Title
a. Approve a Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Soledad and the County of Monterey regarding working cooperatively on common planning, growth and development issues; and
b. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute the Memorandum of Agreement.
(Soledad Memorandum of Agreement/REF150049)
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve a Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Soledad and Monterey County regarding working cooperatively on common planning, growth and development issues; and
b. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute the Memorandum of Agreement.
SUMMARY:
The City of Soledad, after years of stagnant growth, has identified a need to accommodate future growth anticipated in their General Plan. Those growth areas need to be annexed to the City, with a first step of amending the Sphere of Influence of the City. Prior to amendments to Spheres of Influence being considered by the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County (LAFCO), Government Code Section 56425 (Attachment B) requires that a city and county consult on the effects of the sphere amendment. The statute requires the parties to discuss the proposed new boundaries and explore methods to reach agreement on development standards. The intent, ultimately, is to provide logical and orderly development of areas within the Sphere of Influence.
The attached Memorandum of Agreement (MOA, Attachment C) is the result of those discussions. The MOA will provide a framework and guiding document for future growth as well as for cooperation between the City and County regarding land use issues. The MOA does not create legally binding commitments, as the MOA recognizes that the commitments expressed are tentative and the actions contemplated by the MOA are subject to all appropriate environmental review, public hearings, and other procedures and studies. As such and as set forth in the Memorandum of Agreement, the entry into the MOA is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
As of this date, we have similar memoranda with the cities of Salinas, Gonzales, and Greenfield. Adopting this agreement with the City of Soledad will mean that we have finalized consultation on growth and development issues, both within the Salinas Valley cities and on unincorporated land around the Salinas Valley cities, with all but the City of King. We have had preliminary discussions with the City of King, and those talks may begin soon.
These agreements focus on major topics associated with growth within and surrounding cities of the Salinas Valley. The draft Memorandum of Agreement with Soledad includes provisions regarding the following topics:
|
Logical and Orderly Development |
Direction of Future Development |
|
Specific Planning Actions |
Development Phasing and Annexations |
|
Agricultural Land Compatibility |
Agricultural Land Conservation Program |
|
Traffic Mitigation Fees |
Tax Sharing |
|
Environmental Review, Public Hearing and Local Decision Making |
The Memorandum of Agreement provides tentative policy commitments for the above topics, and is intended to ensure a consistent and collaborative framework under which to analyze future development and infrastructure needs in and around the City of Soledad. These policy commitments are consistent with, and assist in implementing, the General Plans of the County and City of Soledad.
DISCUSSION:
A detailed discussion is provided in Attachment A.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Agreement has been negotiated by the Soledad City Manager and Community Development Director and Monterey County Planning Director. The Soledad City Council adopted this MOA on February 3, 2016.
FINANCING:
Funding for staff time associated with this project is included in the FY15-16 Adopted Budgets for RMA-Planning. The Agreement commits the County to discuss the Master Tax Sharing Agreement with the City, but does not suggest any changes, nor bind it to any changes, to that Agreement.
Prepared by: Mike Novo, RMA-Planning - Director, ext. 5192
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, Resource Management Agency Director
The following Attachments are on file with the Clerk of Board:
Attachment A Discussion
Attachment B Government Code Section 56425
Attachment C Draft Memorandum of Agreement
cc: Front Counter Copy; Board of Supervisors; County Counsel; City of Soledad; LAFCO of Monterey County; Environmental Health Bureau; RMA-Public Works; Monterey County Water Resources Agency; Carl P. Holm, RMA Director; LandWatch; The Open Monterey Project; Project File REF150049