Agenda Item #13.1
For Council Meeting of: October 21, 2025
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: GABE OSBURN, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBJECT: DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO THE DESIGN REVIEW AND PRESERVATION BOARD AGENDA ACTION: MOTION
RECOMMENDATION
The Planning and Economic Development Department recommends that the Council, by motion, delegate the authority to the newly formed Design Review and Preservation Board to approve the final meeting minutes of the former Design Review Board and Cultural Heritage Board and take any other actions necessary to wrap up other unfinished business of these dissolved boards. This item has no impact on current fiscal year budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On February 25, 2025, the City Council adopted an ordinance to streamline the Landmark Alteration Permit (LMA) process and to consolidate the duties and composition of the Cultural Heritage Board (CHB) and the Design Review Board (DRB) into a single Design Review and Preservation Board (DRPB). As a result of this action, both the CHB and DRB were dissolved before their final minutes could be approved. While board minutes are typically approved by the board that created them, in this case the bodies no longer exist. As the delegating authority of the former CHB and DRB, the Council may delegate authority to the newly established DRPB to approve the outstanding minutes and to take any other actions necessary to conclude the unfinished business of the dissolved boards.
GOAL
This item relates to Council Goal #3 - Promote Citwide Economic Development because it promotes the City’s streamlined Design Review process and will allow for the clean-up of unfinished business from the dissolved and consolidated boards.
BACKGROUND/PRIOR COUNCIL REVIEW
Project History
On February 25, 2025, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. ORD-2025-003 to address streamlining and process improvements for the LMA process and consolidation of the duties and composition of the CHB and the DRB into a single DRPB.
Following Council adoption, City staff discovered the final set of meeting minutes for both the DRB (February 6, 2025) and CHB (July 17, 2024) had not been approved prior to the consolidation of the Boards. With these boards dissolved, and no formal delegation of final board business, including action on the final meeting minutes, this work cannot be completed.
ANALYSIS
Action on board meeting minutes, and other similar board business, is a duty that is completed by the subject board. Because DRB and CHB were dissolved, Council has the authority to delegate the responsibility of their final board business to the DRPB. Delegating this authority would allow the DRPB to approve the outstanding minutes and wrap up any other remaining business of the DRB and CHB.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, the proposed action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. In the alternative, the proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
PRESENTER(S)
Kristinae Toomians, Senior Planner
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO THE DESIGN REVIEW AND PRESERVATION BOARD PAGE 3 OF 3