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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-03-05; City Council; 16673; Supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego RegionDEPT. PLN CITY OF CARLSBAD -AGENDA BILL TITLE: A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING SMART GROWTH IN THE SAN DIEGO REGION If3 DEPT. HD. CITY ATTY. CIN MGR RECOMMENDED ACTION: That the City Council ADOPT Resolution No. a2-c7& , SUPPORTING the principles of smart growth in the San Diego region. ITEM EXPLANATION: Over the last several years the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has developed a set of principles that sets out what “smart growth can mean in the San Diego area and has been advocating the implementation of these principles. To the latter end, SANDAG is asking individuals, companies, organizations, and, especially, local governments to adopt resolutions supporting both the idea of smart growth and the specific principles that SANDAG has set out. In addition, SANDAG is identifying fiscal incentives for local jurisdictions to take formal actions of support for smart growth (see ”Fiscal Impact“ section below). In response to these matters, staff has prepared a resolution (Exhibit A) for the City Council’s consideration, based upon a drafl resolution prepared by SANDAG staff (Exhibit B). Previous discussions about implementing smart growth in Carlsbad sometimes have focused upon particular ideas that were challenging to the Carlsbad community. Some of these challenges had to do with the issues of density, the City’s residential growth limits, facilities adequacy, questions about home rule, funding, and assumptions about how growth should be distributed throughout the region. While these matters are deserving of further discussion, the resolution SANDAG is asking the City Council to consider deals with smart growth from a more general and higher-level perspective. It defines smart growth as “... a compact, efficient, and environmentally-sensitive pattern of development I that provides people with additional travel, housing, and employment choices by focusing future growth closer to existing and planned job centers and public facilities, and away from rural areas“. The emphasis of the resolution is on supporting the five focus areas contained within the regional growth management strategy: housing, transportation, open space/habitat, economic prosperity, and fiscal reform. The specific principles support these areas and call for actions that Carlsbad, in many cases, is already carrying out. Examples include: additional travel modes, in conjunction with mixed use and pedestrian-friendly design (as in transit development in and around our two Coaster stations); the location of jobs near housing (as in the Bressi Ranch master plan and other areas); creating a variety of housing types for various income groups (inclusionary housing); preserving biodiversity, open space, parklands. watersheds, wetlands, and wildlife (implemented in many ways in Carlsbad, including our growth management standards for open space and our adoption of the HMP); and investments in infrastructure in areas where smart growth is happening (our growth management facility principles). The resolution also calls for local plans, ordinances, project review criteria, street design standards and other implementing processes to be made consistent with these principles, things which, for the most part, Carlsbad already does or is considering doing. Some specific examples include the recent City Council adoption of revisions to our street standards, and the pending revisions to the Planned Development Ordinance, both of which are part of the “livable neighborhoods” initiative that the City began two years ago and are specifically in keeping with the premises of “smart growth”. I PAGE 2 OF AGENDA BILL NO. 16,673 A careful reading of the proposed resolution should assure that nothing contained therein calls for violating our Growth Management Plan, or developing projects at specific densities, or limiting the means by which Carlsbad would implement the smart growth concepts. For these reasons staff believes that the City Council can and should support the ideas of smart growth as described in the proposed resolution. ENVIRONMENTAL: The adoption of this resolution is an action not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act. FISCAL IMPACT: Smart growth, in a variety of incarnations, is being embraced and advocated by numerous parties, including Federal and California governmental departments and agencies. The trend is for creating incentives to implement smart growth by tying it to various types of government funding, in particular infrastructure funding (highways, bridges, housing). This type of incentive could occur in two ways: 1) some funding sources are already using the adoption of the SANDAG smart growth resolution as a criteria for funding approval and 2) while not directly requiring the smart growth resolution, some funding sources are discussing giving “extra “credit” for those projects that do include smart growth principles or for applicants who have formally committed to smart growth. Staff believes that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. A specific example of the first type of incentive is the new changes to funds made available through the State Transportation Improvements Program (STIP) for local transportation projects. On October 11, 2001 SANDAG’s Transportation Subcommittee agreed to review 28 projects with a combined value of $760 million against the $237 million of 2002 STlP funds that were available. At the recommendation of SANDAG staff, all projects were subjected to a two-level winnowing process. In the Level 1 review, proposed projects were reviewed for “fatal flaws”. A failure to pass each of five test criteria meant that the project was fatally flawed and it failed to move to the Level 2 review. One of the five test criteria was: ”Has the jurisdiction adopted SANDAG’s REGION 2020 ’Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego Region’?” Another test was ”Has the jurisdiction met its affordable housing goals as measured by the region’s fair share housing goals?” Of the original 28 proposals, only 19 have moved to the Level 2 evaluation. At its November 8, 2001, meeting the SANDAG Transportation Subcommittee agreed to recommend to the SANDAG board to set aside STlP funds to generate up to $35 million in revenues for FY 2003 - 2007 for funding regional arterial projects. SANDAG staff proposed that the Subcommittee recommend to the SANDAG Board guidelines to allocate the funding. One guideline would be as follows: “The CitiesICounty Transportation Advisory Committee would be directed to revise the existing regional arterial project evaluation criteria to incorporate Smart Growth and Housing criteria.” The importance of the smart growth resolution is becoming clear. By adopting a formal action of support for smart growth and by implementing smart growth principles in the way it conducts its business, Carlsbad will have a competitive advantage over other jurisdictions that have not done so, when pursuing these types of funds. Ill PAGE 3 OF AGENDA BILL NO. 16.fim EXHIBITS: 1. City Council Resolution No. 2002-072 , supporting the principles of smart growth 2. Draft resolution, provided by SANDAG, for use by various individuals, organizations, and in the San Diego Area. agencies. 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 FESOLUT~ON NO. 2002-072 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING SMART GROWTH IN THE SAN DIEGO REGION. WHEREAS, THE CURRENT POPULATION OF THE San Diego region is almost 3 million people, and the region's population, jobs, and housing units are steadily growing; and WHEREAS, collectively, current local plans will not meet the housing and employment needs for our new residents and our future economic prosperity and will not interface smoothly with adjacent plans; and WHEREAS, without changes to current plans, the San Diego region will face a growing crisis in affordable housing, transportation, habitat and open space preservation, economic prosperity, and energy and water needs; and WHEREAS, REGION 2020 is the region's growth management strategy which espouses planning principles that reduce sprawl and address the challenges that come with future growth; and WHEREAS, the San Diego region has defined smart growth as a compact, efficient, and environmentally-sensitive pattern of development that provides people with additional travel, housing, and employment choices by focusing future growth closer to existing and planned job centers and public facilities, and away from rural areas NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of .Carlsbad, California, as follows: 1. That the above recitations are true and correct 2. That we support the REGION 2020 strategy, within the context of Carlsbad's existing, voter-approved, Growth Management Plan, and the following smart growth principles that it promotes: a. New development to be focused closer to urban jobs and activity centers and b. Additional travel choices among activity centers, and more mixed-use c. Location of new jobs near existing housing, and new housing near existing d. A variety of housing types in each community that meet the housing needs of away from rural areas. development and pedestrian-friendly urban designs. jobs. all income levels. I - 1 2 4 5 f ? I e s la 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 21 28 e. Adequate irmeStment for exisfing and future infrastructure needs in smat-l growth areas. ensures the protection of resources that preserve the biodiversity of the region; and f. Environmentally-sensitive development that conserves energy and water; preserves open space, community parks, agricultural lands, watersheds, wetlands, scenic values, and wildlife. 3. That our local plans and regulations should ensure that future growth improves the quality of life throughout the region by incorporating smart growth principles into our local general plan, zoning ordinances, project review criteria, street design standards, and other implementation processes, and to make decisions consistent with the above-stated smart growth principles. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Carlsbad City Council held on the 5th day of MARCH , 2002, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: Council Members Lewis, Kulchin. Finnila, Nygaard, Hall NOES: None ABSENT: None CLAijbE A. LEWIS, Nbyor * ' (SEAL) J Page 2 of 2 of Resolution No. 2002-072 -2- EXHIBIT 2 Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego Region WHEREAS, the current population of the San Diego region is almost 3 million people, and the region’s population, jobs, and housing units are steadily growing; and WHEREAS, collectively, current local plans will not meet the housing and employment needs for our new residents and our future economic prosperity; and WHEREAS, without changes to current plans, the San Diego region will face a growing crisis in affordable housing, transportation, habitat and open space preservation, economic prosperity, and energy and water needs; and WEREAS, REGION2020 is the region’s growth management strategy which espouses planning principles that reduce sprawl and address the challenges that come with future growth; and WHEREAS, the San Diego region has defined smart growth as a compact, efficient, and environmentally-sensitive pattern of development that provides people with additional travel, housing, and employment choices by focusing future growth closer to existing and planned job centers and public facilities, and away from rural areas; now therefore BE IT RESOLVED THAT we support the REGION2020 strategy, and the following smart growth principles that it promotes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. New development to be focused closer to urban jobs and activity centers and away from rural areas. Additional travel choices among activity centers, and more mixed use development and pedestrian-friendly urban designs. Location of new jobs near existing housing, and new housing near existing jobs. A variety of housing types in each community that meet the housing needs of all income levels. Adequate investment for existing and future infrastructure needs in smart growth areas. Environmentally-sensitive development that conserves energy and water; ensures the protection of resources that preserve the biodiversity of the region; and preserves open space, community parks, agricultural lands, watersheds, wetlands, scenic values, and wildlife. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT local plans and regulations should ensure that future growth improves the quality of life throughout the region. We urge our local elected officials to plan now for the future by incorporating smart growth principles into local general plans, zoning ordinances, project review criteria, street design standards, and other implementation processes, and to make decisions consistent with the above-stated smart growth principles. PASSED AND ADOPTED this day of of 2001 > President/Chairperson Organization .!L March 5,2002 Mayor Lewis and City Council Members City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive Carlsbad, California 92008 RE: AB# 16,673 -Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego Region Dear Mayor and City Council Members: Lennar Communities would like to recommend that the City Council adopt Agenda Bill 16,673 supporting the principles of smart growth in San Diego County. As San Diego County continues to build out we need to look at providing a more compact, efficient and environmentally sensitive pattern of development which provides people the opportunity to live closer to job opportunities. Many of the City’s existing ordinances, such as growth management, the habitat management plan and the recently adopted livable streets standards, already incorporate “smart growth” principles. Lennar is currently planning the Bressi Ranch Master Plan with many principles of smart growth so it can serve as a living example of a community that creates a diverse, mixed-use and pedestrian friendly community. We encourage the Carlsbad City Council to adopt the Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego Region (Resolution No. 2002 - 072). Following many of its smart growth principles will help protect our existing quality of life, while accommodating the future demand for employment opportunities and housing, and protecting valuable open spaces. President, Community Development Cc: City Council Members Ray Patchett 5780 Fleet Street, Suite 320. Carlsbod. California 92008-4700 - (760) 918-8858, Fax (760) 918-8868 Hofman Planr Associat Planning Project Management Fiscal I A ing es .nalysis March 5,2002 Honorable Mayor Lewis 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive Carlsbad, Ca. 92008 RE: AB# 16,673 ~ A Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego Region Dear Buddy; I strongly recommend that the City Council support the principles of Smart Growth in San Diego County. As the County continues to build out we need to look at providing a more compact, efficient and environmentally sensitive pattern of development which provides the people the opportunity to live closer to job opportunities. Approval of the Smart Growth principles would be a confirmation of many of the City’s existing ordinances and policies which incorporate these principles. The Poinsettia Properties transit oriented project, near the Coaster Station is a good example of an existing smart growth project in Carlsbad, which has already received a lot of positive recognition. I did not believe that there is anything in these principles that would put any constraints on the City or force the Council to approve any projects that they felt were inappropriate for Carlsbad. Therefore as a resident of Carlsbad as well as a planner, I feel comfortable in recommending that the Council approve Agenda Bill # 16,673 supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego Region. Sincerely, Mike Howes Cc City Council Ray Patchett 5900 Pasteur Court * Suite 150 * Carlsbad - CA 92008 - (760) 438-1465 * Fax: (760) 438-2443 March 5,2002 Mayor Lewis and City Council Members City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive Carlsbad, California 92008 RE: AB# 16,673 - Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the San Diego Region Dear Mayor and City Council Members: Lennar Communities would like to recommend that the City Council adopt Agenda Bill 16,673 supporting the principles of smart growth in San Diego County. As San Diego County continues to build out we need to look at providing a more compact, efficient and environmentally sensitive pattern of development which provides people the opportunity to live closer to job opportunities. Many of the City’s existing ordinances, such as growth management, the habitat management plan and the recently adopted livable streets standards, already incorporate “smart growth” principles. Lennar is currently planning the Bressi Ranch Master Plan with many principles of smart growth so it can serve as a living example of a community that creates a diverse, mixed-use and pedestrian friendly community. We encourage the Carlsbad City Council to adopt the Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the will help protect our existing quality of life, while accommodating the future demand for San Diego Region (Resolution No. 2002 - 072). Following many of its smart growth principles employment opportunities and housing, and protecting valuable open spaces. D. Rohrlick Development Cc: City Council Members Ray Patchett 5780 Fleet Street, Suite 320, Carlsbad, California 92008-4700 - (760) 918-8858. Fax (760) 918-8868 M 43 673 .T& Lt City Council March 5,2002 Item 18 “A Resolution Supporting Smart Growth in the San 3-5- 02 Diego Region” Suggested language to amend the draft resolution NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED.. . 1. [no change] 2. That we support the Region 2020 strategy, within the context of Carlsbad’s existing, voter-approved, Growth Management Plan, and the following smart growth principles that it promotes:. . . 9, {added language = bold, italics]