TO: COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC FROM: Chris Burton
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: March 12, 2024
Approved Date
3/17/24
SUBJECT: CITYWIDE PLANNING ACTIVITIES UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the status report on Citywide Planning activities.
BACKGROUND
The Citywide Planning team manages and updates the Envision San José 2040 General Plan and leads the preparation of Area and Urban Villages Plans. In addition, Citywide Planning is responsible for the City's ordinances and policies that relate to land use and urban planning, including the Zoning Ordinance, Sign Ordinance, Citywide Design Standards and Guidelines, and various City Council policies. The team is also responsible for monitoring and maintaining data relating to development in the City, forecasting development trends, and monitoring and responding to state legislation pertaining to planning and land use.
This update on Citywide Planning Activities is provided bi-annually to the Community and Economic Development Committee.
ANALYSIS
Tasks on the Citywide Planning team have varied durations and resource needs based on the nature of the specific task. The team’s primary resource is staff. Therefore, the best way to track the team’s capacity is to compare workload versus staffing. The Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Customer Service Charter provides a comprehensive and transparent view of the Citywide Planning team’s current workload and ability to take on new tasks. This is accomplished by showing the workload for every task assigned to Citywide Planning calculated as Full Time Equivalent (FTE). One FTE equates to one full-time staff position on the team. This information is presented in the Citywide Planning Project and Staffing Dashboard, which CED AGENDA: 3/25/24
FILE: CC 24-319
ITEM: (d)4
COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
March 12, 2024
Subject: Citywide Planning Activities Update
compares staffing levels to the FTE required to complete the work. The dashboard is posted on PBCE’s webpage1and a copy is attached to this memorandum.
While for the past two years, the team had been hindered by staffing challenges with a 40% vacancy rate in February 2023, at the last update to the Community and Economic Development Committee, the vacancy rate had been reduced to 14%. With the filling the Supervising Planner position for housing policy in January 204, the team is now fully staffed.
The Citywide Planning team has made progress on several priorities since the last activities update. A significant accomplishment of the team includes certification of the sixth cycle Housing Element by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development in January 2024 after four years of work involving most staff on the Citywide Planning team in some capacity. The Housing Element includes a robust work plan of new or updated policies and ordinances that the Citywide Planning team and other City departments must complete by 2031 at the conclusion of the sixth cycle. This work is detailed in the Housing Catalyst Work Plan that was presented to the City Council on March 19, 2024. These items are identified with a notation of (HE) in the attached Citywide Planning Project and Staffing Dashboard.
At the Community and Economic Development Committee meeting on March 25, staff will provide a verbal update to the Committee regarding key Citywide projects and initiatives, including the Pleasant Hills Golf Course Guiding Principles, creating a new Environmental Justice Element, and updating the Open Space and Safety Elements of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan as required by state law.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office. /s/
CHRIS BURTON, Director
Planning, Building and Code Enforcement
For questions, please contact Martina Davis, Division Manager, at [email protected] or (408) 535-7888.
ATTACHMENT: Citywide Planning Project and Staffing Dashboard 1 https://app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrIjoiMzhmNTEzMDEtNzE0Yy00MTBhLWE0MzgtMzYzYWQ1NmEzOTA5IiwidCI6IjB mZTMzYmUwLTYxNDItNGY5Ni05YjhkLTc4MTdkNWMyNjEzOSJ9&pageName=ReportSection Attachment