REPORT TO SHASTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

BOARD MEETING DATE:  September  18, 2018
CATEGORY:  Scheduled Hearings - Resource Management-11.

SUBJECT:

Resolution approving General Plan Amendment GPA18-0003 and Ordinance approving Zoning Amendment ZA18-0004

Supervisorial District No. :  3

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:  Paul A. Hellman, Director of Resource Management (530) 225-5789

STAFF REPORT APPROVED BY:  Paul A. Hellman, Director of Resource Management

RECOMMENDATION

Based on comments and input from numerous sources which was received following the Planning Commission meeting on August 23, 2018, the Resource Management Department withdraws its recommendation to approve General Plan Amendment (GPA) 18-0003 which would amend the land use designation on 9.8 acres from Commercial (C) to Urban Residential-25 dwelling units per acre (UR(25)), and Zoning Amendment (ZA) 18-0004 which would rezone 9.8 acres of property from Community Commercial (C-2) to Multiple-Family Residential–25 dwelling units per acre (R-3-25) and Open Space (OS), in the unincorporated area of Shasta County in the Palo Cedro Town Center south of State Route 44 and west of Deschutes Road (Assessor Parcel Number 059-360-019).

SUMMARY

The project site (Area 3) is located in unincorporated Shasta County on one undeveloped 9.8-acre parcel southwest of the intersection of State Highway 44 and west of Deschutes Road in the unincorporated community of Palo Cedro. (Assessor’s Parcel Number: 059-360-019).

This project is a County initiated application to amend the Shasta County General Plan Land Use Maps and the County Zoning Maps as necessary actions to bring the County’s General Plan into compliance with State Housing Law and a Stipulation for Judgment by the Shasta County Superior Court. Based on comments and input received since the Planning Commission adopted its resolution, the Resource Management Department withdraws its recommendation that the Board approve this General Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment. However, as discussed further below, if the Board fails to rezone sufficient property for to meet the needs of the 2014-2019 Housing Element, the Department will have to consider the available options in order to fulfill that requirement.

DISCUSSION

The Planning Commission reviewed this application on August 23, 2018. The Commission took action recommending that the Board of Supervisors approve GPA18-0003 and ZA18-0004 by a vote of 5-0. Since that time, the County has received numerous letters and comments regarding the proposal and based on that input has reconsidered its recommendation and now withdraws its recommendation.

The Area 3 application identified two specific sites (Sites 11-12) as part of the overall Housing Element Rezone Program which originally included a total of 13 sites to be rezoned to the R-3-25 district. The selection of the 13 sites was based on the site’s location within designated Town Centers, or adjoining designated Urban Centers, all of which are served by, or have access to, urban services including community water and sewer. Additionally, the property owners of these sites voluntarily cooperated with the County and support the project applications.

Based on additional information and input received from numerous sources, the Resource Management Department withdraws its County initiated request for a general plan amendment and zoning amendment at this time. However, the County’s need to rezone sufficient sites for high density development to meets its obligations under the 2014-2019 Housing Element remains. Should sufficient sites not be rezoned as part of other County initiated projects, the Department will have to consider and identify suitable sites for rezoning that do meet the County’s obligations for the 2014-19 Housing Element.

Four separate applications to amend general plan and zoning classifications in four separate geographical areas of unincorporated Shasta County to bring the County’s housing element into compliance with State Housing Law and a Stipulation for Judgment by the Shasta County Superior Court were presented to the Planning Commission; three of the four applications were recommended for approval by the Board. As a result of the elimination of one of the four applications, a Zoning Amendment Program (Program H3-J) was added to the draft housing element update to identify and reclassify approximately 4.5 acres of land elsewhere within unincorporated Shasta County. If the Palo Cedro proposal is not approved, then the acreage figure in Program H3-J would be required to be increased from approximately 4.5 to 12.5. With or without the approval of the Palo Cedro proposal, the Resource Management Department will, in the near future, have to identify and process general plan and zoning amendments for additional sites as necessary to comply with Program H3-J. The processing of such general plan and zoning amendments may be required to comply fully with CEQA requirements, which would add substantially to the processing time and expense for such applications. Denial of the Palo Cedro proposal would result in an approximately three-fold increase in the level of effort and expense necessary to comply with the requirements of Program H3-J.

ALTERNATIVES

The following alternatives are available:

    1. Approve the General Plan and Zoning Amendment request;
    2. Modify the General Plan and Zoning Amendment boundaries;
    3. Continue review of the application for additional information.

None of these alternatives are recommended.

OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT

This application was reviewed by the referral agencies that review all new development applications. Comments made by those agencies have been incorporated in the project.

FINANCING

No additional General Fund impact would result from approval of the proposal.