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RESOLUTION Adopting the San Leandro 2035 General Plan
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WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 65300 et seq. requires every city and county in California to adopt a General Plan for its long-range development, and further, to periodically update that Plan to reflect current conditions and issues; and
WHEREAS, the current San Leandro General Plan was drafted for the period 1999-2002 and is now more than 14 years old; and
WHEREAS, the City Council authorized an update of the 2002 General Plan in 2013 to ensure that the Plan remains legally adequate and relevant; and
WHEREAS, the City retained the consulting team of Placeworks and Barry Miller Consulting to manage the General Plan Update, including the Housing Element, in March 2014; and
WHEREAS, the City completed a 30-month process of collecting and analyzing data about San Leandro, and preparing new General Plan goals, policies, actions, and maps looking ahead to the Year 2035; and
WHEREAS, the public participated in this process through ten publicly noticed Planning Commission study sessions, four City Council study sessions, and study sessions held by the Arts Commission, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the Board of Zoning Adjustments, the Human Services Commission, the Library-Historical Commission, the Recreation and Parks Commission, the Rent Review Board, the Senior Commission, and the Youth Advisory Commission; and
WHEREAS, the public further participated through five community-wide workshops, held on July 30, 2014; October 23, 2014; October 28, 2014; April 30, 2015; and January 12, 2016; and
WHEREAS, the City and its consultants solicited additional input from residents through presentations and discussions with community organizations such as the League of San Leandro Neighborhood Associations, the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce, the San Leandro Improvement Association, the San Leandro Improvement Association Land Use Committee, the San Leandro Downtown Association, the African American Business Council, the Asian Business Council, the Shoreline Advisory Group, the Estudillo Estates Neighborhood Association, the Broadmoor Neighborhood Association, the Business Association of South San Leandro, the Washington Manor Homeowners Association, and the Industrial Founders Circle, amongst others; and
WHEREAS, public input was further solicited through a dedicated project website, with the capacity for content translation into Spanish and Chinese, which included regular posting of reports, news releases, maps, and documents, and a Virtual City Hall feedback web portal enabling the public to provide feedback on policy issues; and
WHEREAS, the City provided public notices of General Plan study sessions and workshops; maintained an email notification list of over 475 interested people and organizations regarding opportunities for public input; exhibited General Plan materials at community events such as the annual Cherry Festival; and provided American Sign Language (ASL) and bi-lingual translators at its General Plan workshops; and
WHEREAS, the input received through the public engagement process, including feedback from City Council members, was incorporated into the Draft General Plan; and
WHEREAS, the planning process included an “audit” of each policy in the existing General Plan to determine its continued relevance and need for editing, and an evaluation of plans and programs adopted over the last 14 years to identify potential new policies and actions to be incorporated into the General Plan; and
WHEREAS, consistent with California Government Code section 65352.3, the City obtained a contact list of local Native American tribes from the Native American Heritage Commission and notified the tribes on the contact list of the opportunity to consult with the City on the proposed General Plan update. None of the contacted tribes requested a consultation within the 90- day statutory consultation period and no further action is required under California Government Code section 65352.3; and
WHEREAS, the City prepared a Draft General Plan dated June 1, 2016 based on public input, staff and consultant review and research, Planning Commission comments and City Council direction amongst other considerations. The Draft General Plan includes text and a Land Use Diagram and is a separately bound document on file at City Hall, incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit A. The City released the Draft General Plan for public review on June 1, 2016; and
WHEREAS, the Draft General Plan incorporates the Land Use Diagram changes necessary to enable San Leandro to achieve City Council goals, comply with state housing mandates, address population and employment forecasts; and achieve local economic development, housing, transportation, and environmental objectives; and
WHEREAS, the Draft General Plan addresses important issues not addressed by the 2002 General Plan such as climate change, complete streets, and smart cities; and
WHEREAS, the Draft General Plan moves the City’s planning horizon forward from 2015 to 2035, ensuring the continued usefulness and relevance of the Plan as a long-range planning document; and
WHEREAS, the Draft General Plan incorporates the necessary changes to comply with current state planning law; and
WHEREAS, the City prepared an Environmental Impact Report to identify the potential environmental impacts of approving the Draft General Plan (and related conforming zoning amendments); and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a study session on June 16, 2016 to consider the Draft General Plan, the accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Report, and to receive public comment on the documents; and
WHEREAS, the City Council held a study session on July 5, 2016 to consider the Draft General Plan, the accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and to receive public comment on the documents; and
WHEREAS, written and oral comments on the Draft General Plan were received from individuals, agencies, and organizations and are on file in the Community Development Department at City Hall located at 835 East 14th Street and the Main Library at 300 Estudillo Avenue; and
WHEREAS, the City prepared a Plan Addendum dated August 19, 2016, attached as Exhibit B and incorporated herein by reference. The Plan Addendum was prepared incorporating line edits to the June 1, 2016 Public Review Draft General Plan that respond to comments from City Council members, Commissioners, individuals, organizations, and agencies providing comments on the Draft General Plan; and
WHEREAS, a staff report dated August 25, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference, described and analyzed the EIR and Draft General Plan (including the Addendum) for the Planning Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission considered the staff report, the Draft General Plan, the Addendum and the EIR at a noticed public hearing on August 25, 2016, at which time all interested parties had the opportunity to be heard. Additional public testimony was received and additional comments were provided by the Commissioners. The Plan Addendum was further modified based on this testimony and comments received on August 25, 2016; and
WHEREAS, following the public hearing, the Planning Commission unanimously approved Resolution 2016-002 recommending that the City Council certify the Environmental Impact Report, and Resolution 2016-003, recommending that the City Council adopt the 2035 General Plan (including Addendum), both of which resolutions are incorporated herein by reference; and
WHEREAS, a staff report dated September 19, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference, describes and analyzes the proposed 2035 General Plan (including the Plan Addendum), and the related Environmental Impact Report for the City Council; and
WHEREAS, on September 19, 2016, the City Council reviewed the staff report, the Draft EIR (including comments and responses), the Draft General Plan (including Addendum), and the Planning Commission recommendation at a noticed public hearing, at which time all interested parties had the opportunity to be heard; and
WHEREAS, following the public hearing, the City Council adopted Resolution 2016-###, dated September 19, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference, certifying the EIR and adopting required CEQA findings regarding mitigations and alternatives, a Statement of Overriding Considerations and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.
NOW, THEREFORE THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE CITY OF SAN LEANDRO RESOLVES THAT the above recitals are true and correct and made a part of this resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City Council adopts the San Leandro 2035 General Plan, to replace the 2002 General Plan based on the following findings and considering the staff report, the certified EIR, the Planning Commission recommendation, and the whole of the record related to the General Plan update project.
1. It is in the public interest for the City to adopt the 2035 General Plan to ensure consistency with current State law and current State General Plan Guidelines, and to ensure that the General Plan remains relevant and reflects local physical and demographic patterns, and community vision, goals and objectives.
2. The 2035 General Plan establishes appropriate goals, policies, and programs to address land use, transportation, housing, economic development, parks, open space, conservation, safety, noise, historic preservation, urban design, and community services and facilities.
3. The 2035 General Plan will not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare of the City.
4. The 2035 General Plan is internally consistent within and across its component elements.
5. The 2035 General Plan conforms with the provisions of the State Government Code for general plans in that it is comprehensive and long-term, and adequately addresses all of the statutorily required elements and content.
6. Following adoption of the 2035 General Plan, Exhibits A and B shall be combined into a single “final” 2035 General Plan document.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council approval is made in the following voting sequence, as required by California Fair Political Practices Commission regulations.
SEGMENT ONE: Approves the Land Use Diagram change for approximately 25 parcels along the west edge of the East 14th Street corridor between West Broadmoor Boulevard to Stoakes Avenue from High Density Residential (up to 29 units per acre) to High Density Residential (up to 50 units per acre), as shown in Exhibit C, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference;
SEGMENT TWO: Approves the Land Use Diagram change for Floresta Park and the Monroe School ballfield along Monterey Boulevard from “Public and Institutional” to “Parks and Recreation,” as shown in Exhibit D, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference;
SEGMENT THREE: Approves the San Leandro 2035 General Plan and General Plan Addendum, attached as Exhibits A and B, and all other Land Use Diagram changes not covered by the areas listed in Segments One and Two, as shown in Exhibit E, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.