Title
Introduce, waive reading and set a hearing for September 27, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. to consider findings per Policy CV-2.19 of the Carmel Valley Master Plan, adoption of an ordinance amending Ordinance 499 to abandon the Official Plan Lines for the unacquired portion of Rio Road, and adoption of a resolution to rename the northerly segment of Rio Road to Village Park Road:
a. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) find that adoption of the proposed ordinance and road renaming involve a negligible change to existing streets and such minor alterations to land qualify respectively as Class 1 and Class 4 categorical exemptions pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301(c) - existing highways and streets; and 15304 - minor public alterations in the condition of the land and there are no exceptions pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2.
b. Introduce, waive reading, and set a hearing for September 27, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., to consider:
1. Finding that the abandonment of the Official Plan Lines of the portion of Rio Road between the two segments of Rio Road currently constructed, being approximately that portion from Engineer’s Station 6+77.8 to 39+72.02, as said Official Plan Lines and said Stations are shown on map filed in the Office of the County Recorder in Volume 2 of Official Plan Lines, at Page 55, is in conformity with Policy CV-2.19 of the Carmel Valley Master Plan, a part of the Monterey County General Plan;
2. Adoption of an ordinance amending Ordinance 499, being the Streets and Highways Plan of Monterey County, deleting a portion of Section 3ww and Section 8ww of the Official Plan Lines of the Rio Road Extension; and
3. Adoption of a resolution to rename that portion of Rio Road northerly of Engineer’s Station 39+72.02 to Village Park Road.
Proposed CEQA Action: Find that the proposed ordinance and street renaming is categorically exempt as Class 1 and Class 4 categorical exemptions pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301(c) - existing highways and streets; and 15304 - minor public alterations in the condition of the land and there are no exceptions pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) find that adoption of the proposed ordinance and road renaming involve a negligible change to existing streets and such minor alterations to land qualify respectively as Class 1 and Class 4 categorical exemptions pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301(c) - existing highways and streets; and 15304 - minor public alterations in the condition of the land and there are no exceptions pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2.
b. Introduce, waive reading, and set a hearing for September 27, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., to consider:
1. Finding that the abandonment of the Official Plan Lines of the portion of Rio Road between the two segments of Rio Road currently constructed, being approximately that portion from Engineer’s Station 6+77.8 to 39+72.02, as said Official Plan Lines and said Stations are shown on map filed in the Office of the County Recorder in Volume 2 of Official Plan Lines, at Page 55, is in conformity with Policy CV-2.19 of the Carmel Valley Master Plan, a part of the Monterey County General Plan;
2. Adoption of an ordinance amending Ordinance 499, being the Streets and Highways Plan of Monterey County, as amended by Ordinance No. 1693, deleting a portion of Section 3ww and Section 8ww of the Official Plan Lines for the extension and construction of Rio Road; and
3. Adoption of a resolution to rename that portion of Rio Road northerly of Engineer’s Station 39+72.02 to Village Park Road.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Ordinance No. 499 was adopted by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on March 17, 1941, to establish a Street and Highways Plan as part of the County Master Plan (Attachment A). Ordinance No. 499 provided for the establishment of Official Plan Lines (OPL) for the purpose of establishing corridors for new roads or for the widening of existing roads. Ordinance No. 499 restricted development within the adopted OPL. It also included the Board’s declaration that said ordinance would be amended from time to time, as needed.
Ordinance No. 499 was amended in 1969 by Ordinance No. 1693 (Attachment B) to establish, “OPL for the extension and construction of Rio Road in the Carmel Valley from the existing Rio Road northerly and easterly to an intersection with the Carmel Valley Road.” This new OPL was added as Sections 3ww and 8ww of Ordinance No. 499 and shown on the map filed in the Office of the County Recorder in Volume 2 of Official Plan Lines, at Page 55 (Attachment C).
In 1974, as part of a Carmel Valley Road widening project, the intersection portion of Rio Road and a segment 500 ft. southerly of Carmel Valley Road was constructed. In the same year, the Carmel Rancho side of Rio Road was extended 660 feet to its current limits as part of the offsite improvements required for the Riverwood development. However, no action has been taken to acquire road right-of-way over the connecting segment of Rio Road within the adopted OPL.
In 2010, the Board adopted the current Monterey County General Plan, which includes the Carmel Valley Master Plan (CVMP). This CVMP was amended February 12, 2013. Policy CV-2.19 of the CVMP states: “The County shall initiate proceedings for an abandonment of the Official Plan Line for the Rio Road Extension.” On July 27, 2021, the Board approved a Combined Development Permit for the Rancho Cañada Village subdivision (PLN040021-AMD1) which proposes development within the unimproved/unacquired areas of the Rio Road OPL (Approved Vesting Tentative Map Sheet 4 - Attachment D). The proposed abandonment of the unimproved/unacquired segment of the OPL will be consistent with these previous actions by the Board.
In 2020, a letter from the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District requesting the renaming of the 500 ft. segment of Rio Road that connects to Carmel Valley Road was forwarded to the County. The letter proposed changing the name to “Park Road.” However, to avoid conflict with other similarly named streets/roads, the proposed name was revised to “Village Park Road.” This proposed name was reviewed and approved by the Monterey County Department of Emergency Communications, and it is acceptable to the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District. There are no Rio Road addresses issued to parcels accessed from this segment of Rio Road, so no existing addresses will be affected. The timing of the road name change is proposed to coincide with the intersection improvements required by Condition of Approval Nos. 52 and 53 of the Rancho Cañada Village subdivision (PLN040021-AMD1).
Monterey County Ordinance No. 5342 (Attachment F) specifically assigned the Housing and Community Development (HCD) Department with addressing. However, based on Monterey County Ordinance No. 1241, as amended (Attachment G), this addressing assignment is limited to address numbering and private road naming and renaming. Therefore, since this action proposes to rename a portion or segment of Rio Road (a public road with no change of addresses) to Village Park Road, this road renaming is significantly different from the proposed renaming of streets within the East Garrison Community Services District which is the subject of Board Referral No. 2021.25, a corresponding preliminary response presented to the Board by PWFP on January 11, 2022 and a recent status update presented to the Board by PWFP on April 26, 2022. In contrast to the proposed renaming of Rio Road, a public road with no change of addresses, Board Referral No. 2021.25 involves the proposed renaming of private roads or streets and corresponding address changes.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Adoption of the proposed ordinance and road renaming involves a negligible change to existing streets. Such minor alterations to land qualify respectively as Class 1 and Class 4 categorical exemptions under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15301(c) - existing highways and streets; and 15304 - minor public alterations in the condition of the land. There are no exceptions under CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Office of the County Counsel has approved this ordinance as to form. The Department of Emergency Communications has reviewed and approved the proposed road name (Attachment E). The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District has approved the proposed road name.
FINANCING:
The only County cost is for staff time to process this item and for staff time and material to produce and install a new road name sign. The cost for new signage will be appropriated in the FY23 PWFP budget. Sufficient appropriations are available in the PWFP Road and Bridge budget (Fund 002, Unit 8558) for PWFP staff time to process this action.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The recommended action supports the Board of Supervisors’ Strategic Initiative for Economic Development and Public Safety. The proposed ordinance and corresponding road renaming will promote orderly development and will implement Policy CV-2.19 of the Carmel Valley Master Plan (CVMP), Chapter 9.B - CVMP (Amended as of 02/12/2013), an Element/Master Plan of the 2010 Monterey County General Plan Adopted October 26, 2010, which provides as follows:
CV-2.19 The County shall initiate proceedings for an abandonment of the Official Plan
Line for the Rio Road Extension.
The proposed ordinance and corresponding road renaming will improve public safety by preventing any confusion for emergency responders and others due to the existence of disconnected roads with the same name.
X Economic Development
____ Administration
____ Health & Human Services
____ Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Michael K. Goetz, PLS, County Surveyor
Approved by: Tom Bonigut, PE, Assistant Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks
Approved by: Randell Ishii, MS, PE, TE, PTOE, Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks
Attachment A - Ordinance No. 499
Attachment B - Ordinance No. 1693
Attachment C - Volume 2 of Official Plan Lines, Page 55
Attachment D - Approved Tentative Map for the Rancho Cañada Village subdivision (PLN040021-AMD1)
Attachment E - Monterey County Department of Emergency Communications memo
Attachment F - Monterey County Ordinance No. 5342
Attachment G - Monterey County Ordinance No. 1241 with amendment
Attachment H - Draft Ordinance amending Ordinance No. 499
Attachment I - Draft Board Resolution renaming Rio Road to Village Park Road