Agenda Item No. 6B May 9, 2017 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Honorable Mayor and City Council Attention: Jeremy Craig, Interim City Manager Barton Brierley, AICP, Community Development Director (Staff Contact: Barton Brierley, (707) 449-5361) SOLUTION OF THE CITY UNCIL OF THE CITY OF VACAVILLE INITIATING AN AMENDMENT TO THE GENERAL PLAN TEXT LATING TO THE BAN SERVE AND TO THE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DIAGRAM FOR CERTAIN PROPERTY NORTH OF ELMIRA ROAD AND EAST OF LEISU TOWN ROAD, WHI INCLUDES PORTIONS OF ASSESSOR S PARCEL NUMBERS 0138-010-030 AND 0138-010-050 DISCUSSION: The recently adopted General Plan included development of certain areas east of Leisure Town Road. It also designated certain other properties as Urban Reserve (see Attachment 1) with the intention that these areas might be considered for development at some future time, but that such an evaluation would not happen sooner than 5 years from adoption of the General Plan. Vacaville S2 Investors, LLC, owns 2 parcels of land just north of Elmira Road and east of Leisure Town Road. In the recently adopted General Plan, approximately 120 acres of this property was designated for urban uses. The property owner also owns approximately 60 acres of land that is immediately east that is designated Urban Reserve, and additional property outside the Urban Growth boundary (see Exhibit A to the resolution). The property owner would like to obtain land use entitlements for a proposed development on the eastern property designated Urban Reserve in conjunction with a proposed development on the western property without waiting for the 5-year evaluation. They indicated a willingness to not build or grade the Urban Reserve portion of the property sooner than 5 years from General Plan adoption (see Attachment 2). At the April 25, 2017 City Council meeting, the Council discussed that dividing the land designations of the property may have been unintentional. The Council discussed the possibility of initiating a General Plan text amendment that would provide a narrow exception to allow consideration of the requested Urban Reserve conversion on this specific property before the 5-year evaluation. This also would allow the Council to initiate the property owner s requested General Plan Land Use Diagram amendment. The Council considered various options and asked that the item be returned to the May 9, 2017 meeting for possible initiation. Note that any action the Council takes at the May 9 meeting would simply be to initiate an amendment. If the Council does so, staff will prepare the proposed text amendment language, and the applicant will prepare the land use diagram amendment proposal. City staff will evaluate and make recommendations, send notices of public hearings, and prepare environmental assessments under CEQA. The Planning Commission will hold a recommendation hearing, then the City Council will hold a hearing to consider whether or not to adopt the amendments.
According to California Government Code Section 65358, no mandatory element of a general plan shall be amended more frequently than 4 times during any calendar year. The Vacaville Municipal Code sets 2 windows of time during which the City can accept applications for General Plan amendments: March-April and September-October. As of the end of the April 2017 window, the City had received 5 General Plan amendment requests. It is unlikely that, even if initiated, all 5 requests will be adopted by the end of 2017. Therefore, initiating this amendment will not likely push the City over the maximum number of amendments allowed for 2017, but it could limit future amendment requests during the September-October window. FISCAL IMPACT: The cost of preparing and processing the amendments is estimated to be approximately $23,000. This applicant will pay application fees to cover the cost of the land use diagram amendment, and also is funding a contract planner position to cover additional costs. MMENDATION: By simple motion, adopt the subject resolution. ATTAMENTS: Action Item - Resolution with Exhibit A (Map) Attachment 1: Urban Reserve Map Attachment 2: Letter from Glenn Matsuhara, Vacaville S2 Properties Attachment 3: Urban Reserve Policies Attachment 4: East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area Policies
SOLUTION NO. 2017- SOLUTION OF THE CITY UNCIL OF THE CITY OF VACAVILLE INITIATING AN AMENDMENT TO THE GENERAL PLAN TEXT LATING TO THE BAN SERVE AND TO THE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE DIAGRAM FOR CERTAIN PROPERTY NORTH OF ELMIRA ROAD AND EAST OF LEISU TOWN ROAD, WHI INCLUDES PORTIONS OF ASSESSOR S PARCEL NUMBERS 0138-010-030 AND 0138-010-050 WHEAS, the City of Vacaville adopted its General Plan on August 11, 2015, which included designating certain lands in the East of Leisure Town Growth Area as Urban Reserve, and establishing policies related to the Urban Reserve; and WHEAS, Vacaville S2 Investors, LLC, owns certain property east of Leisure Town Road and north of Elmira Road, Assessor s Parcel Numbers 0138-010-030 and 0138-010-050, as shown in Exhibit A, and known hereinafter as the property ; and WHEAS, the adopted General Plan Land Use Diagram designates a portion of Vacaville S2 Investors property for urban land uses and a portion as Urban Reserve; and WHEAS, the General Plan policies contain various policies relating to Urban Reserve lands, including a policy that does not allow evaluation of changes to Urban Reserve designation more frequently than once every five years; and WHEAS, owners of the property would like to apply for various land use entitlements for a project to be known as The Farm at Alamo Creek, which project would encompass both the land that is designated for urban land uses and the portion that is Urban Reserve. Such a project would require an amendment to the General Plan land use diagram for the portions of the property designated Urban Reserve. The property owner has applied for such an amendment, and is willing to stipulate that no building or grading occur in the current Urban Reserve portion until five years after adoption date of the current General Plan; and WHEAS, the City Council finds that dividing the designations of this particular property between urban land use designations and Urban Reserve may have been unintentional; and WHEAS, recognizing the unique circumstance of this particular property and the inadvertent division of land designations, the Council would like to allow the owner of the property to apply for a General Plan amendment that could include a request to convert the Urban Reserve portion of the property to urban land designations prior to the next five year review; and WHEAS, the Council does not wish to consider other requests for changes to Urban Reserve designations outside those periods established by General Plan policies. NOW, THEFO, BE IT SOLVED that: Section 1. The City Council hereby initiates an amendment to the Vacaville General Plan text which, if adopted, would amend the Urban Reserve policies and related text and policies to allow a narrow exception so the Council could evaluate a request to convert the Urban Reserve portion of the Vacaville S2 Investors property, as shown in Exhibit A, to urban land use designations prior to the next five-year review.
The Director of Community Development is directed to prepare proposed language for consideration by the City Council at a public hearing. Section 2. The City Council hereby initiates an amendment to the Vacaville General Plan land use diagram pertaining to the Vacaville S2 Investors property, as shown in Exhibit A, which could, if adopted, designate the Urban Reserve portion as Low Density Residential and other designations that the Council may determine. Section 3. By so doing, the City Council does not commit to taking any particular action on the amendments; it only wishes to give the proposal full consideration through the public hearing process. I HEBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was introduced and passed at a regular meeting of the City Council on the 9th day of May, 2017, by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ATTEST: Michelle Thornbrugh, City Clerk Exhibit A: Map
Oakmeade Dr Carroll Wy Meridian Rd Exhibit A to Resolution Vacaville S2 Investors Property Stonegate Dr Fallen Leaf Dr Ulatis Dr Leisure Town Rd Hawkins Rd Katleba Ln Ag Buffer Reading Wy Zephyr Ln Union Wy V a c a v i l l e S 2 I n v e s t o r s Urban Reserve V a c a v i l l e S 2 I n v e s t o r s Elmira Rd ± 0 Arbor Oaks Dr Arroyo Ct 250 500 1,000 Feet 1 inch = 1,000 feet Legend Marigold Dr Primrose Dr Vinca Wy Tulip St Vacaville S2 Investors Property Agricultural_Buffer Urban_Reserve Urban Growth Boundary City Limits South A St Urban Growth Boundary
± Attachment 1 Areas Designated Urban Reserve TP Kilkenny Rd TP TP TP P M M! M MH P MHP! MHP M M HA M M Attachment 1 HA Residential Rural Residential () Residential Estate () Residential Golf Course (RG) Residential Low Density () Residential Low Medium Density (M) Residential Medium Density () Residential Medium High Density (H) Residential High Density () M M M AG Fry Rd M MU M! HA M M M M M M AG M MU MU M R M co co AB M Residential Manufactured Home Park (MHP) Commercial Mixed Use (MX) Commercial General () Commercial Neighborhood () Commercial Service () Commercial Highway () Commercial Office () M MHP MU! M AB M M AG M M MU MH P M P PR MHP M! PR MHP M! Elmira Rd M M PR TP M M M M HA P M Leisure Town Rd Hawkins Rd M AB AB Business/Industrial Technology Park (TP) Business Park () Industrial Park () Boundary Planned Sphere of Influence City Limits Streets Other Urban Reserve () Public/Institutional (P) School Public Park () Private Recreation (PR) Public Open Space () Agriculture (AG) Agricultural Buffer (AB) Hillside Agriculture (HA)
Attachment 2
Attachment 3 Vacaville General Plan Excerpts on Urban Reserve Urban Reserve. This designation is applied to relatively large, contiguous, and undeveloped geographic areas where comprehensive planning must occur prior to urbanization. The purpose of assigning the Urban Reserve designation, rather than specific land use designations in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area, is to demonstrate that the City eventually expects urban development in these areas, while also allowing flexibility in planning for these uses in the future. This designation has also been applied to a small area within the Northeast Growth Area where existing uses have developed in the unincorporated county. (Vacaville General Plan LU- 23) With adoption of the Urban Growth Boundary in 2008, two new growth areas were established in areas predominantly used for agriculture: the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area and the Northeast Growth Area. The East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area is approximately 1,300 acres in size and primarily designated for future residential growth. The Northeast Growth Area is approximately 1,400 acres in size and primarily designated as an economic development area. These growth areas are not anticipated to fully develop within the 2035 horizon year of this General Plan. As such, an Urban Reserve land use designation has been applied to relatively large, contiguous geographic areas within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area, and to a small area within the Northeast Growth Area. Lands designated as Urban Reserve are recognized by the City as areas that may be annexed to the City and developed in the future. Areas within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area with an Urban Reserve land use designation will require comprehensive planning and the preparation of a Specific Plan prior to development. In conjunction with a Specific Plan, a General Plan amendment will be necessary to establish specific General Plan land use designations for each parcel of land. (Vacaville General Plan LU-45) Policy LU-P19.1 Policy LU-P1.1 Policy LU-P1.2 Require a General Plan amendment to convert lands designated as Urban Reserve to other land use designations. Require all conversions to make the findings identified in an Urban Reserve Ordinance described in Action LU- A19.1, below. Identify all properties designated as Urban Reserve as long-term annexation areas in the City s Municipal Service Review and Comprehensive Annexation Area Plan. Long-term annexation areas are areas that will not be annexed to the City within the 5- to 10-year planning period of the most current Municipal Service Review and Comprehensive Annexation Plan. Evaluate General Plan amendment requests to convert lands designated as Urban Reserve to other land use designations no more often than every 5 years. Applications to amend the General Plan to convert Urban Reserve lands must be consistent with the City s Municipal Service Review and Comprehensive Annexation Plan.
Action LU-A1.1 Policy LU-P17.8 Amend the Land Use and Development Code to establish an Urban Reserve ordinance. The ordinance shall include criteria necessary to support a General Plan amendment permitting the conversion of the land designated as Urban Reserve to another land use designation. The criteria shall allow consideration of amendments needed to retain a 20-year supply of developable land within the Urban Growth Boundary or to replenish the supply of developable land reduced since General Plan adoption. These findings shall support the General Plan Vision Statement. The General Plan Update Environmental Impact Report (EIR) assumes the following maximum development projections for the year 2035 for the lands located within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area, shown in Figure LU-7: Residential: 2,340 units Commercial: 160,000 square feet (12 acres) When approved development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area reaches the maximum number of residential units or commercial square feet projected in the General Plan EIR, the Community Development Director shall require that environmental review conducted for any subsequent development project address growth impacts that would occur due to development exceeding the General Plan EIR s projections. This does not preclude the City, as lead agency, from determining that an EIR would be required for any development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area to the extent required under the relevant provisions of CEQA (e.g. Section 21166 and related guidelines). The City will conduct the appropriate scoping at the time of initial study for any specific plan, all in accordance with these requirements. Note: The General Plan Update EIR assumed more residential units in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area would develop by 2035 than the number of units permitted by Policy LU-P17.1.
C I T Y O F V A C A V I L L E VACAVILLE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE ELEMENT Attachment 4 Goal LU-17 Provide for orderly, well-planned, and balanced growth in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area. Policies Policy LU-P17.1 Limit residential development within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area to 2,175 dwelling units with the following general assumptions: Brighton Landing Specific Plan Area: 780 dwelling units Properties South of Brighton Landing and North of Fry Road: 785 dwelling units Properties North of Elmira Road: 610 dwelling units Require a General Plan Amendment for residential development in excess of this amount. Policy LU-P17.2 Policy LU-P17.3 Policy LU-P17.4 Policy LU-P17.5 Policy LU-P17.6 The East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area shall include a mixture of housing densities, and attached and detached housing types consistent with the adopted land use diagram. When considering specific plan proposals for development on lands designated Residential High Density in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area, ensure that overall development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area is on track to provide at least 13 percent of the total residential units as attached, multi-family units. Approximately 80 percent of the 610 units permitted for the properties located within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area, north of Elmira Road, shall be distributed between Elmira Road and Hawkins Road, west of the future north-south collector street; the remaining 20 percent shall be located north of Hawkins Road, west of the future northsouth collector street. Require that specific plans be prepared for development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area to ensure that coordinated plans for land uses, public facilities, and public services are created for such area, and require that these specific plans are consistent with the City s updated infrastructure master plans that account for development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area. Require that specific plans for the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area include a diagram showing the distribution of land uses and define permitted and conditionally permitted land uses, major public facilities LU-48
C I T Y O F V A C A V I L L E VACAVILLE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE ELEMENT (including schools, parks, roads, water, sewer, and drainage facilities), phasing, infrastructure financing mechanisms, interim fire protection measures, and any other elements that may be needed to ensure an orderly development process with minimal adverse impacts to the existing community. The specific plans shall be consistent with the City s master infrastructure plans prepared for the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area. Policy LU-P17.7 Policy LU-P17.8 Prohibit the location of competing new neighborhood shopping centers at the Hawkins Road and Leisure Town Road intersection. The General Plan Update Environmental Impact Report (EIR) assumes the following maximum development projections for the year 2035 for the lands located within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area, shown in Figure LU-7: Residential: 2,340 units Commercial: 160,000 square feet (12 acres) When approved development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area reaches the maximum number of residential units or commercial square feet projected in the General Plan EIR, the Community Development Director shall require that environmental review conducted for any subsequent development project address growth impacts that would occur due to development exceeding the General Plan EIR s projections. This does not preclude the City, as lead agency, from determining that an EIR would be required for any development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area to the extent required under the relevant provisions of CEQA (e.g. Section 21166 and related guidelines). The City will conduct the appropriate scoping at the time of initial study for any specific plan, all in accordance with these requirements. Note: The General Plan Update EIR assumed more residential units in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area would develop by 2035 than the number of units permitted by Policy LU-P17.1. Policy LU-P17.9 Require residential specific plans within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area to contain a component of housing designed to attract business executives and professionals. Policy LU-P17.10 Require Specific Plans within the East of Leisure Town Growth Area to provide a wide variety of lot sizes and housing types. Lots located adjacent to the Agricultural Buffer, north of Elmira Road, shall be 10,000 square feet in size. LU-49
C I T Y O F V A C A V I L L E VACAVILLE GENERAL PLAN LAND USE ELEMENT Policy LU-P17.11 Require specific plans within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area to incorporate detention basins, agricultural buffer areas, and public open spaces into the physical amenities designed into the neighborhoods. These amenities could include trails, passive open spaces, recreational spaces, or other features designed to create innovative, attractive neighborhood design. Policy LU-P17.12 Development projects within the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area shall coordinate their respective roads, bike paths, landscape corridors, and design standards to create a unified sense of place and identity. Actions Action LU-A17.1 Reduce the width of the agricultural buffer located north of Elmira Road from 500 feet to 300 feet. A 300 foot-wide agricultural buffer is consistent with the Solano County General Plan policy that identifies the requirement for 300 foot-wide agricultural buffers. Further discussions with the Solano Irrigation District are required as part of this action, and will be addressed in an amendment to the Master Water Agreement. In the event that the City and the Solano County Irrigation District do not agree to such amendment, the buffer shall remain 500 feet in width. Action LU-A17.2 Work with the Solano Irrigation District to expand the Urban Service Area and amend the Master Water Agreement to accommodate urban development in the East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area. As part of the amendment to the Master Water Agreement, consider the width, location, and allowed uses in the agricultural buffer. LU-50