City to support mechanisms for participation with area wide districts and jurisdictions for the betterment of the residents of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.

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Policies (G.P. page 55):

1. Encourage the development of homeowners associations and other community groups as a vehicle for increased participation in government. and expansion of meaningful geographic groupings and sub community committees to act as a vehicle for improved communications with citizens, the City staff, and the City Council. Individuals should be encouraged to become involved in the community through interaction, communication and participation.

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~~2. Act to enhance mobility within the neighborhood, mobility within the City, and on the Peninsula as a whole. Dependence solely upon the private automobile is not satisfactory.~~

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3. Seek input from residents and address their concerns during the planning process. ~~Bring the residents’ needs into the City’s planning process and attempt to ensure that citizens and their skills are utilized.~~

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4. Encourage all groups within the City to establish representation on the sub community committees and other civic action groups. Efforts should be made to ensure that no programs are developed that will isolate any group and particular emphasis should be given to those who suffer from isolation due to age, health, disability and race.

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5. ~~Encourage~~ Continue the use of town meetings and forums to obtain public input. Encourage community events. within neighborhoods and citywide to address a variety of issues and subjects of community interest. Facilities for such events should be provided where possible, and annual citywide events should be encouraged.

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6. Develop information services designed to reach as many residents as practical, which lists organizations, events, issues and services available to City residents. an ongoing centralized civic information service of events, issues and services for the citizens. The City should encourage, through this service, the use of existing civic and private assistance organizations.

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7. Encourage the development of job opportunities for youth within the City. The City should actively work toward providing meaningful opportunities for older citizens so that they will choose to remain in the community.

Committee Note: The Committee elected to remove this Policy because the Committee felt that creating jobs, particularly for City residents only, is not a function of the City.

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8. Create recreational opportunities for all City residents. Develop recreational programs that will address the recreational needs of all citizens, both individually and in groups. This should include the development of a set of criteria, which will enable the City to project and evaluate the implications of its decisions as to the long-range effectiveness of these programs.

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9. The City will be an advocate for the efficient delivery of services to its residents. ~~Identify, in partnership with other agencies and organizations, the major human services areas and the respective roles of each agency in the planning, administration and delivery of those services.~~

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10. Establish, in partnership with other agencies and organizations, procedures for the better coordination of human services delivery. Specifically, the City should assume responsibility for acting as a clearinghouse for up-to-date information on the current state of human services.

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11. Develop, in partnership with other agencies and organizations, mechanisms for the better coordination of human service planning efforts. Specifically, the City should assume responsibility for acting as a clearinghouse for information exchange relevant to human service planning activities throughout the community.

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12. ~~Place special emphasis on the~~ Recognize the residents' cultural, educational, and recreational needs and encourage ~~of individuals, families, and the community and encourage the expansion of existing~~ programs in these areas.

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13. ~~Encourage the South Bay, Harbor, and Peninsula cities to share in the identification of common problems and work toward the development of solutions and services of benefit to each.~~ Work with neighboring jurisdictions and organizations to identify and address common issues. This should include the encouragement of dialogue between the professional City employees of ~~the four cities~~ neighboring jurisdictions and organizations.

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14. Take leadership in the formation of a four-city Peninsula commission dedicated to the expansion and strengthening of common Peninsula city bonds and which should further serve to develop an attitude of mutual respect among communities.

Committee Note: The Committee elected to remove this policy as it was too specific and is better addressed through Goal C and Policy #13 above. The Committee felt that the Council should be responsible for deciding what mechanisms to use to implement Goal C and Policy #13 without the direction imposed by this Policy.

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New Policies Proposed by Committee:

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2. Establish City committees to utilize resident skills to benefit the community.

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Urban Environment Element

Goal:

A. It is the goal of the City to carefully control and direct future growth towards making a positive contribution to all elements of the community. Growth in Rancho Palos Verdes should be a cautious, evolutionary process that considers ~~follows a well conceived set of general guidelines which respond to both holding~~ the capacity limitations for the City ~~region~~, and the environmental factors and quality of life on the Peninsula.

Activity Areas

Goals:

A. It is the goal of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes to preserve and enhance ~~the community's quality living environment; to enhance~~ the visual character and physical quality of existing neighborhoods and ~~to encourage the development of~~ housing in a manner which ~~adequately~~ serves the needs of the ~~all present and future~~ residents ~~of the community~~.

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B. Rancho Palos Verdes is a residential city dedicated to the preservation of open space. The City shall discourage ~~industrial and major commercial~~ activities that are not compatible with ~~due to~~ the terrain and environmental characteristics of a respective region of the City. ~~Commercial~~ ~~development~~ Activities shall be carefully and strictly controlled, and limited, giving to consideration to the respective neighboring residential or open space areas. ~~of convenience or neighborhood service facilities.~~

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C. The City shall ~~encourage~~ allow the development of institutional facilities to serve the ~~political, social, and cultural~~ needs of its ~~citizens~~ residents. Such development shall be carefully and strictly controlled, and limited, giving consideration to the respective neighboring residential or open space areas.

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D. The City shall endeavor to provide, develop, and maintain recreational facilities and programs of various types to provide a variety of activities ~~for persons of all age groups and in all areas of the community~~.

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E. Existing agricultural uses within the City shall be allowed so long as they are in concert with the environmental objectives stated elsewhere in the General Plan ~~encouraged, since they are desirable for resource management and open space~~.

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Compatibility of Adjacent Activity Areas to Rancho Palos Verdes

Policy (G.P. page 58):

1. Work in conjunction with neighboring jurisdictions ~~cities~~ when development plans are submitted to either this City or the other jurisdictions ~~cities~~ which generate impacts across jurisdictional lines. ~~into other organizations~~

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Housing Activity

Policies (G.P. page 78):

1. Retain the present predominance of single-family residences found throughout the City. ~~community, while continuing to maintain the existing variety of housing types.~~ Allow for the maintenance and replacement of existing non-conforming multi-family residential uses.

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2. Require all new housing developed to include suitable and adequate landscaping, open space, and other design amenities to meet the ~~community~~ City's standards ~~of environmental quality~~.

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3. Encourage and assist in the maintenance and improvement of all ~~existing~~ residential neighborhoods so as to maintain ~~optimum~~ local standards of housing quality and design.

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4. ~~Prepare~~ Maintain and update the Development Codes with quality standards, ~~but~~ being flexible to new technology and techniques of building.

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~~5. Support and assist in enforcement of "open housing" regulations to prohibit discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.~~