PURPOSE:
This report recommends that the City Council approve a Zone Text Amendment that
would reorganize Article 19 of Chapter 31 of the Burbank Municipal Code (BMC).
Article 19 provides regulations and procedures for processing planning project
applications. The proposed ordinance would establish standardized process types
under which all applications would be processed rather than having separate
process requirements for each individual application type.
BACKGROUND:
Article 19 of Chapter 31 of the BMC prescribes procedures for City consideration
of various types of planning applications including Development Review (DR),
Conditional Use Permits (CUPs), Variances, and other planning permits and
entitlements. As currently structured, each type of planning application has
its own processing requirements, including those pertaining to hearings,
noticing, and decision making. Aside from the planning applications discussed
in Article 19, other sections of Chapter 31 establish the processing
requirements for other types of applications. Processing requirements for tract
and parcel maps are specified in Chapter 27 of the BMC.
Proposed Ordinance
In the current Code, many of the requirements for different application types
are duplicative. In other cases, requirements that are applicable only to
certain application types could be applied uniformly to all applications. The
proposed ordinance seeks to standardize the process for all types of planning
applications by establishing five application processes. All planning
applications would be processed pursuant to one of the five processes. The
general procedures in place now for individual application types would not
change, but would be grouped into the five process categories. The processes
are summarized in the following table, along with examples of the types of
applications that would fall under them:
Process Type |
Decision Maker |
Appeal Provisions |
Example Application
Types |
Process One |
Community Development
Director |
Applicant only may
appeal to the Permit Appeals Panel |
Zoning Clearance for
building permits |
Process Two |
Community Development
Director |
Any interested party may
appeal to Planning Board and further to City Council |
Development Review,
Administrative Use Permits, Second Dwelling Unit Permits |
Process Three |
Planning Board |
Any interested party may
appeal to City Council |
Conditional Use Permit,
Variance |
Process Four |
City Council (with
review and recommendation by Planning Board) |
None � City Council will
hear automatically |
Planned Development,
Zone Text Amendment, Zone Map Amendment |
Process Five |
City Council (no
Planning Board review) |
None � City Council will
hear automatically |
Certain inclusionary and
density bonus housing projects, certain Zone Text Amendments |
Each of the five application processes would have requirements that would apply
in the same manner to all applications falling under that process. All public
noticing and hearing requirements would also be standardized among the five
process types. All of the processing requirements would be contained within
Article 19, along with a listing of the various application types. Rather than
each application type specifying the complete processing requirements, it would
simply refer to the appropriate application process, and all procedures would be
contained within that process type. Each individual application type would
include only those requirements specific to that application, including purpose,
applicability, and required findings or other requisites for approval.
The proposed ordinance is based upon the Municipal Code for the City of San
Diego. San Diego utilizes five planning application process types similar to
those proposed. San Diego�s five processes were modified to fit with Burbank�s
existing application types and processes, but the concept is the same.
For the proposed ordinance, Article 19 has been rewritten in its entirety, as
shown in Exhibit A. The proposed text incorporates the revisions to the appeal
process and the DR process adopted by the City Council in August 2006. The
proposed ordinance would include changes to various other sections within
Chapter 31 and Chapter 27 as shown in Exhibits B and C, respectively. The
changes include updating cross-references to Article 19 and replacing processing
requirements for individual permits with references to the standardized
requirements in Article 19. The majority of changes deal with the organization
and language of the Code, and would not result in any substantive changes to the
process or other requirements. Those changes that would result in modifications
to the application process or other requirements are discussed in detail in the
Analysis section below.
Reasons for Proposed Ordinance
As noted above, the structure of the current Code results in redundancy as the
same requirements are repeated for multiple applications. As part of staff�s
ongoing effort to make the Zoning Ordinance more user friendly, staff has sought
to eliminate redundancy and make the Code text as straightforward as possible.
In other cases, however, the requirements differ among the application types
when consistency would be desired. Some of the differences among the
application types recently came to light, such as the appeals process for DR
applications being different from other application types. In August 2006, the
City Council adopted Ordinance No. 3701 at the recommendation of the Planning
Board to create a single appeals process for all planning applications. The
ordinance created a uniform process for filing and considering appeals of
decisions of the Community Development Director and the Planning Board. To
continue with this effort of creating uniformity among the application types,
the proposed ordinance seeks to standardize all aspects of the application
process.
Standardizing application processes would also simplify the process of adding
new types of applications. Over the past year, several new planning permit
applications have been created, including new discretionary permits that were
adopted as part of the single family development standards in 2005, and the
fence exception permits that were approved as part of the interim fence and wall
standards in 2006. Rather than specifying the processing requirements for each
individual application type, a standardized application process would allow for
new application types to be easily added to the Code. New applications would
utilize one of the application processes and would be processed pursuant to
familiar existing procedures.
Finally, the proposed use of standardized application processes is desired in
conjunction with the use of a new project tracking software system that has been
implemented for the Planning and Transportation Division. The Enterprise
Permitting and Licensing System, or ePALS, is a new software system that is now
being used to track active planning project applications and to maintain a
record of approved applications by address. The system has greatly enhanced the
Planning and Transportation Division�s ability to manage project cases and to
track previously approved cases for compliance. Staff desires to have a means
of placing projects into broader categories for workload management and
reporting purposes because of the manner in which projects are categorized and
filed in the software system. The proposed ordinance would serve this purpose
through its use of the five process types.
ANALYSIS:
As noted above, most of the proposed changes involve organization and language
modifications that would not result in practical changes to the manner in which
applications are processed. However, some substantive changes are proposed, as
discussed below. The changes have been categorized according to application
type and the type of change. The rationale for each change is discussed with
the description of the change.
General changes applicable to multiple application types
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Existing Code
requires that during a public hearing, persons in favor of the matter under
consideration be heard before persons opposed to the matter (Section
31-1903). This requirement has not been followed in practice for many years.
The proposed ordinance would remove this requirement and allow members of the
public to speak in any order, as is now done in practice.
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Existing Code
reiterates many requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
with the requirements for various application types, including stating that a
project that may have a significant environmental impact cannot be approved
unless an Environmental Impact Report has been prepared. Such requirements
are entirely duplicative of the State CEQA Guidelines and are not necessary to
repeat in the Municipal Code. In an effort to eliminate redundant and
unnecessary language from the Zoning Ordinance, all requirements that are
duplicative of CEQA requirements would be removed. The City is required to
comply with the State CEQA Guidelines regardless of whether the requirements
are duplicated in a local ordinance.
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Some application
types specify timelines within which certain actions must be taken, including
acting to approve or deny an application. The state Permit Streamlining Act
and CEQA both specify timelines within which action must be taken regarding
applications for non-legislative actions. Consistent with the above
statements regarding duplication of CEQA requirements, staff believes that it
is unnecessary to specify timelines in the BMC. Staff recommends against
specifying timelines that are more restrictive than those already provided
under state law. As recommended by the Planning Board, the proposed Code
language includes a reference to the timelines that are applicable under state
law to make applicants aware of the timelines. The exception to this general
recommendation to not include specific timelines is with regard with Second
Dwelling Unit Permit applications. Due to the separation requirement between
Second Dwelling Units and the potential competition for permits, the
processing timelines and application deadlines adopted as part of the Second
Dwelling Unit ordinance are not proposed to change.
When the City Council considered the ordinance regarding the appeals process on
July 25, 2006, the Council directed staff to return at a later date with an
ordinance to provide a 75-day timeline within which an appeal of a Director or
Planning Board decision must be considered by the Planning Board or City
Council, respectively. This timeline was originally suggested by the Planning
Board in an effort to ensure that appeals were considered in a timely manner.
Although staff recommended against such a requirement, the City Council was
supportive of the timeline. As such, the 75-day time limit is included in the
proposed ordinance. The proposed ordinance provides, however, that the 75-day
timeline is waived if the applicant fails to provide any required information or
plans far enough in advance of the appeal hearing.
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During the second
reading of the appeals ordinance on August 8, 2006, the City Council directed
staff to return at a later date with an ordinance that would provide the City
Council with authority to require the Planning Board to review a decision of
the Community Development Director in lieu of an appeal being filed. The City
Council currently has the authority to review decisions of the Planning Board
but does not have the authority to require the Planning Board to review a
Director�s decision. The proposed ordinance incorporates the City Council�s
direction and provides this additional authority.
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Existing Code
requires that all Planning Board and City Council ordinances be prepared by
the City Attorney�s office (Section 31-1905). In practice, the Planning staff
prepares all Planning Board resolutions in an effort to reduce the workload of
the City Attorney�s office, and has done so for many years. This requirement
has been removed in the proposed ordinance to reflect current practice.
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Existing Code does
not have a specified process for handling cases where different application
types are required for a single project with different decision makers. For
example, a project requiring a CUP and DR has two different types of
applications that would separately require decisions by the Planning Board and
the Community Development Director. In practice, the highest level of
authority to approve one application would approve all related applications.
In this example, the Planning Board would approve the DR application in
addition to the CUP. The proposed ordinance explicitly codifies this process
so that there is no ambiguity about how applications are to be acted upon.
Application-specific requirements to be applied to all application types
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The procedures for
DR applications include much more detail than other application types,
including pre-application conferences, the process for deeming an application
complete, and other such details that are not included for other application
types (Section 31-1909). These aspects of the DR process would be useful for
all application types, and the proposed ordinance would expand these
procedural requirements to apply to all types of planning applications. The
requirements for community meetings and sign posting for noticing purposes
would continue to be required for DR applications only.
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The procedures for
DR provide that a DR approval expires one year after the approval date if a
building permit application is not filed within that one year period. The
procedures for CUPs and Variances provide that a CUP or Variance approval
expires if not used within the time limits specified in the approval or within
180 days if no time is specified. To be consistent with the DR timeline, CUP
and Variance approvals have for many years specified a one-year period for
expiration. Further, the approvals typically provide that an applicant may
request an extension of the expiration date no less than 30 days prior to the
expiration. The proposed ordinance would establish a one-year period before
expiration for all types of planning permits and entitlements, except in
certain situations where other timelines are already in place, such as for
Second Dwelling Unit Permits. The Code would further specify that an
applicant could submit a written request to extend an expiration date no less
than 60 days prior to the expiration date. The decision about whether to
grant the extension would be made by the decision maker that approved the
permit or entitlement. This 60-day time period would ensure that there is
adequate time for the extension to be considered by the appropriate decision
maker.
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The procedures for
CUP and Variance applications include provisions for the revocation,
expiration, and termination of the entitlements, and reapplication in the
event applications are denied. Such processes would be useful for all
application types, and the proposed ordinance would expand these procedural
requirements to apply to all applications, except in cases where other
requirements are already in place, such as with Planned Development (PD)
projects. The minimum noticing period for revocation of a permit or
entitlement is proposed to increase from the current 20 days to 30 days to
ensure that ample notice is provided to a property owner of the City�s intent
to revoke a permit or entitlement.
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The existing DR and
CUP requirements discuss specific allowances for the types of conditions of
approval that may be imposed on an application (Sections 31-1912(f) and
31-1937). Since conditions of approval may be imposed upon any project
approval, the proposed ordinance expands the requirement to apply to all
application types.
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The Media District
currently has additional noticing requirements for projects of 25,000 square
feet or greater (Section 31-2101). The existing Code specifies that the
additional noticing is required �in addition to the 1,000-foot radius already
required.� This language makes it unclear as to the type of applications to
which the noticing requirement is intended to apply, since until recently DR
applications required only a 300-foot noticing radius. The proposed ordinance
would clarify that the additional noticing requirement applies to all projects
of 25,000 square feet or greater regardless of application type and would
clarify that it applies only to 25,000 square feet or more of new
construction. This requirement would also be moved from the Media District
section of the Code to Article 19 where all other public noticing requirements
are located, so that all notice requirements are in one location.
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The existing PD
regulations include a basic requirement for making substantial conformance
determinations when minor changes to a project are proposed following approval
by the City Council. The existing Code also contains a separate process for
Planning Board review of minor changes to site plans for previously approved
CUPs. The proposed ordinance would combine and expand upon both of these
processes to apply to all application types since changes to a project after
approval are an issue that arises regularly with all types of projects and not
just PDs or CUPs.
As staff has discussed previously with the Planning Board and City Council, the
existing substantial conformance provisions in the Code are minimal and in need
of modification. Staff had intended to return to the Planning Board and City
Council in the near future with a separate ordinance to create a more formalized
substantial conformance process. Instead, staff has incorporated a proposed
substantial conformance process into the proposed ordinance (staff notes that
this portion of the ordinance has been modified since the Planning Board
reviewed the proposed ordinance). As proposed by staff, the substantial
conformance process for all types of applications would work as follows:
1)
The Community Development Director would review any proposed change to a
project following project approval. If the change were substantially consistent
with the approved application and plans and consistent with the conditions of
approval, the change would be approved by the Director.
2)
If the change was different from the approved application and plans but
still consistent with the conditions of approval and the intent of the approved
application, the matter would be forwarded to the Planning Board or City Council
(depending upon which body approved the project) for consideration. If the
Director approved the original application, the Director could make the
determination regarding the change, or elect to forward the matter to the
Planning Board for its consideration.
3)
If the Director, Planning Board, or City Council determined that the
proposed change was not consistent with the conditions of approval or the intent
of the application approval, the applicant would have to apply to amend the
permit or entitlement.
Staff is proposing that no public hearings or notice be required by default for
projects under this process. This is because the majority of projects undergo
some minor changes between the time they are approved and the time they are
constructed or operated due to issues that arise before and during the plan
check process. Staff believes that requiring public notice or a public hearing
for most projects would be unnecessary due to the minor nature of most changes,
and the fact that Planning Board or City Council review would still be required
for all except the most minimal changes.
Nonetheless, the proposed ordinance would provide that any project could,
through its conditions of approval, have a unique substantial conformance review
process, which may include public notice and a public hearing, as appropriate
for that particular project. This would provide the Planning Board and the City
Council with an opportunity to ensure that large or controversial projects that
are of particular interest to the surrounding neighborhood or the community
would have to go through a public process if any changes were proposed, even if
such changes were minor. This approach of creating a specialized substantial
conformance process has been used in the past on several PD projects. The
proposed ordinance would explicitly allow for this to be used on any project
through the conditions of approval.
Changes to application-specific requirements
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The proposed
ordinance creates a new type of application called a �Zoning Clearance.� A
Zoning Clearance is simply a review by the Planning and Transportation
Division of an application for a building permit, business license, business
tax registration, or other such application to ensure compliance with the
Zoning Ordinance. Such applications are already subject to Planning review
and approval. Zoning Clearance is being proposed as a formal type of zoning
application to allow for improved project tracking through the ePALS
software system discussed above and to provide a formalized process for
Planning approval of permit types other than those established by the Zoning
Ordinance.
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This permit type
is not frequently utilized. The proposed ordinance would move the
requirements for this permit out of the Historic Preservation Ordinance
(Section 31-929) and into Article 19 with other permit processing
requirements. The proposed ordinance creates a more formalized process for
this permit type and establishes an appeal procedure consistent with other
application types, in lieu of automatic forwarding to the City Council upon
denial as provided in the existing Code.
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The existing DR
process includes a provision for appealing to the City Planner a decision to
deny a building permit for a project that is exempt from DR (Section
31-1915). The existing Code and the proposed ordinance include other
procedures for appealing to the Permit Appeals Panel a decision regarding a
building permit. Staff believes that the process for appealing to the City
Planner is duplicative of other existing processes and is not necessary.
The proposed ordinance does not include the provision for appealing to the
City Planner, and provides that appeals on building permits are considered
only by the Permit Appeals Panel.
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The existing Code
includes six findings required for approval of a CUP. Although the BMC
states elsewhere that a CUP cannot be approved unless it complies with the
General Plan, none of the six findings address that issue. The sixth
finding deals with the conditions of approval placed upon the approval of
the application. Under the proposed ordinance, the ability to place
conditions on a project approval and the nature of those conditions will be
explicitly addressed. Therefore, staff believes that it is no longer
necessary to have a finding that deals with conditions of approval. The
proposed ordinance replaces that finding with a new finding that addresses
the consistency of the proposed project with the goals and policies of the
General Plan.
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The existing Code
provides separate provisions for Variances that were granted prior to the
effective date of the previous Variance ordinance and for Variances granted
for a temporary period (Section 31-1930). Such requirements are no longer
applicable or necessary, and the proposed ordinance does not include them.
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Sign Variances
are currently treated the same as other Variances but with separate
findings. To recognize the unique nature of the Sign Variance distinct from
a traditional Variance, the proposed ordinance treats Sign Variances as a
separate type of permit application. This would not have any practical
effect on the manner in which Variance or Sign Variance applications are
processed.
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Planned
Residential Developments (PRDs) are similar in concept to PDs in that they
allow for deviations from otherwise applicable development standards for
unique projects, but they apply only to residential development projects.
Unlike PDs, which are a type of project application and act as the zoning
for a property once approved, PRDs are classified as uses under the existing
Code and are approved through the CUP process. No PRDs have been applied
for in Burbank for many years. The proposed ordinance would treat PRDs as a
type of project application with its own findings for approval, rather than
as a use subject to approval with a CUP. Staff believes that the proposed
approach is a better means of recognizing the intended purpose and function
of PRDs as an entitlement vehicle rather than as a type of use.
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The existing Code
contains detailed requirements for the contents of a PD application,
referred to in the Code as a �project report.� In practice, many of the
items supposed to be included in a project report have not been required for
PD applications. The Director is authorized by the Code to maintain a list
of required items for submittal of all types of project applications. Staff
believes that a list maintained by the Director separate from the Code is a
better approach than trying to exhaustively list all application
requirements in the Code itself since application requirements may evolve
over time. As such, the project report provisions are not included in the
proposed ordinance.
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The proposed
ordinance clarifies that Development Agreements (DAs) cannot be used in lieu
of other zoning permits and entitlements, and can be used only for the
purpose of implementing or providing vested rights to the approvals granted
through other permits or entitlements. Due to ambiguous language in the
existing Code, it may be interpreted that DAs may be used in lieu of other
zoning permits, but that is not the intended use of DAs. A DA in absence of
another permit or entitlement application would be for the purpose of
providing vested rights to existing zoning provisions.
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Specific Plans
are a vehicle for implementing the General Plan and can provide more
detailed development policies for a specific site or geographic area.
Specific Plans may also be used to supplement or replace the zoning for a
particular area. Although authorized under state law, the existing Code
does not contain any provisions for the creation of a Specific Plan. The
Media District Specific Plan and the Burbank Center Plan were both adopted
through the traditional General Plan and zoning processes, rather than
through the Specific Plan process specified under state law. Staff believes
that the type of Specific Plan authorized under state law may be an
appropriate vehicle for implementing the updated Land Use Element of the
General Plan in certain areas of the City, and as such has included a
process for adopting Specific Plans in the proposed ordinance.
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The existing
procedural requirements for processing a Zone Text Amendment (ZTA) provide
that some types of ZTAs must be considered by both the Planning Board and
City Council, while other types of Amendments must be considered only by the
Council (Sections 31-1987 and 31-1988). These requirements have led to
confusion about which process is required by the Code, most recently with
the Council�s adoption of the ordinance to change the DR process. The
proposed ordinance would clarify that Planning Board review is required
prior to City Council action for all ZTAs involving development or use
standards. Amendments not involving a development standard or use
regulation and dealing only with a procedural matter or application
processing requirement could be approved by the City Council without
Planning Board review if the Council found that the amendment was of an
urgent nature, or that the amendment set or directly implemented a City
Council policy, and that Planning Board review was therefore not needed.
This would not prevent the City Council from adopting an Interim Development
Control Ordinance (IDCO) to modify development or use standards for an
interim period pursuant to state law (Government Code Section 65858).
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The existing Code
provides that an application fee for a ZTA is refunded to the applicant if
the City Council approves the ZTA, or if the Planning Board recommends
denial of the amendment (Section 31-1990). Application fees are not
refunded for any other type of planning application, and staff believes that
it would not be appropriate to refund fees for a single type of
application. City time and resources are nonetheless required to process
the application. This provision is not included in the proposed ordinance.
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The existing Code
allows the City to withhold building permits for projects that would conflict
with the proposed zoning in an area proposed to be down zoned to an R-1, R-2,
or R-3 zone, but where such zoning has not yet been approved (Section
31-1962). If the Council ever wished to stop projects that may be
inconsistent with anticipated zoning, an IDCO would be the proper means to do
so. The existing Code provision is outdated and is not, in staff�s opinion,
an appropriate means of regulating development. It is not included in the
proposed ordinance.
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Another provision
of the existing Code allows the Planning Board to consider a CUP, Variance, or
more restrictive zoning in lieu of a proposed Zone Map Amendment (ZMA)
(Section 31-1968). Staff believes that this provision is not practical and if
ever used in practice, could result in confusion and misunderstanding on the
part of the public as to what action is being considered by the Planning
Board. It is not included in the proposed ordinance.
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The existing Code
provides that any land that is annexed to the City or �becomes unzoned� is
automatically zoned R-1 until the proper zoning can be determined (Section
31-1995). Although it is highly unlikely that the City will annex any
additional land, the zoning of such land would be determined and approved in
conjunction with the approval of the annexation, and there would be no need
for a default R-1 zone designation. The proposed ordinance does not include
this provision.
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The existing Code
contains a provision for the City Council to adopt an urgency interim
ordinance by a four-fifths vote of the Council (Section 31-1996). Such an
ordinance may be in effect for 90 days initially, and may be extended for up
to two additional years. This allowance is not consistent with state law
provisions dealing with the adoption of interim zoning ordinances, or IDCOs,
and therefore is not included in the proposed ordinance. The City Council
would still be authorized to adopt IDCOs under the provisions of state law.
Unrelated Code clean-up item
The proposed ordinance includes a minor change that is unrelated to the other
issues discussed in this report. The proposed change is to correct an error in
BMC Section 31-1810.5 related to minor exceptions for continuing non-conforming
side yard setbacks for single family homes. In 2005 when the City Council
adopted the revised development standards for the single family residential
zones, the Council approved a change to Section 31-1810.5 to allow for minor
exceptions to be approved for detached accessory structures in addition to the
main dwelling structure. When the ordinance was revised as directed by the
Council, staff inadvertently did not change the requirement that a minor
exception may not be approved for a setback of less than three feet. Since the
purpose of approving an exception for an accessory structure would be to approve
a setback of less than the three feet otherwise required, that provision should
have been modified accordingly. The proposed ordinance makes this change.
Staff believes this is an appropriate time to make this clean-up change because
the proposed ordinance is already making other minor revisions to Section
31-1810.5.
CEQA Determination
The proposed ZTA is exempt from environmental review under CEQA pursuant to
Section 15061(b)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines. This section provides that a
project is exempt from environmental review where it can be seen with certainty
that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a
significant effect on the environment. The proposed amendment deals only with
procedural matters and would not change any development or use standards, cause
any development to occur, or otherwise directly or indirectly affect the
environment. The proposed amendment deals mainly with the organization of the
Code and in general would not change the process for planning applications. It
would therefore have no environmental impacts (Exhibit D).
PLANNING BOARD DELIBERATION:
The Planning Board held a public hearing to consider the proposed ZTA on
September 25, 2006 (Exhibit E-1). The Board expressed some concerns about the
proposed Process Five, which would allow for City Council approval of certain
ZTAs without prior Planning Board review. Staff explained that the current Code
already allows for this to occur, and that the proposed ordinance would be more
stringent and require the City Council to make certain findings before approving
a ZTA that had not been reviewed by the Planning Board. Further, the proposed
ordinance would clarify that all ZTAs dealing with development or use standards
would require Planning Board review and recommendation prior to City Council
consideration. The Planning Board ultimately agreed with the proposed Code
language and process as proposed by staff.
One Planning Board member asked about removing from the Code the ability for the
City to withhold building permits for projects that may be inconsistent with the
future zoning when a ZMA is being considered to down zone property, and whether
it would be beneficial to the City to leave that provision in the Code. Staff
discussed this issue further with the City Attorney�s office, who stated that
the City is preempted by state law from declining to issue permits in such a
situation except when an IDCO has been adopted pursuant to state law. As noted
above, the option of an IDCO is always available to the Council as a means of
restricting or halting development that may be inconsistent with anticipated
zoning provisions. It is therefore not necessary or appropriate to include the
separate Code provision related to building permit issuance.
All of the Planning Board members stated their support for the proposed ZTA and
the creation of the standardized permit processes as a means to simplify and
clarify application processing requirements. The Planning Board voted to
recommend one change to the ordinance as proposed by staff, to include a
statement regarding the applicability of timelines specified under the Permit
Streamlining Act and CEQA to all planning applications. Staff has added the
recommended language to the proposed ordinance. With that change, the Planning
Board voted 5-0 to recommend approval to the City Council of the ZTA, including
all changes to Chapters 31 and 27 (Exhibit E-2).
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed ordinance changes the organization of the BMC and makes some minor
changes to the way in which applications are processed. However, the overall
application process and the main steps in processing planning applications would
not be changed by the ordinance. The time and City resources required to
process planning applications would not change as a result of the proposed
ordinance. There are no anticipated fiscal impacts.
CONCLUSION:
The proposed ZTA would reorganize the application processing requirements for
planning project applications in Chapters 31 and 27 of the Burbank Municipal
Code. The amendment would create standardized application processing procedures
that would assist with the implementation of a project tracking software system,
increase consistency in application processing, and facilitate the addition of
other types of planning permits in the future. The amendment is intended to
make the Municipal Code more user-friendly by improving its organization and
simplifying the text to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all
parties involved in the planning project application process.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the proposed ordinance to approve
Project No. 2006-26, a Zone Text Amendment, to reorganize the planning
application procedures in the Burbank Municipal Code.
LIST OF EXHIBITS:
Exhibit A Proposed text of Chapter 31, Article 19 (complete rewrite, no
redline)
Exhibit B Proposed text of changes to Chapter 31 sections outside of
Article 19
(redline)
Exhibit C Proposed text of changes to Chapter 27 (redline)
Exhibit D Public Notice of Environmental Decision
Exhibit E-1 Minutes of Planning Board meeting of September 25, 2006
E-2 Planning Board Resolution No. 3045 dated September 25,
2006
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