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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-11-01; City Council; 3798-2; Palomar Airport AnnexationCITY OF CARLSBAD AGENDA BILL NO. «ff 7 ?& - &6iA#&**u>»^> .xf. " Initial: VV Dept.Hd. DATE: November 1, 1977 DEPARTMENT: City Manager Subject: • pALOMAR AIRPORT ANNEXATION Statement of the Matter The .City Council at its September 6, 1977 meeting, certified EIR 387 for the annexation of Palomar Airport. The Council asked for additional information concerning the benefits and liabilities of the proposed annexation. The attached report to the City Manager discusses the benefits and liabilities of the proposed annexation as well as the extent of the City's control of the airport. Exhibit Report to City Manager dated September 29, 1977 with attachments Recommendation If the Council desires to proceed with the annexation, instruct staff to file an application with the Local Agency Formation Commission. Council action 11-1-77 Council agreed to proceed with the annexation and instructed staff "to file an application with the Local Agency Formation Commi ssion. DATE: SEPTEMBER 29, 1977 TO: CITY MANAGER FROM: Administrative Assistant SUBJECT: IMPACT OF PALOMAR AIRPORT ANNEXATION At its September 6, 1977 meeting, the Carlsbad City Council certified EIR-387 for the Palomar Airport annexation. During Council discussion, questions were asked concerning the benefits of annexation to the City and what liabilities the City would be accepting. The Council discussed the possible cost of improving Palomar Airport Road and questioned what control, if any, the City would have over future changes to the airport by the County. The following report will consider the points raised during Council discussion and also provide revised estimates of the revenues which would accrue to the City upon annexation Of the airport. BENEFITS OF ANNEXATION Increased Revenues As indicated in a report to the City Manager dated October 20, 1976 (copy attached), the primary benefit of annexing the airport was the increased revenues which would accrue to the City. The revenue figures in the October 20, 1976 report were based on 1975-76 fiscal year revenues. A revised revenue estimate based on 1976-77 fiscal year revenues is summarized below: Sales Tax $26,012 Airport Personal Property Tax 26,020 Possessory Interest Tax 8,304 Business License Tax 1,020 $61,356 Greater Control Over the Airport Government Code Section 65402(b) provides that the County shall not acquire real property for any public purpose, nor dispose of any real property, nor construct or authorize a public Page 2 September 29, 1977 Subject: Impact of Palomar Airport Annexation building or structure within the corporate limits of the City, if the City has an adopted general plan, until the location, purpose and extent of such acquisition, disposition, or such building or structure have been submitted to and reported upon by the planning agency having jurisdiction as to con- formity with the adopted general plan. In addition, Public Utilities Code Section 21661.6 requires that prior to acquisition of land by the County for the purpose of expanding or enlarging an existing publicly owned airport, the County shall submit a plan to the City Council. The plan shall show in detail the airport-related uses and other uses proposed for the property to be acquired. Upon approval of the plan, property acquisition may begin. The use of the property so acquired shall thereafter conform to the approved plan, and any variance from such plan, or changes proposed therein, shall be submitted to the City Council for approval. Furthermore, the County Board of Supervisors has adopted a policy (F-6) that states, "Permits shall be secured from any incorporated city in the county within which county projects or construction is to be carried on." When the County began proceedings to acquire land for a clear zone at the northeast corner of El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road, the requirements of the aforementioned statutes were met. On January 15, 1974, the Carlsbad City Council approved Resolution No. 3331 which found the acquisition and proposed use of 231 acres located at the northeast corner of Palomar Airport Road and El Camino Real was in conformity with the General Plan. On the same date, Resolution No. 3332 was adopted which approved the expansion of the airport (as required by Public Utilities Code Section 21661.6) by the acquisition of the aforementioned acreage. On April 1, 1975, the City Council reviewed the proposed Palomar Airport Master Plan. The Master Plan provides guidance for the ultimate development of the airport as well as the layout and use of the proposed expansion area, most of which is already within Page 3 September 29, 1977 Subject: Impact of Palomar Airport Annexation the City. There is no indication that the City Council either approved or disapproved the Airport Master Plan. However, the staff was directed to prepare a statement reflecting the Council's position on the proposed plan. In a letter dated April 16, 1975 to the County Board of Supervisors, the Council stated its position that the airport should remain a general aviation facility and that additional services, such as police, fire, and additional sewer capacity would not be available prior to annexation. As indicated above, before the County may begin acquisition of land for the expansion or enlargement of the airport within the City of Carlsbad, a General Plan conformity finding pursuant to Government Code 65402 is required. The County has, by letter dated September 20, 1977, requested the City to make such a finding. In addition, the County must meet the requirements of Public Utilities Code Section 21661.6 before acquiring property within the City for expansion or enlargement of the airport. The Airport Master Plan could be construed as the plan required to be submitted by Section 21661.6. However, until the Master Plan, or some other plan, is approved by the City, the County would not be complying with the requirements of Section 21661.6. Upon approval of the plan called for in Section 21661.6, the County would be required to conform to the plan. Any changes or variances from the approved plan would have to be brought to the City Council for approval. It is the view of City staff, as well as County Department of Airports staff, that the governmental facilities constructed at the airport would not be subject to City zoning regulations but would need to conform to the approved plan. However, improvements constructed by lessees of the County would be subject to City zoning and building regulations. If the Board of Supervisors continues its Policy F-6, the construction of County facilities at the airport would also be subject to the building regulations of the City. Page 4 September 29, 1977 Subject: Impact of Paloraar Airport Annexation Through the requirements of state law and the current policy of the County Board of Supervisors, the City of Carlsbad will have a fairly high degree of control over the development of Palomar Airport. If the existing airport (that portion proposed for annexation) remains in the unincorporated area, the City's control will only extend to the proposed expansion area currently within City limits. If the current City boundaries remain, a situation will be created which will eventually find half the airport in the City and the other half in the County. Such a situation would likely create confusion for potential developers and future lessees of the County and may tend to retard the growth of the airport. Municipal services would not be supplied uniformly at the airport if a split jurisdiction situation were to exist. LIABILITIES OF ANNEXATION The City would be required to supply a number of services to the airport upon annexation. In the October 20, 1976 report to the City Manager, the services to be supplied by the City were briefly discussed. Further analysis of service demand placed upon the City by the annexation of the airport has not indicated a need to change any of the information in the October 20, 1976 report. Based upon a limited history and insufficient data, it is not possible to quantify the costs of supplying police or fire service with any degree of validity. Estimates would be arbitrary and could vary widely depending on certain assumptions being made. Nonetheless, estimates have been prepared of the cost of supplying police and fire service to the airport. Fire service will be provided from existing fire stations and annexation will not require specific additional manpower or equip- ment to provide adequate fire protection. Although annexation of the airport will not require an additional direct expenditure to continue the existing level of fire protection, it would be appro- priate to allocate costs to indicate the airport's share of overall fire protection cost. If we allocate costs of fire protection among land uses, approximately 30% of the developed land in the City is in uses similar to the land use at the airport. If we assign 30% of the annual fire budget for servicing developed nonresidential land an allocation of $264,909 for the 1977-78 fiscal year would result. Page 5 September 29, 1977 Subject: Impact of Palomar Airport Annexation A cost per acre for providing fire protection for developed non- residential land can then be calculated and would result in a cost of approximately $165 per acre. Multiplying the per acre figure times the 256 acres in the proposed annexation would indicate an approximate cost of $42,240 for airport fire pro- tection based on the same service level as for other developed nonresidential land uses. Providing police service at the airport would not require an immediate increase in staff or equipment but would incrementally add to the need for an expanded Police Department. The Chief of Police indicates that the airport should not initially create a significant demand for police service. It is estimated that the demand for police service will average from one to two hours a day at the airport. This time estimate includes routine patrol, assistance during emergencies, investigation of specific complaints, and all other services. Based on an approximate cost of $18 per hour for police service, the cost of police protection at the airport would range from $6,500 to $13,000. The Chief of Police would estimate the cost at approximately $10,000 annually. If the County desires police and fire service at a higher level (such as crash and rescue services) than normally provided to adjacent industrial areas, the City could charge the County directly for such service. It should be noted that private lessees of the County would be paying City property taxes on the lessee's possessory interest and private improvements. These lessees would be receiving the same level of police and fire service as adjacent industrial users on privately owned land. Although the County would not pay property taxes on its governmental facilities, police and fire service would be provided at the same level as for adjacent property. Sewer, water, and trash hauling are based on user chargers and, hopefully, are self-supporting. The cost of enforcing the business Page 6 September 29, 1977 Subject: Impact of Palomar Airport Annexation license ordinance should be minimal and more than offset by the revenue derived. No significant demand for leisure services should be created by the annexation of the airport. In the area of public works maintenance, the maintenance of streets and other public improvements within the airport would remain the responsibility of the County. The City of Carlsbad would become responsible for the maintenance of that portion of Palomar Airport Road that lies adjacent to the airport. Palomar Airport Road is not developed to full City standards as a prime arterial. The City Engineer has estimated that it would cost approximately $810,000 to bring that section of Palomar Airport Road adjacent to the airport up to full City standards. Although Palomar Airport Road will eventually need to be developed to full standards, it is not necessary to require improvements as a condition of annexation. The City Engineer indicates that it is not likely that additional travel lanes or major improvement to the road will be required within the next five years. Dedication of right of way and street improvements can be required as adjacent property develops. As the airport itself expands, it is reasonable to expect the County to contribute to the construction of improve- ments on Palomar Airport Road due to the increased traffic generated by the airport. Road improvements may also be financed through assessment district proceedings. Since Palomar Airport Road is a regionally significant arterial, when traffic volumes increase, it may be possible to finance improvements using FAU funds or a combination of funding sources may be utilized. Although the cost of improving Palomar Airport Road to full City standards will be substantial, it is not a cost that will be borne entirely by the City. In fact, in accordance with existing City policies, most of the improvements would not be directly financed by the City. FRANK 'N. MANNEN Administrative Assistant FNM:ldg Att.