Title
HEARING - To consider final adoption of the Meyers Area Plan, replacing the existing Meyers Community Plan, which currently serves as the comprehensive land use and zoning plan for the community of Meyers, consistent with the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan and the El Dorado County General Plan; and Planning staff recommending the Board take the following actions:
1) Adopt the Meyers Area Plan;
2) Approve the joint California Environmental Quality Act and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency environmental document consisting of an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and Initial Environmental Checklist/Finding of No Significant Effect;
3) Approve Resolution 036-2018 to amend the General Plan; and
4) Approve Ordinance 5082 to revise the County Zoning Ordinance-Title 130. (Est. Time: 15 Min.)
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Request to consider final adoption of the Meyers Area Plan (Area Plan) submitted by El Dorado County, to replace the existing Meyers Community Plan (Community Plan) adopted in 1993, which currently serves as the comprehensive land use and zoning plan for the community of Meyers, consistent with the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan and the El Dorado County General Plan. The Community Plan establishes goals and objectives, special policies, programs and strategies for funding and implementation of projects in Meyers. The proposed Area Plan builds upon the Community Plan and maintains many of the same vision, policies, and priorities. Upon adoption, the Area Plan will replace the Community Plan and all or a portion of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) Plan Area Statements 119 (Country Club Meadow), 122 (Tahoe Paradise - Mandan), 136 (KOA/Rainbow), 125 (Meyers Commercial), and 137 (Christmas Valley).
Area Plan adoption will also require revisions to the County’s Zoning Ordinance, including zoning maps, Section 130.58.IV (Community Plan Districts), and Section 130.74.045 (Community Plan Design Review Process and Requirements).
This Area Plan is intended to realize the Meyers community vision, assist in achieving and maintaining TRPA’s environmental threshold carrying capacities, and implement the policy direction of both the TRPA Regional Plan and El Dorado County General Plan. This Plan updates 20-year old policies to streamline permitting, improves consistency between El Dorado County and TRPA's policies and standards, conserves land around the Upper Truckee River, formalizes a local citizens advisory council, and integrates design standards and guidelines.
PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS
On November 9, 2017, the Planning Commission (Legistar File 17-1210) voted unanimously to move staff's recommendation that the Board of Supervisors adopt the Area Plan and the associated joint California Environmental Quality Act/TRPA environmental document. On December 12, 2017, the Board of Supervisors (Legistar File 17-1210) considered the project and conceptually approved the Area Plan, pending TRPA adoption.
On January 10, 2018, TRPA’s Advisory Planning Commission recommended that the TRPA Governing Board make the necessary Findings to adopt the Meyers Area Plan. On January 24, 2018, TRPA’s Regional Plan Implementation Committee also recommended that the TRPA Governing Board make the necessary Findings to adopt the Meyers Area Plan. Finally, on February 28, 2018, TRPA’s Governing Board made the necessary Findings to adopt the Meyers Area Plan and the associated joint California Environmental Quality Act/TRPA environmental document.
COST ANALYSIS
At the December 12, 2017, public hearing, the Board of Supervisors directed staff to analyze the additional costs required to implement the Meyers Area Plan and to provide the Board of Supervisors with such cost information prior to their final action. In response to that direction, staff provides the following qualitative analysis.
Staff estimates that the cost to implement the Meyers Area Plan will not be substantially different from the cost to implement the existing Meyers Community Plan. Under both scenarios, there is the general cost of doing business to provide customer service to Meyer’s residents and business proponents on planning, permitting, building and other matters. It is possible that the adoption of the Area Plan could spur accelerated economic development in the Meyers area, which would create additional work for staff, but that is only speculation.
After the Area Plan is adopted, the County will be required to update its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with TRPA. There will be additional staff costs to go through that process, however an update to the MOU is needed anyway, since it was initially adopted in the early 1990’s. The County will be able to take on additional permitting authority under the revised MOU, however, should the County decide to do that, County fee schedules would need to be revised to divert financial resources from TRPA to the County so that the County can recover its costs.
There is regular reporting to TRPA that is required on Area Plan progress, which is a routine planning practice and will not require substantial effort. Further, the Area Plan will require updates through time, approximately every five years, but technically those updates are currently required under the existing Community Plan, so there is no net change.
The cost to implement Chapter 7 of the Area Plan, which is essentially the Capital Improvement Program of the Area Plan, is difficult to estimate. The majority of these project costs will be transportation-related and will be implemented with grant funding (Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality, Highway Safety Improvement Program, Surface Transportation Block Grant, TRPA Mitigation Funds, etc.), with little or no match required from the County General Fund. Managing the Mitigation and Monitoring Program of the California Environmental Quality Act document will also require a minor amount of staff work.
Should the Board of Supervisors require additional quantitative analysis, a specialized Consultant would be required, as this is beyond the scope and expertise of existing staff.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board may elect to not update the existing Meyers Community Plan.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Clerk of the Board to secure the Chair's signature on the original copy of the Resolution.
2) Clerk of the Board to secure the Chair's signature on the original copy of the Ordinance.
3) Clerk of the Board to forward one fully executed copy of the Resolution and Ordinance to the Community Development Services, Planning and Building Department, attention to Char Tim, Clerk of the Planning Commission.
CONTACT
Brendan Ferry, Principal Planner
Roger Trout, Director
Community Development Services, Planning and Building Department