PURPOSE:

The purpose of this memo is to request that the City Council appoint a subcommittee to work with staff on the update of the General Plan Land Use Element (LUE).

BACKGROUND:

Over the past year and a half staff has worked on gathering information and public input as the basis for the Land Use Element update. In April 2003, staff presented to the City Council a report summarizing the input from the public in the form of a Vision to guide future development in Burbank.  Following City Council�s endorsement of the proposed vision, staff proceeded to work on implementing that vision in terms of the City�s land use.

Once a draft of the updated LUE is completed, staff will take the draft back out into the community to get input once again from local residents and businesses.  The draft with the community input will then be presented to the Planning Board and the City Council.

Planning staff has reached the stage in the development of a proposed Land Use Plan where it would be valuable to have some preliminary input from the City Council.  Staff feels that it would be most effective to work with a City Council sub-committee on the variety of land use issues being considered and that the sub-committee would share information as necessary with the other City Council members and give preliminary input to the planning staff.  Any major issues would be brought back to the full City Council. 

In addition,  working with a sub-committee would enable staff to to get some preliminary agreement from the City Council so that when staff takes the draft Plan out into the community for input, City Council will be aware of the ideas and information being shared.  This would also enable staff to get meaningful public input before bringing a draft Plan to the City Council. 

This sub-committee would meet approximately twice a month at the convenience of the City Council members. 

The Planning Board, once a fifth member is appointed, will also be asked to appoint a sub-committee to work with staff on the Land Use Element.  It may be a good idea for both the City Council and Planning Board sub-committees to meet as a single LUE Advisory Committee to staff, however, this can be decided at a later date, by the City Council sub-committee members.

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends that the City Council appoint a two person Land Use Element sub-committee to work with planning staff on land use decisions and to bring information back to the City Council as appropriate.

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