1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: March 28, 2023
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Patrick Prescott, Community Development Director VIA: Fred Ramirez, Assistant Community Development Director, Planning Scott Plambaeck, Planning Manager
BY: Shipra Rajesh, Senior Planner
SUBJECT: Consideration of Potential Rancho Specific Plan
RECOMMENDATION
Provide direction and input on development of Rancho Specific Plan.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the projected timeline, overall cost, and different components of the potential Rancho Specific Plan.
On October 3, 2022, the City of Burbank and City Council (“City”) entered into a settlement agreement with Pickwick Investment, LLC (“Petitioner”), and Friends o f the Rancho for Equestrian Safety (“Intervenor”) for a housing development project at 921- 1001 West Riverside Drive, Burbank (refer to Attachment 1). All parties agreed to comply with the terms and conditions specified in the settlement agreement. One of the terms and conditions (#13) of the agreement requires the City to consider the preparation of a Rancho Specific Plan prior to March 31, 2023.
DISCUSSION
Status of Rancho Master Plan Area and Regulations
Currently, the City does not have an adopted specific plan for the Rancho neighborhood, instead goals and policies for the neighborhood are included within Burbank2035 General Plan Land Use Element and the zoning designation and develo pment standards for Rancho subareas are specified in Article 24, Chapter 1, Title 10 (Zoning Regulations) of the Burbank Municipal Code (BMC).
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
2 The Burbank2035 General Plan serves as the City’s comprehensive long- range policy document that guides the Ci ty’s future physical development. It includes seven State- mandated elements: 1) Air Quality and Climate Change; 2) Land Use; Mobility; 3) Noise; 4) Safety; 5) Open Space and Conservation; 6) Housing ; and , 7) an optional Plan Realization Element. The Land Use Element contains policies and goals that guides future development in Burbank, designates appropriate locations for different land uses , and establishes standards for residential density and non‐residential building intensity for land located throughout the C ity. In 1993, the City Council approved Resolution No. 23,927 (Attachment 2), amending the General Plan Land Use Element to include policies for the Rancho area. Although referred to as the “Rancho Master Plan” in the Land Use Element, Resolution No. 23,927 added the Rancho policy text and diagrams to the Land Use Element itself rather than creating a separate plan document.
Burbank’s Zoning Code implements the goals and policies of the General Plan by specifying how every property located in the City can be used and developed. In 1993, concurrent with the General Plan amendment that created policies for the Rancho area, the Council adopted Ordinance No. 3343 (Attachment 3), amending the Zoning Code to create “Rancho Master Plan” zones that mirrored the subareas identified in the General Plan. As with the General Plan amendment, although the zones are referred to as the “Rancho Master Plan” zones, the City Council o rdinance added these zones and development standards into the Zoning Code rather than creating a separate document.
In 2007, Burbank City Council directed planning staff to conduct public outreach after concerns were expressed regarding a proposal to construct a Whole Foods Market at the corner of Alameda Avenue and Main Street . In 2008, two community meetings were conducted with the R ancho neighborhood to gather community feedback on land uses that were desired in the Rancho area and to determine if the City’s General Plan and Municipal Code needed to be amended to better reflect the neighborhood’s desires .
Based on the input received from the two community meetings, it was determined that the creation of a new Rancho Mater Plan was not necessary because the overall goals of the Rancho neighborhood specified in Burbank2035 General Plan was consistent with the feedback received from the community members. Further, i n 2012, Burbank City Council revisited the possibility of initiating a planning process to develop a Rancho Master Plan and determined that a new specific plan for the Rancho neighborhood was not necessary because the goals and land use envisioned for the neighborhood were incorporated in Burbank2035 General Plan (adopted in February 2013) and the BMC.
Potential Rancho Specific Plan Components
The planning process for developing a specific plan for the Rancho neighborhood would include a discussion of existing and proposed changes to underlying zoning and general plan land use designations for all properties within the proposed Rancho planning area.
Burbank2035 General Plan Exhibit LU-2 (Specific Plan Areas) identifies the boundary of a Rancho Specific Plan (Attachment 4). In the lead up to Council consideration of a Rancho Specific Plan, staff has received input from various stakeholders, including the Council, to consider the following topic items as part of a proposed specific plan:
3 • Establishment of objective standards that are aligned with the community vision for the R ancho neighborhood, include balancing demands for responsible development, retain local control, and preservation of the equestrian lifestyle. • Incorporation into the specific plan of Equestrian Design Guidelines found in the City’s Complete Our Streets Plan.
• Review and assess M-1 (Limited Industrial) zoned property in the Rancho and any possible re-zoning that must comply with applicable state and local housing and land use laws (Re: CM Tracking Item # 2509).
• Evaluation of potential historic district and equestrian overlay options within the Rancho specific plan area. (Re: CM Tracking Item # 2453.) • Assessment of potential impacts to City services and infrastructure from any proposed specific plan development and implementation.
Rancho Specific Plan Environmental Assessment
It is anticipated that t he environmental assessment tha t is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to evaluate and facilitate the development of a Rancho Specific Plan will include preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze any potential environmental impacts of the plan recommendations and identify appropriate mitigation measures. Further, the environmental assessment for the Specific Plan would entail a range of technical studies including but not limited to air quality/greenhouse gas emissions, traffic impact analysis, water supply assessment, infrastructure capacity analysis including sewer and electricity, cultural resource survey, and noise impact analysis.
Project Costs
Costs associated with development of a Rancho Specific Plan will include but not be limited to expenses associated with project management by City planning staffing and consultant services for the preparation of the specific plan document, public outreach, environmental assessment for the Project, and the associated technical studies.
Staff analyzed the costs associated with other ongoing specific plans including Golden State Specific Plan, Downtown Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan, and Media District Specific Plan Update, to estimate the approximate cost for a potential Rancho Specific Plan. Based on City staff’s assessment, the potential Rancho Specific Plan inclusive of any equestrian and historic overlays, (not including the costs associated with environmental assessment) comes out to be approximately $800,000 . Additionally, based on the environmental assessment costs associated with the EIRs being prepared for the other specific plans that are currently being processed, staff estimates the cost of a Rancho Specific Plan EIR with associated technical studies will be approximately $600,000. Lastly, costs associated with additional staffing both to facilitate the development of a specific plan and to ensure ongoing implementation will result in a recurring staff cost of $150,000 per year. Additional staffing will be required to enable the research, preparation of EIR , and community outreach associated with preparation of Rancho specific plan, as well as implementation of the plan, including mitigation measures and objective development standards, once it gets adopted. Final costs for the 4 proposed specific plan and EIR would be determined as part of a competitive, six-to-eight- month long bidding process.
Based on the estimated one-time costs to prepare the Rancho Specific Plan ($800,000), the EIR ($600,000), and the $150,000 per year for planning staff, it is estimated that the preparation of the Rancho Specific Plan will be $1,550,000 for the first year w ith a recurring cost of $150,000 for staff to implement the plan on an ongoing basis.
Timeline for completion
The total expected time for completion of a potential Rancho Specific Plan would range from 24 to 40 months. For comparison, processing time of ongoing Golden State Specific Plan, Media District Specific Plan, and Downtown TOD specific Plan ranges from 18 to 48 months, and these specific plans are still in the plan development and EIR development phases.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
The first step report to the City Council for consideration of initiating a Rancho Neighborhood Specific Plan is statutorily exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , because it is a feasibility or planning study for possible future actions that have not yet been adopted or approved (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262). As noted in the report, any future development of a specific plan would include an associated environmental assessment which, based on the anticipated scope of work, would require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Unless otherwise exempted by local, state, and/or federal law, any future development within a proposed specific plan area is required to complete appropri ate environmental assessment to address any potential environmental impacts associated with that specific project.
FISCAL IMPACT
As noted above, staff expects that development of a Rancho Specific Plan, which includes cost of preparation and implementation of a specific plan, robust public outreach, an EIR, and associated technical studies, would cost around $1,550,000 for the first year and includes a recurring staffing cost of $150,000. If the Council decides to move forward with the Project, the funds for the Project would be allocated from the City’s General Fund.
CONCLUSION
This report provides an overview of the planning process including estimated costs and timeline associated with development of a Rancho Specific Plan and EIR for the Council’s consideration. Consideration of this Specific Plan would be the fourth specific plan effort to be initiated in the last six years and would be developed in a manner that facilitates collaboration between City Council, the community, and staff in the development of a plan that seeks to comply with state housing and land use laws, protect existing neighborhoods and the equestrian lifestyle, facilitate the sustai nable development that provides neighborhood serving commercial uses and housing for all economic segments of the community, and helps the City meet its state-mandated Regional Housing Needs 5 Assessment (“RHNA”) Allocation of building 8,772 units by October 2029, while preserving as much local control as possible.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Pickwick Settlement Agreement
Attachment 2 – Resolution No. 23,927
Attachment 3 – Ordinance No. 3343
Attachment 4 – Rancho Master Plan Area Boundary