2002/10/22 City Council Resolution (6)RESOLUTION NO. 2002- 247
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK, CALIFORNIA,
APPROVING A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
TO REMOVE APPROXIMATELY 170.49 ACRES IN THE
SOUTHEAST SPECIFIC PLAN AREA FROM THE
CITY'S SPHERE OF INFLUENCE AND TO AMEND RELATED
GENERAL PLAN TEXT AND FIGURES
WHEREAS, on July 25, 2000 the City Council approved Resolution No. 2000 -152
adopting a comprehensive update of the City's General Plan.
WHEREAS, a lawsuit entitled South County Resource Preservation Committee and
John E. King v. City of Rohnert Park ( "Litigation ") was subsequently filed alleging that the
Environmental Impact Report that analyzed the environmental impacts of the City's General
Plan was not prepared and certified as complete in accordance with the California Environmental
Quality Act.
WHEREAS, on September 5, 2002, the parties to the Litigation reached a Settlement
Agreement without any admission of liability and to avoid the expense of further litigation.
WHEREAS, the Settlement Agreement contemplates the City submittal of an application
to LAFCO to remove certain acreage within the Southeast Specific Plan Area from the City's
sphere of influence;
WHEREAS, prior to submitting an application for amendment to the sphere of influence,
the City Council wishes to amend the General Plan to be consistent with the action it requests of
LAFCO;
WHEREAS, Planning Application No. 2002 -037, the proposed General Plan
Amendment, was processed in the time and manner prescribed by State and local law.
WHEREAS, at the September 26, 2002 Planning Commission meeting, upon hearing
and considering all oral and written testimony and arguments of all persons desiring to be heard,
the Commission considered all the facts relating to Planning Application No. 2002 -037 and
recommended approval of the proposed General Plan Amendment.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park has reviewed and considered
all oral and written comments raised during the public hearings and the information contained in
the Rohnert Park General Plan 2000 Environmental Impact Report and related staff reports for
the proposed General Plan Amendment.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT
PARK DOES RESOLVE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. That the above recitations are true and correct.
Section 2. Findings. The City Council, in approving Planning Application No. 2002-
037, the proposed General Plan Amendment, makes the following finding, to wit:
1. The proposed General Plan Amendment is consistent with the elements of the
Rohnert Park General Plan 2000. Specifically, the Amendment is consistent with
the Land Use Framework Guiding Principles, which include Compact Urban
Form: All growth is contiguous to existing Limits and within 4,000 feet of
existing (as of 1999) development. The compact form of growth is supplemented
by maintenance of urban densities, to help preserve open space protect
agriculture, and ensure efficient provision of services, and the corresponding
Land Use Policy LU -A which also refers to the maintenance of the compact urban
form and working with other agencies to ensure that land surrounding the city is
maintained in open space. In addition, the Amendment, by reducing the area
proposed for industrial and allowing the area which is the subject of this General
Plan Amendment to remain in open space, promotes goals relating to a
groundwater recharge area as identified in the Penngrove Specific Plan. The
Amendment is consistent with and promotes the following General Plan goals:
a. GM -E: Promote contiguous urban development and maintain a compact urban
form over successive stages of the city's development.
b. GM -H: Minimize the impacts — physical, visual and fiscal —of growth and
annexation on existing homes and businesses.
c. CD -E: Preserve and enhance the visual character of scenic corridors.
d. CD -F: Maintain a distinct urban edge, while creating a gradual transition
between urban uses and open spaces.
e. TR -J: Reduce peak -hour traffic congestion and associated impacts, including
air pollution, energy consumption, and noise.
f. OS -A: Maintain a greenbelt around the city that provides a physical and
visual space between Rohnert Park - Cotati and Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and
Penngrove.
g. OS -B: Maintain land surrounding the city as open space for the enjoyment of
scenic beauty, recreation, and protection of natural resources of the
community.
h. OS -D: Maintain and enhance the Petaluma Hill Road scenic corridor.
i. PD -D: Ensure that adequate wastewater facilities and services are available to
meet the needs of existing and new development.
j. PF -E: Provide sufficient quantities of water for Rohnert Park residents and
businesses, while ensuring that safe groundwater yield is not exceeded.
k. PF -F: Utilize purchased water supplies and reduce reliance on groundwater
drawn from municipal wells, except for emergency use.
1. EC -G: Undertake steps to minimize the depletion of groundwater resources.
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m. EC -H: Where feasible, given flood control requirements, maintain the natural
condition of waterways and flood plains, and protect watersheds to ensure
adequate groundwater recharge and water quality.
2. That a duly noticed public hearing has been held to receive and consider public
testimony regarding the proposed General Plan Amendment.
3. The proposed General Plan Amendment is consistent with General Plan Land Use
Goal LU -C — Promote a balanced land use program and increase the ability of
people to live and work in the city — in that the analysis in the Rohnert Park General
Plan 2000 projected, at buildout, that jobs in the City would exceed the number of
employed residents by a ratio of 1.21; by removing approximately 80 acres of
industrial land from the City's SOI, there would be a subsequent reduction in the
number of projected jobs at buildout bringing the number of jobs to employed
residents to a more balanced ratio of 1.06 (job estimation for the 80 acres is 3,900
based on four employees /1,000 sq.ft. of development).
4. The proposed General Plan Amendment proposes the removal of area from the
City's sphere of influence which has not been included in the sites available to
meet the City's Quantified Goals and Objectives as set forth in Table 9.5 -1 of the
Housing Element.
5. The proposed General Plan Amendment affects only the City's sphere of
influence. The property removed from the sphere of influence by this General
Plan Amendment has not been proposed for annexation to the City, the property
owners are not participating financially in the development of the Public Facilities
Financing Plan for the Specific Plan Areas, and no development is contemplated
on the property in the near future. Either within or outside the City's sphere of
influence, the property remains subject to the jurisdiction of the County of
Sonoma.
Section 3. Environmental Clearance. The project is within the scope of the
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) approved for the Rohnert Park 2000 General Plan and this
EIR adequately describes the activity for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality
Act (Section 15168(e) of CEQA). The General Plan EIR considered a range of development
alternatives and the proposed amendment is within the ranges of development that were
considered. Further, the EIR found significant unavoidable environmental impacts relative to the
conversion of open space, increased traffic, and air quality, and significant irreversible
environmental changes in the areas of open space and farmland conversion, air quality, water
consumption, energy sources and construction- related impacts. The EIR also identified an impact
on housing demand based on a projected 1.21 jobs /housing ratio under the approved General
Plan. The reduction in approximately 80 acres of industrially designated land will be beneficial
in terms of reducing these impacts and providing additional mitigation beyond that identified in
the EIR.
Section 4. General Plan Amendment. The City Council does hereby approve General
Plan Amendment, Planning Application No. 2002 -037 removing approximately 170.49 acres in
the Southeast Specific Plan Area from the City's Sphere of Influence and amending and
conforming related General Plan text and figures as described in Exhibits A and A -1,
incorporated herein by reference.
c
DULY AND REGULARLY ADOPTED on this 22nd day of October 2002 by the City
Council of the City of Rohnert Park.
Fittest:
Mayor, City of Rohnert Park
mm
MACKENZIE: AYE REILLY: AYE VACANCY: N/A VIDAK- MARTINEZ: AYE FLORES: AYE
AYES: (4) NOES: (0) ABSENT: (0) ABSTAIN: (0)
RESOLUTION NO.. 2002 -037
EXHIBIT A
GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
1. City of Rohnert Park's sphere -of- influence line is amended on the figures listed
below to remove APNs 046 - 051 -014, 047 - 111 -029, 047 - 111 -046, and 047 - 111 -050
(See Exhibit A -1):
Figure 2.2 -1: General Plan Diagram
Figure 2.4 -1: Specific Plan Areas
Figure 2.5 -2: Urban Growth Boundary and Annexation Areas
Figure 3.1 -1: Section View of Ridgelines
Figure 3.1 -2: Urban Form and Structure
Figure 3.2 -6: Sound Walls
Figure 4.1 -1: Master Street Plan
Figure 4.1 -2: Traffic Levels of Service Under General Plan Buildout
Figure 4.4 -1: Bicycle System
Figure 5.1 -1: Open Space
Figure 5.1 -2: Open Space First Priority Acquisition Areas
Figure 5.2 -1: Parks and Schools
Figure 5.3 -1: School Districts
Figure 6.2 -1: Habitat Areas and Special Status Species
Figure 6.2 -2: Creek Protection Zones
Figure 7.1 -1: Geology
Figure 7.1 -2: Liquefaction Susceptibility
Figure 7.2 -1: Soil Types, Capability, Expansiveness, and Erosion Potential
Figure 7.2 -2: Drainage and Flood Zones
Figure 8.2 -1: Noise Contours under General Plan Buildout
2. Figure 2.2 -1: General Plan Diagram - Change approximately 80 acres of APN 047-
111 -050 from Industrial to Open Space - Agricultural and Resource Management.
3. Figure 2.4 -1: Specific Plan Areas - The boundary of the Southeast Specific Plan is
amended to remove APN 046 - 051 -014, 047 - 111 -029, 047 - 111 -046, and 047 -111-
050.
4. Figure 5.1 -1: Open Space - Change approximately 80 acres of APN 047 -111 -050
to Open Space /Agriculture and Resource Management.
5. Amend the following tables and figures to reflect the above changes to the sphere -
of- influence:
Table 2.3 -1: General Plan Buildout: Net Acreage of New Development
Figure 2.3 -1: Land Uses: 1999 vs. Buildout
Table 2.3 -3: General Plan Buildout: Population and Jobs
Table 2.4 -3: Land Use Program: Southeast Specific Plan Area
6. Revise Policy OS -2 as follows: "Encourage dedication of the open space buffers
along the westside of Petaluma Hill Road as part of the University District, and
Northeast., and Sou4heast Spee f'^ Plans." Delete last sentence of the explanatory
text.
7. Delete Policy HS -11A that refers to new development south of Valley House Road
and east of Bodway Parkway in relation to the Petaluma River drainage basin.
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80+ acres designated as Industrial in Rohnert Park General Plan 2000