Title
REF120030 - DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION SYSTEM
(COUNTY OF MONTEREY)
Public workshop to:
a. Receive a presentation updating the Planning Commission on the status of the Development Evaluation System (DES) including outcomes and recommendations from a public DES workgroup; and
b. Provide direction to staff.
Project Location: County Wide
Proposed CEQA Action: Statutorily Exempt pursuant to Section 15262 of the CEQA Guidelines
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Planning Commission:
a. Find that this workshop is a planning study for possible future action which the commission has not approved, which qualifies as a Statutory Exemption per Section 15262 of the CEQA Guidelines;
b. Receive a presentation updating the Planning Commission on the status of the Development Evaluation System (DES) including outcomes and recommendations from a public DES workgroup; and
c. Provide direction to staff.
PROJECT INFORMATION:
Planning File Number: REF120030
Owner: County of Monterey
Project Location: County-wide - Inland Areas Only
Plan Area: Cachagua Area Plan, Carmel Valley Master Plan, Central Salinas Valley Area Plan, Greater Monterey Peninsula Area Plan, Greater Salinas Area Plan, North County Area Plan, South County Area Plan, and Toro Area Plan.
Flagged and Staked: N/A
SUMMARY:
Policy LU-1.19 of the 2010 Monterey County General Plan calls for the establishment of a Development Evaluation System (DES) to provide a systematic, consistent, predictable and quantitative method for decision-makers to evaluate certain proposed developments located outside development priority areas (i.e. Community Areas, Rural Centers and Affordable Housing Overlay Districts).
The DES was discussed at a Planning Commission workshop on February 11, 2015, at which time Commissioners and members of the public were provided with an initial draft of the DES and an explanation of how the evaluation system would be incorporated into the existing procedures for processing discretionary permits. Staff also presented the Commission with potential options for analyzing subdivisions for exclusive agricultural purposes and certain projects within the Agriculture and Winery Corridor Plan area in light of Policy LU-1.19.
Due to the complexity of the DES and the limited amount of public input received during its development, the Planning Commission directed staff to conduct thorough public outreach with the intention of providing input in shaping a DES that meets the expectations of both the County and its residents. In addition, the Planning Commission directed staff to return with a clear and consistent list of qualification criteria for what constitutes a subdivision for exclusive agricultural purposes.
In response to the February 11th Workshop, staff convened a series of public workgroup meetings in late 2015 and early 2016 to work through specific questions surrounding the DES. The goal of the workgroup was to gain public input and direction to guide the refinement of specific areas of the DES. Selection of Group members was based on their previous involvement with the DES and/or their area(s) of expertise; with the goal of having a group comprised of even representation from different interests of the County. The following is a list of Group members in alphabetical order, by last name, with their respective affiliated areas of interest:
• Lino Belli, American Institute of Architects
• Janet Brennan, LandWatch
• Dana Cleary, CHISPA
• Sherwood Darington, Ag Land Trust
• Alfred Diaz-Infante, CHISPA
• Dale Ellis, Refinement Group
• Brian Finegan, Land Use Attorney
• Aaron Johnson, Land Use Attorney
• Pam Silkwood, Land Use Attorney
• Juan Uranga, Center for Community Advocacy
• Pris Walton, Carmel Valley Association
• Amy White, LandWatch
The list below provides a general overview of the topics discussed with the DES Working Group:
• What is the overall purpose and authority of the DES
• How to assig priority weighting to individual DEC scoring criteria
• When does DES apply - What is the threshold of DES applicability
• How the process works: (eg: Identifying Projects Subject to DES, Methodology, Pass/Fail, and Presentation of Final Score)
• How DES Applies to Ag Development
The group discussed these topics in both a full group setting as well as individual breakout sessions. The breakout session groups were provided with questionnaires that guided the conversation and asked each group to provide a consensus outcome. An example of these breakout questionnaires can be found as “Attachment D”. While unanimous agreement was not achieved in most cases, there was still a general consensus on nearly every topic. These topics and outcomes are discussed in detail in the Discussion (Attachment A). Each topic covered in the Discussion includes the summary of the group discussion, options created from the consensus group outcomes, and staff’s analysis and recommendation of those options to the Planning Commission.
Shortly after the conclusion of the DES Workgroup, the RMA Planning Department experienced a loss of nearly 60% of its staff. This large reduction in resources required staff to become solely focused on current planning projects rather than long-range projects. Consequently, furthering development of the DES, including acting on the input from the public workgroup was put on hold. Although still not fully staffed, RMA Planning has filled several positions and is anticipating returning to long range planning work in the beginning of 2018. The completion of the DES is a top priority for the department, and will be one of the first long range tasks to be restarted.
Staff now seeks input from the Planning Commission on topics covered in the discussion and requests direction on incorporating recommendations from the public workgroup, in order to begin working on the next draft of the DES in 2018.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
As the proposed Development Evaluation System is envisioned to be an internal process for RMA - Planning to evaluate certain development proposals, the system has been developed primarily by RMA - Planning staff. However, the Bureau of Environmental Health, RMA-Public Works, and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency were consulted to determine threshold data equivalent to a five lot residential subdivision.
FINANCING:
Funding for staff time associated with review and discussion with the public relative to the DES is included in the FY2017-2018 Adopted Budget for RMA-Planning.
Prepared by: Anna V. Quenga, Associate Planner, ext. 5175
Brandon Swanson, RMA Planning Services Manager
Reviewed by: Jacqueline R. Onciano, RMA Chief of Planning
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, Resource Management Agency Director
Attachments:
Exhibit A - Discussion
Exhibit B - DES Work Group Question Summary
Exhibit C - DES Evaluation 2 step Process
Exhibit D - DES Breakout Group Question Summary
cc: Front Counter Copy; Planning Commission; Land Use Advisory Committees (11); The DES Focus Group: Lino Belli, Janet Brennan, Dana Cleary, Sherwood Darington, Alfred Diaz-Infante, Dale Ellis, Brian Finegan, Aaron Johnson, Pam Silkwood, Juan Uranga, Pris Walton, and Amy White; The Open Monterey Project; LandWatch Monterey County; Richard Rudisill; Rob Carver; Michael Waxer; Carl Holm, RMA Director; Jacqueline Onciano, RMA Services Manager; Wendy Strimling, County Counsel; Anna V. Quenga, Associate Planner; Brandon Swanson, Management Analyst; Planning File REF120030.