DATE: JANUARY 18, 2022
DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
FROM: MEGAN HUNTER, DIRECTOR
BY: LISA BRINTON, PLANNING MANAGER
TITLE: ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT ON THE PREPARATION OF AN EAST FUTURE GROWTH AREA SPECIFIC PLAN RECOMMENDED MOTION:
A motion to receive and accept the Administrative Report on the preparation of a specific plan for the east area of the North of Boronda Future Growth Area (East FGA). No further action is required.
RECOMMENDATION:
No recommendation is provided since this Administrative Report is presented for informational purposes only.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In September 2008, the North of Boronda Future Growth Area (FGA), Attachment 1, was annexed into the City of Salinas. Consistent with Salinas General Plan Policy LU-4, which requires the preparation of a specific plan(s) prior to the development of any FGA, three specific plans and associated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance documents have been prepared, approved and certified by the City Council. The three approved specific plans are the Gateway Center Specific Plan (2011), the West Area Specific Plan (2019) and the Central Area Specific Plan (2020). All three specific plans were developer driven. An East Area Specific Plan (EASP) was initiated in the early to mid-2000s but did not move forward due to the economic downturn in 2008. This Administrative Report presents the opportunity to leverage current advanced planning activities occurring under the General Plan Update (Visión Salinas 2040) and the estimated costs to prepare a City-driven EASP to streamline the entitlement process for future development in the East FGA.
BACKGROUND:
The 2002 Salinas General Plan identified a Future Growth Area (FGA) which is located generally north of Boronda Road, west of Williams Road, east of San Juan Grade Road and south of Rogge Road (North of Boronda FGA, Attachment 1). The General Plan requires that new development in the North of Boronda FGA be based on New Urbanism as well as other design principles to promote walkability and the use of alternative modes of transportation, provide a variety of housing choices, ensure access to parks and open space, and promote sustainability, etc. In September 2008, the North of Boronda FGA, comprising 2,388 gross acres, was annexed to the City of Salinas and zoned New Urbanism Interim (NI) with a Specific Plan Overlay. Policy LU-4 of the Salinas General Plan requires the preparation of a specific plan(s) prior to the development of any FGA, including the North of Boronda FGA.
The Final Supplement to the Salinas General Plan Environmental Impact Report (FSEIR, 2008) evaluated the environmental impacts and established a Mitigation, Monitoring and Reporting Plan for the maximum development of 11,485 total dwellings and 3.992 million square feet of commercial/retail/mixed use and public/semi-public uses, including schools, city service facilities, and parks and open space in the North of Boronda FGA. For planning purposes, the North of Boronda FGA was divided into three separate proposed Specific Plan Areas; the West Area (WASP), Central Area (CASP) and East Area (EASP). Subsequently a fourth Specific Plan; the Gateway Center Specific Plan (GCSP), consisting of approximately 20 acres, was carved out of the WASP to facilitate the development of a large commercial center. The GCSP was approved by the City Council in 2011, the WASP in 2019 and the CASP in 2020. An EASP was initiated in early to mid-2000s but did not move forward due to the economic downturn in 2008. GCSP, WASP and CASP land use figures are provided as Attachments 2, 3 and 4. East FGA General Plan land uses, designated through the annexation approval process, are shown on Attachment 5.
The preparation of the WASP and CASP was driven by multiple developers and property owners and took over fifteen (15) years to complete due to an economic downturn, the Great Recession and the time required to coordinate between the multiple property owners, the developers and city staff. In 2021 a property owner and a developer approached city staff about the process for developing portions of the East FGA. As stated above, the Salinas General Plan requires that a specific plan be prepared before any development may occur in the FGA. Based on this inquiry, staff identified the opportunity to incorporate the preparation of a City-driven EASP into the Visión Salinas 2040 Salinas General Plan Update (GPU) process.
Discussion below outlines the approach, rough cost estimates and potential funding sources to incorporate the preparation of a City-driven EASP into the GPU process in order to streamline the entitlement process for future development including a variety of housing types and commercial/retail and public/semi-public uses in the East FGA.
DISCUSSION:
A specific plan establishes the overall land use concept and development framework for an identified planning area (Plan Area). The specific plan development process involves planning, environmental, financial, and engineering analysis; public comment and contribution; developing a document (Specific Plan) that will guide the future development of the Specific Plan Area; and subsequent implementation measures recommended by the Specific Plan. The contents of the Specific Plan reflect the physical characteristics of the Plan Area, as well as the City’s goals for land use change in general and for the Plan Area in particular. The Specific Plan is a blueprint that provides a bridge between the Salinas General Plan and applications for individual development permits within the Specific Plan Area. Topics covered in the Specific Plan include land use and zoning designations,
development regulations and design standards and policies, mobility and circulation,
public services and utilities,
resource conservation,
infrastructure and financing requirements; and
implementation and administrative processes.
The Salinas Zoning Code requirements apply to property in the Specific Plan Area where not addressed by regulations and standards contained in the Specific Plan.
Primary benefits of a Specific Plan for the City and future developers are the establishment of the City’s vision, goals and objectives and development regulations, policies and standards to guide the implementation and financing of future development of land use, infrastructure, and public services and amenities in the Specific Plan Area, and a streamlined entitlement process as future development applications in the Specific Plan Area can be ministerially processed and tier off of Specific Plan EIR/environmental documents provided the proposed development is consistent with the Specific Plan and EIR.
The process to prepare the planning, technical and environmental documents required to complete and approve a Specific Plan and CEQA compliance is complex, takes an extended period of time (18-24 months) and is expensive (cost of technical professional consultants and staff resources). For this reason, many developers either do not have the experience/expertise, are not in the financial position to, or do not want to, invest the time and resources to undertake the preparation of a Specific Plan.
In the past, the City did not have the staffing or financial resources to prepare Specific Plans for the FGA and therefore relied on developers to initiate, fund and create the GCSP, WASP, and CASP. At this time, there is the opportunity for the City to take the lead to create a city-driven EASP and to complete the required CEQA compliance through the GPU process. While the EASP is a separate document, it must be consistent with the General Plan. Preparing the two Plans concurrently therefore has multiple advantages. Current advanced planning and community engagement activities are already occurring and in 2022 will include the formation of Working Groups to develop content including goals, policies and actions. Working Group focus can be expanded to include the desired future development in the East FGA. In addition, an agreement for planning and environmental services is already in place to prepare CEQA compliance for the GPU. Study and analysis being prepared for the GPU could be leveraged and augmented to include CEQA compliance for the EASP. It is anticipated that an approved Specific Plan would facilitate future development of the East FGA through streamlining the entitlement process for future development in the East FGA that would include a variety of housing types and commercial/retail and public/semi-public uses.
Perhaps the most important reason to undertake the EASP is to provide additional opportunity for housing production and to ensure that the housing types that are developed are affordable for the City’s working families. Given that the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is likely to be at least 1,000 units per year, it is critical to dramatically increase available housing opportunity sites like the EASP.
Next Steps/Estimated Cost
Next steps to initiate the creation of a City-driven EASP include:
preparing and releasing a Request for Qualifications/Proposals (RFQ/P) to conduct planning and technical analysis and to prepare the EASP documents, requesting an amended scope and budget from Placeworks, the GPU EIR consultant, to incorporate the environmental analysis and documentation required for EASP CEQA compliance into their current scope of work for the GPU EIR, and coordinating with the Human Resource Department to establish an eligibility list that will be used to fill a new planning staff position to manage EASP preparation.
Based on actual costs of preparing the West Area, Central Area, and Salinas Travel Center Specific Plans and associated environmental documents, it is anticipated that staffing and consultant costs to prepare the EASP and CEQA compliance documents will be between $750,000 to $950,000. Actual costs will be based on the selected consultants’ scope of work and budget to prepare the Specific Plan, additional preparation of EASP environmental documents as part of the General Plan EIR consultant’s scope of work and budget, and an additional planning staff position dedicated to project management. Staff anticipates returning to the City Council in Spring 2022 with professional services agreements for the selected consultant(s) and a budget appropriation request for City Council’s consideration. Potential funding sources for the preparation of the EASP are outlined in the Fiscal and Sustainability Impact section below.
CEQA CONSIDERATION:
The proposed action of accepting this report is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15378. Because the action does not cause a direct or foreseeable indirect physical change on or in the environment, this action is not a project. Any subsequent discretionary projects resulting from this action will be assessed for CEQA applicability.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
The City Council’s receipt and acceptance of this Administrative Report in itself does not further the Council’s 2020-2023 strategic plan goals. Given that a Specific Plan is a guiding document for future growth and development, the preparation and implementation of an EASP will further the Council’s strategic goals of Investment Strategies/Risk Management, New Revenue, Operational Efficiencies and Public Safety through the entitlement of future development in the East Area FGA, which upon construction, would increase the City’s housing stock and property tax, revenue generating commercial uses, and the provision of public space and community services.
DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:
The Community Development Department Advanced Planning and Project Implementation Division (APPI) prepared this report in consultation with the City Manager and City Attorney. The Permit Center Coordinator and Finance Department provided General Plan/Zoning Maintenance Fee collection and projection amounts.
FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:
This report has no direct fiscal impact on the General Fund. However, based on actual costs of preparing the West Area, Central Area, and Salinas Travel Center Specific Plans and environmental documents, it is anticipated that staffing and consultant costs to prepare the EASP and associated environmental review will be between $750,000 to $950,000. Actual costs will be based on the selected consultants’ scope of work and budget to prepare the Specific Plan, adding the preparation of EASP environmental documents to the General Plan EIR consultant’s scope of work and budget, and a new planning staff position for project management.
The General Plan/Zoning Maintenance Fee (Maintenance Fee), established in 2015, is a potential funding source to pay for the EASP. To date, over $1.768 million has been collected through the Maintenance Fee. For the past two years fees collected have surpassed the original estimate of $150,000 to $200,000 annually. Maintenance Fees collected in FY 2020-2021 totaled $299,070 (rounded), with $156,264 (rounded) collected this fiscal year to date. The Maintenance Fee is collected at the time of permit issuance. With the number of large development projects currently in the application review, entitlement and permitting pipeline, it is anticipated that the amount of Maintenance Fees collected in FY 2021-2022 will surpass the amount collected last fiscal year and that Fee collection will continue to increase provided there is no major economic downturn. There is also the opportunity to pursue additional rounds of Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) and Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) grants. Staff anticipates returning to the City Council in Spring 2022 with professional services agreements with selected consultants and a detailed budget appropriation request for City Council’s consideration.
ATTACHMENTS:
North of Boronda Future Growth Area
GCSP land use designations
WASP land use designations
CASP land use designations
East FGA General Plan land use designations
City Council Powerpoint Presentation
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