REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Council Input on Enhanced Community Outreach and Community Benefits Policy and Action to Rescind the City's Early Consideration Policy for General Plan Amendment Applications [Council Pillar: Promote Economic, Housing and Transportation Development]
Report
BACKGROUND
At the September 29, 2020 City Council meeting, following the September 14, 2020 recommendations of the Governance and Ethics Committee. the Council provided direction to staff to bring the Early Consideration Policy to the City Council with a recommendation that it be rescinded and replaced with a new policy for community outreach and community benefits.
The Early Consideration Policy was adopted by the City Council on May 16, 2017 (The Report to Council is provided as Attachment #1). The City Council previously adopted a Public Outreach Policy for Planning Applications on June 27, 2017.
DISCUSSION
As discussed at the Governance and Ethics Committee, the Early Consideration Policy is not providing sufficient benefit to the City to warrant continued use of the Policy. The intent of the Policy is to provide an opportunity early in the General Plan Amendment application process for the City Council to review and comment on whether a proposed General Plan Amendment should continue through with a complete application process or whether the request should be denied. The Early Consideration process requires that the City conduct an initial review of the application, the applicant conduct a community meeting and the Council conduct an early consideration hearing within approximately three months of receipt of an application. To date all projects brought to the City Council under this Policy have been allowed to proceed; recent projects have not engendered substantive discussion and, in some cases, have been considered as part of the City Council consent calendar without any discussion. The Early Consideration process is thus adding time and expense to the General Plan A...
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