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Home My WebLink About1990-02-27 - AGENDA REPORTS - RIM OF THE VALLEY STUDY (2)AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approval Item to be presented by: NEW BUSINESS Jeff Kolin DATE: February 27, 1990 SUBJECT: Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy - Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor Boundary Study DEPARTMENT: PARKS AND RECREATION BACKGROUND The City Council at its January 9, 1990, meeting authorized staff to work with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to analyze a proposed boundary adjustment which could include portions of the City of Santa Clarita. Staff met with representatives of the Conservancy on January 30, 1990, and toured many of the open space and natural areas in the Santa Clarita Valley which may be desirable to include within the boundaries of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. These areas included the Placerita Canyon Nature Center and areas south of Placerita Canyon Road, Whitney Canyon, Elsmere Canyon, the proposed Santa Clarita Woodlands Park area including Towsley Canyon, William S. Hart Park, and the Pioneer Oil Refinery site. A memo from the City Attorney analyzing the legislation passed by the State of California to form the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is also attached for the City Council's information. The Attorney's office paid particular attention to the land use powers which may or may not be held by the Conservancy. The Conservancy has the power to acquire and improve real property, award grants or make interest free loans to cities, counties and other districts for the purpose of restoring areas which adversely affect the zone. The Conservancy also has the right of first refusal on any property which is within the zone, owned by a public agency and scheduled for disposal as excess property. However, the Conservancy shall waive its right to purchase the property if it is designated commercial or manufacturing on the General Plan, or if it is not declared surplus. The boundaries can include areas which have already been developed and will be maintained for alternative uses in order to include segments of open space and park land which currently exist or offer strong opportunities for open space preservation, trail connections and park development such as the Pioneer Oil Refinery Oil site. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will be holding its regular Conservancy board meeting on February 26, 1990. This meeting will also serve as a public forum for residents of the Santa Clarita Valley to give their input to the Commission regarding areas which they wish to have included within the Conservancy's boundaries. A time specific of 8:00 p.m. has been set for input regarding Santa Clarita Valley land which should be included within the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Representatives of the Parks and Recreation Department staff and Parks and Recreation Commission will attend this public meeting. � q 5 M Agenda Item: A map showing the proposed boundary extension for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy developed by staff from discussions with Dangermond and Associates, the consulting firm hired by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, is attached for the City Council's review. A proposed boundary extension map will be generated based on the public input received at the February 26, 1990, meeting, the recommendations of Dangermond and Associates, as well as input from the City of Santa Clarita. Additional public meetings will be scheduled during the month of March to review the proposed boundary map which will be finalized later in the year and submitted to the State of California for adoption. Inclusion of land within the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will allow State funds as well as Conservancy funds to be used for the acquisition of open space and park land. The Conservancy also has access to development and maintenance funds for areas within its boundaries. The Conservancy provides a positive means of developing, acquiring, and preserving open space, trails and park land within its boundaries. The proposed revisions to the boundary of the Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor will allow the City to work with the Conservancy to acquire additional trails, open space and parkland. The City may wish to examine at a later date the possibility of joining the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in a joint powers agreement to help plan, operate, and maintain park land and open space within the Conservancy boundaries that overlap the City of Santa Clarita's city limits. A joint powers agreement would call for the allocation of funds for maintenance and operation at a level to be determined by the City Council. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council support the proposed revisions to the draft boundary map for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy - Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor. ATTACHMENTS City Attorney Report on Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Draft Boundary Map for Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy 02/20/90 15:02 $213 BW&S LA MAIN 002/005 22700 LAW OFFICES BURNED WILLIAMS & SORENSEN QN9 W16SHIRE BUILOINQ MARTIN J. BURKE' .GREGORY A. OOCIMO ect4 SOUTH GRAND AVENUE, OOH FLOOR VENTURA COUNTY OFFICE JAMES T. BRADSwavA UR! ELIZABETH L HANNA LOS ANEFIII CAL.IFOgNIA 2001% 8310 PdNCII IA DRIVE MARK G ALLEN, JR* KATHRYN R PETERS' SUIT& I MARTIN L. BURKE' LISA E. KRANITZ 12131 236-0600 CAMARILLO. CALIFORNIA 93010 CARL K, N[WTON' KIM G MCNALLY 18061 987.3dB8 J, ROBERT FLANORICO OENNIS I. FLOYO NORMAN C. GAAPT LINDA L, DAUBE TELECOPIrO: N1W 210.3700 EDWARD M. PDX' M. LOIS B61LAK ORANOE COUNTY OFFICE 6ENN11 R ■URKC' ROBERT V WADDEN 1300 BRISTOL STREET LELANO C. DOLLGY' PRANK M. WMIr9M&AD, Z MARRY G WILLIAMS 9JITE $40 COLIN LENNARD' SCOTT H, CAMPBELL !1912-t9eTl COSTA MESA. CALIFORNIA •Pets THOMAS J. PePLEY' MARYANN LINK GOOOKIND 1141 OAE-SBBB NEIL Jr. YEAGER' TIMOTHY B, MCOSKER R6YAL M, SORENSCN BRIAN A. RIERiW' DIANA L. FIELD 21914-19831 CMARLC# M, ^.ALD&ROH' MITA J. TAYLOR LIOMTON PLAZA PETER M. THORSON' STEVEN J. DAWSON 7300 COLLEGE BOULEVARD JII M. PATTERSON JAM&& F. RIOALI $LITE 330 HAROLD A. BRIDOES' JAMES R. FELTON OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS ee2i0 CHERYL J. KANE' TERRY R KAUFMANN 19131 994-8266 RAYMOND J, FUENTES' VIRGINIA R. PII STEPHEN R. 6NSTOf JAIME AREVALO February 2 4 1990 0, PAVL BRUGUERA F, DANIELS CRAWFORO. OF COUNSEL B, DEREK STRAATSMA MAMIANNC WOO DWIGHT A. NEWELL 06UGLAS C. HOLLAND JOHN E. CAVANAUOw DON Q. KIRCMER MARK 0. HCNGLEY MIOHCLC VADON-RIVERA PETER 0. TRkNIRLAY w E RY3%I�5AL SCOTT R PIELD C. MICHAEL ZWEIBACK (� ` MARY REDUB GAYLE' RuI C. YOUNUP. ROGER T.ITOG. 02012-001 OUR FILE N0. "PROFEEBIONAL CORPORATION TA POCN951IONAL A&GOCIATION ACMITT[O KANSAS A, MISSOURI 'AOMI TTGO KANSAS Mr. Jeff Kolin Director of Parks & Recreation city of Santa Clarita 239,20 Valencia Blvd., Suite: 300 Santa Clarita, CA 91355 Re: Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Boundary Extension Dear Jeff: This letter is in response to your request of February 7, 1990 that the City Attorney provide an analysis of the powers of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (the "Conservancy") and any effect an extension of its boundaries would have on future development activities within the area. The statutory scheme establishing the Conservancy and setting its powers does not limit the police power the City has over land use decisions, including general plan and zoning designations. Therefore, the City may cooperate with the Conservancy in its investigation of possible boundary modifications. The Conservancy now has the power to make minor boundary changes to the Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor (the "Corridor") pursuant to voluntary cooperation of local governmental jurisdictions, including the City of Santa Clarita. The purpose for the boundary change would be to facilitate a coordinated trail development plan and recreational access program for the Corridor, in order to develop that plan, the Conservancy is seeking information 02/20/90 15:02 Mr. Jeff February Page 2 1$`213 262700 Kolin 70, 1990 BW&S LA MAIN from the City regarding hiking and equestrian trails which will be appropriate for inclusion in the Corridor. The Conservancy is a creation of State law, with its enabling legislation met forth -at Public Resources Code Sections 33000 et s_eg. The Legislature has declared the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Zone (the "Zone") a unique and valuable resource, the preservation of which is in the public interest. Further, the Legislature has found that problems of substandard lots, incompatible uses, conflicts with recreational uses and inadequate resource protection within the Zone.cannot be addressed by local governments. However, at Section 33008, the Legislature explicitly provides that the establishment of the Conservancy does not supersede or limit a local government's exercise of the police power derived from any other provision of law. The City's police power, which includes the power to plan and zone within its corporate limits is derived from the California Constitution. Article X1, Section 7, provides that "A City or county may make and enforce within its limits all local, police, sanitary, and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with the general laws." The Conservancy is responsible for promoting the Zone which includes the Corridor, made up of hiking and equestrian trail connections and access ways generally following the Rim of the Valley Trail as is identified in the Equestrian and Hiking Trails Guide for the City of Log Angeles. It has the power to acquire and improve real property, award grants or make interest free loans to cities, counties and other districts for the purpose of restoring areas which adversely effect the Zone and lease its lands. Further, the Conservancy has the right of first refusal on any property which is within the Zone, owned by a public agency and scheduled for disposal as excess property. The Conservancy may acquire the land at the disposing agency's purchase price plus any administrative and management costs which are incurred by disposing of the property. However, the Conservancy shall waive its right to purchase the property if it is designated commercial or manufacturing on the general plan or it is not necessary for the local agency to declare the property as surplus. 02/20/90 15:03 $213 22700 BW&S LA MAIN Mr. Jeff Kolin February 20, 1,990 Page 3 CJ AB 1516, effective January 1, 1990, amended the Public Resources Cade to allow the Conservancy to modify the Corridor boundaries. The legislation provides that the existing parka and open spaces owned by various federal, state and local agencies within the Corridor are important recreational and environmental resources of the people of California. Therefore, it is in the public interest to facilitate the connection.of the existing parks and open space resources and to provide for further improvement of under utilized public easements and other existing public open spaces. As such, the Conservancy, using the voluntary cooperation of local entities, such as the City of Santa Clarita, is required to prepare and adopt a coordinated trail development plan and recreational access program for the Corridor. The coordinated trail development plan would include (1) identification of major hiking and equestrian trails and important secondary and feeder trails that cross jurisdictional lines, and a priority program for improving those trails; (2) identification of special, purpose trails, where appropriate, for special population groups and user groups, such as mountain bicycles, where the special purpose trails will have no significant environmental impact; (3) identification of, and a priority program for implementing, those additional recreation access needs, including new or expanded trails that should be added to the Corridor; and (4) identification of underused existing public open spaces and recommendations for providing better public use and enjoyment of these areas. Despite the fact that the Corridor is clearly defined within the statute, the Conservancy may make miner boundary changes solely for the purpose of implementing the plan prepared pursuant to the statute. These boundary changes must be filed with the Secretary of the State no later than July 31, 1990. Additionally, the statute requires that the Conservancy hold at least one public hearing in each city within the Corridor prior to submission of the plan and program. The plan and program will then be coordinated with each affected jurisdiction prior to adoption by the Conservancy. r�'aS• SS 02/20/90 15:04 %2213 22700 Mr. Jeff Kolin February 20, 1990 Page 4 BMJ&S LA MAIN i Given the intent of the legislation and the fact that the City shall retain its planning and zoning authority, regardless of the zone boundary, the City may assist the Conservancy by identifying trails and open spaces described in points (1) through (4) above. If you have any additional questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. �erely, / $1/1So ( � Timoty h B.1McOsker for CARL K. NEWTON Of BURKE, WILLIAMS & SORENSEN TBM/WP/LTR15575 cc: George A. Caravalho, City Manager i a � . . _ a9`ttcK.. • Chi "• r _ = `-'.t.+�•-.-*e .�"s .; .:►•'tom^ ....:: - � ;sY- r ac ` �C^""` .... - - \i - - _ - �` - .._C_ oa0 8_. . UO,( 0 1J 1Jro 0 M v \ �- Ln L 0 U w a — :-GL.- C C LI c y_ 4J r•1 C m U s f'r 11 U C.t .. 0 C 0 �a ca m aig0 r� U G1 44 0 L LI E 1 y Li `y 0 ;4 •. C U co a: k 0 rd ° 3a 1 �► T"' .-• _ r / • e. d CL gA)q,FERNANDO�RD IL �\ � •) \ lam• � ` v'i � L Cco ` t... a co Ung J ---- --- -•_ _ _ _ __ _ � Gay . .J' •� ATTACHMENTS Please see February 7 2, 99 1 0 City Council Agenda for: Tentative Tract, No. 41812 Map for Iron Mountain Estates N