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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-07-09 - AGENDA REPORTS - SC TRANS BUS MONTHLY PASS FARE (2)AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approv *1 Item to be presented by: Lynn M. Harris NEW BUSINESS DATE: July 9, 1996 SUBJECT: SANTA CLARITA TRANSIT LOCAL BUS SERVICE STUDENT MONTHLY PASS FARE INCREASE DEPARTMENT: Public Works BACKGROUND The Santa Clarita Transit local bus system currently generates approximately 18% of it's operating costs from passenger fares. Staff has conducted surveys of similar services and fare structures. At this time, Santa Clarita Transit has one of the lowest Student Monthly Pass fares in the area. For example, the Student Monthly fare in Santa Clarita is $10.00; in the Antelope Valley it is $21,00; in Simi Valley it is $24.00; and in the San Fernando Valley it is $20.00. Of all the Transit services provided, the local bus system has experienced the greatest growth in passengers since the City began to administer the program in 1991. A great deal of that growth is directly attributable to student usage. The peculiar nature of this customer base is that demand is narrowly concentrated within the time frames of school start and end times. Increasingly, Transit resources are pushed to the limit, often resulting in overcrowding and students being left to wait fora later bus. Staff has been working closely with the Hart School District to alleviate these problems. Efforts currently underway include plans for operational coordination of transit and school buses, a school district informational campaign to attract students to use school buses, and a pilot program using one-way tickets to provide school bus access, to stranded transit passengers. In addition to increasing the farebox recovery ratio and improving consistency with student fares elsewhere, an increase in the Student Monthly Pass fare will allow market forces to work. The base fare for school bus service is $100 per five-month semester, but only $50 for transit bus service. A five dollar increase in the transit monthly pass will increase that cost to $75, narrowing the competitive gap. Staff concludes that a substantial number of families will decide to utilize school district bus service, thereby alleviating some of the peak hour overcrowding on the transit system. RECOMMENDATION Approve a fare increase for the Local Bus Service Student �Monthly pass, from $$110.00 to $15.00. FAHONIETVACCAGENDA=FARE.AGN ='; AItems3 end a . 1 '1 City Manager Approval Item to be presented by: Ken Pulskamp PRESENTATION DATE: July 9, 1996 SUBJECT: ANNUAL REPORT ON THE GENERAL PLAN DEPARTMENT: Community Development BACKGROUND This item was originally placed on the July 25, 1996, Council agenda as a consent item. It was the Council's request to place on the agenda, .again, for July 9, so that a staff presentation could be made. The attached report is an update of the City's progress in administering and implementing the General Plan. This report is required annually by state planning law in accordance with Government Code Section 65400(b). The General Plan was adopted on June 25, 1991. This is the earliest possible date following the anniversary of the adoption to present the annual report. The report addresses several topical areas, including: General Plan amendments, progress in growth management, and the General Plan Mitigation Monitoring Program (from the General Plan Environmental Impact Report), and new General Plan related legislation. Review and file the report on the General Plan Annual Report advance\gpanrp04.mar GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REPORT Introduction Since its adoption on June 25, 1991, significant progress has been made on the implementation of the City's General Plan. This report summarizes the past year's activity relating to the implementation of the City's General Plan in the following areas: General Plan amendments, major implementation accomplishments, mandatory reporting requirements, growth management, mitigation monitoring, and General Plan legislation. On July 14, 1992, the City Council adopted the General Plan Implementation Program. It includes a list and description of established City programs (various strategic plans, the Capital Improvement Plan, and the annual budget) that are available in the implementation process. The Implementation Plan also includes a chapter devoted to each element of the General Plan which organizes the implementation of the various elements. Additionally, a priority ranking has been established for each of seventy-seven implementation measures. This priority ranking has received minor adjustments in response to the City Council's direction to address the changing needs of the City and its residents. This approach is, in turn, being used to budget the expenditures necessary to implement the General Plan. The Implementation Program is an on- going process coordinated with and affected through the City's capital improvement projects, on-going maintenance activities, permits and licensing requirements, housing, growth management, and legislative requirements. GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS During the past year, one amendment to the General Plan was initiated:, Circulation Element The Center City area is in need of a circulation update as part of the City's ongoing review of circulation needs. Arterials and collectors previously proposed and adopted as part of the original Circulation Element may no longer be valid, and a thorough review of roadway needs in this area will be conducted. Necessary changes to the City's circulation system will be reflected in a future General Plan amendment. In particular, the adoption of the Porta Bella Specific Plan will create the greatest need to review the circulation in this area of the City. MAJOR IMPLEMENTATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS Housing Element Certification On March 25, 1996, the California Department of Housing and Community Development formally certified the City's Housing Element. This is recognition that the Housing Element fully meets all state requirements. With a certified housing element, the City may now compete more successfully for certain housing -related grants. Many of these grants give higher consideration to jurisdictions with a certified housing element. Only 59% of the approximately - 1 - 525 cities and counties in the state have a certified housing element Affordable Housing The City completed a Consolidated Plan (CP) in August 1995. This document replaced the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS), which was the prior requirement. The CP document includes an annual plan which identifies housing priorities for the City and identifies actions to be undertaken by the City for the next year. The CHAS is consistent with the Housing Element and promotes City actions to coordinate housing services. Also initiated during the past year is a City housing policy. Several programs have been implemented with the goals of furthering home ownership and preserving existing housing stock. Programs administered in the past year are: 1 This is a program where qualified applicants may seek assistance as first time home buyers. Provides funds for minor home repairs to owner and renter occupied single-family homes within the City. M100903NDT-2 MWI Qualified low income applicants may obtain earthquake assistance for earthquake related repairs. Owner occupied single family residents and owners and tenants of multiple family residences are eligible. Joint City -County Planning Land Use Policy No. 1.9 of the General Plan states that the City shall "continue to pursue a policy of cooperation with Los Angeles County" with the intent to "preserve the character of the communities and the integrity of the Santa Clarita Valley. The primary and overriding goals of this program continue to promote consistent and sound planning, and to enhance the quality of life in both the incorporated and unincorporated parts of the Santa Clarita Valley. Through County project monitoring, the City has become an effective liaison between Santa Clarita Valley residents and the County. As such, public participation in the land use planning and project approval process has been facilitated. Several Joint City -County Planning Programs were initiated during the past year with the County: -2- Elected and appointed officials of the City and County formed the North County Transportation Coalition in August 1995, to work together to solve regional solutions to regional transportation in the north Los Angeles County region. The City participated in the North Los Angeles County Subregion Mobility Improvements Implementation Plan. This study is intended to result in an implementation plan for transportation improvements in the North Los Angeles County Subregion, with an emphasis on improvements in the Route SR -14/I-5 corridor. In October of 1995, the County in conjunction with the Southern California Association of Governments (SLAG), initiated work on a countywide geographic information systems (GIS) network. The program, known as the'SCAG Access Project, will eventually bring two terminals, GIS software, two staff -trained personnel, and the ability to share land use information across the County when implementation is complete. •MMIM,W • W o. In October 1995, the City completed participation in the North Los Angeles County Subregion 2020 Growth Projection Report. The Cities of Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, and the unincorporated portions of north Los Angeles County participated in this study. This report forecasts population, housing, and employment in these areas through the year 2020. Redevelopment The City continued to study the feasibility of establishing one or more redevelopment project areas. A concentrated effort continued in studying the downtown Newhall area. The consulting firm of Freedman, Tung, and Bottomley, continued its work to foster public participation and develop recommendations in the form of a draft report entitled, "Downtown Newhall Improvement Program." Additional General Plan Accomplishments 1. Specific Plan The adoption of the Porta Bella specific plan marks the adoption of the City's fust specific plan. This is a major implementation accomplishment in that several land use policies call for the use of a specific plan as a planning tool. -3- R i' .l0• '1IMM, The Community Design Element and eight other elements of the General Plan make reference to the use of an architectural review system to implement a form of developing an awareness of aesthetic concerns and a plan to address them. During the past year, the City began the public participation process to address the goals and policies of the Community Design Element. MANDATORY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS Although the state law requiring the annual report on the General Plan is very general and does not dictate a particular format or a precise list of contents, the following two subjects, Regional Housing Share and Removal of Constraints, both pertain to the Housing Element and must be addressed. Regional Housing Share State Housing Element law requires that cities receive a determination through the local council of governments of what each city's Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is. In 1989, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) last provided the City of Santa Clarita with this determination. As of 1989, according to the City's RHNA, a total of 6,401 housing units should be built to accommodate anticipated growth from 1989 through June 30, 1994. The latter was to serve as a benchmark date, since it represented the date by which cities and counties in the SCAG region were originally required to update their Housing Elements. The 6,401 units were further divided into the four different income categories shown. Existing Future Percentage Need No. Need No. Distribution Very Low (0-50% of county median income) 3,087 1,031 16.1 Low (50-80% of county median income) 1,285 531 8.3 Moderate (80-120% of county median income) --- 992 15.5 High (over 120% of county median income) 3-847(E —1 6,401 100.0 (source: Southern California Association of Governments, 1989) Quantified Objectives Very Low 13 Low 81 Moderate 216 High $1.N 4- Total 1,121 Because the marketplace will serve as the primary motivator of what housing units actually are built, the City is also required to make a realistic projection of what is likely to be constructed. This estimate is termed the "quantified objectives" and was included in the Housing Element amendment (GPA 92-001). According to the quantified objectives, the City estimated that 1,121 units would be built between the date of adoption of the General Plan (June 25, 1991), and June 30,1994. An estimated total of 474 units were constructed in first two years of this three-year period. Of this total, 87 units are intended for the very low income category, and 55 units for the low income category. As of May 3, 1996 (see General Plan legislation section at end of report), SCAG had not received funding to generate the RHNA numbers as it traditionally has. Time extensions have been granted by the state delaying the need for compliance with this requirement until 1998. By 1998, it is expected that SCAG will have been funded to complete its work, so that local jurisdictions can comply with this requirement. Removal of Constraints Potential constraints are discussed in State Housing Element :law, and include both governmental and non-governmental constraints. Examples of governmental constraints may include overly strict or unwieldy development ordinances, high fees and exactions, and tedious or slow permit processing. Provisions addressed in the UDC that are intended to reduce constraints include: density bonuses, joint living and working quarters, and home occupations. Non-governmental constraints include the availability of land, the marketplace, community, and the economy. The City has continued to use these provisions since the adoption of the UDC in 1992. Additionally, during the past year, the City's Building and Safety Division implemented an automated building permit system, greatly facilitating the issuance of building new building permits, and making historical information on existing permits more readily retrievable. GROWTH MANAGEMENT Because of the importance of the Growth Management Section of the General Plan, the following is a summary of the City's accomplishments in this area. It shows the comparison of new development to the amount of new infrastructure provided. The ongoing recession has strongly affected development and subdivision activity in the City, and in surrounding unincorporated areas. Subdivision Activity Only three subdivisions were approved during the reporting period. Between the three, 189 residentials lots, and 13 commercial lots were created. -5- Summary of Building Permit Activity In FY 1995-96, building permits were issued for 61 single-family residences. No permits were issued for multiple family residences. A total of 42 permits were issued for miscellaneous commercial/industrial/institutional buildings. Numerous additional permits issued were primarily for additions and rehabilitations to existing structures. Summary of Infrastructure Improvements The General Plan is structured around the philosophy of "pay as you go" to help ensure that adequate infrastructure is provided along with new development. The following is a list of infrastructure improvements, by City department, made within the past year and is indicative of the level of attention being given to improving the local infrastructure: 1. Public Works a. Access ramp improvements b. Sidewalk replacement c, Santa Clarita Metrolink Station improvements 2. Parks Recreation_ and Community Servicec a. Playground equipment upgrade b. Rivendale parkland acquisition c. Soledad bridge bikeway interconnect d. Chuck Pontius commuter rail trail e. Santa Clara River trail, Phase III f. South Fork bike trail, Phase IV 3. CDBG a. East Newhall sidewalks, Phase II 4. Building and Enzineering Services a. San Fernando undergrounding, Phase I b. Lyons Avenue interconnect, Phase II c. Annual overlay program d. Annual slurry program e. San Fernando Road/Magic Mtn. Road, Phase II f San Fernando Road (Valencia Bl. to Bouquet Cyn. Rd.), Phase V g. San Fernando Road, Phase I h. Installed seven new traffic signals i. Modified 13 existing signals. �# - a. Lakemore high ground water b. Soledad Cyn. Rd. - Langside to Sierra Hwy. resurfacing. GENERAL PLAN MITIGATION MONITORING PROGRAM Monitoring of all mitigation measures identified in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is required by the California Public Resources Code, Section 21081,6. The Mitigation Monitoring Program (MMP) prepared for the General Plan EIR brings together all mitigation measures (largely developed as goals and policies) identified for each environmental issue analyzed in the EIR, identifies implementation measures and sets time lines. This annual report on the General Plan and policy implementation, required by state law, is one of six items required by the Mitigation Monitoring Program. The City's progress is as follows: General Plan Annual Report Preparation of this report serves as a reminder of the implementation obiligations. Report on Housing Element Program Implementation In the Housing Element, unlike the other General Plan Elements, there are programs, rather than implementation measures. A total of 45 programs are listed that are available to the City to implement the Housing Element. To date, progress has been made in utilizing 20 of the 45 programs as follows: Existing Needs Prioritization Special Needs Prioritizing Mixed Use Specific Plan and Planned Land Use Data Base Development Increasing Affordable Programs Recycling and Composting 7- Enforcement of Conditions of Approval Balance Employment with Housing One Stop Permit Processing Site Design Features Site Design with Low Water Use State and Federal Programs Rental Rehabilitation Public Facilities Funding Density Bonuses Site Accessibility Code Enforcement Rehabilitation Loans Emergency Repair Grants Coordination with Special Districts, County and Regional Governmental Agencies to Ensure Balance of Development with Provision of Services and Compliance with Regional Transportation and Air Quality Goals These activities are ongoing as follows: 1. Each new development application is circulated for review by approximately 30 agencies to determine effects on service providers and infrastructure capacity 2. New joint city -county fire facility fees were adopted in May 1993, and revised fees are currently under consideration. 3. The City is continuing its participating in the Santa Clara River Enhancement and Management Plan (Ventura County Public Works is the Lead Agency) with numerous other agencies to inventory and develop management plans for the entire Santa Clara River watershed. 4. The City continues to work with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the Ventura sub -area of SCAG's Regional Comprehensive Plan. This action will promote regional interaction between the Santa Clarita Valley and communities along the Santa Clara River to the west. The City is also working as a member of the North County sub -area for traffic issues only. 5. The programs mentioned under "Joint City/County Planning" also involved SCAG as either a funding, or participating party. Infrastructure Improvements and the Capital Improvement Program Certain infrastructure improvements are required by mitigation measures. Where cooperation with the County is involved to complete these improvements, the MMP requires that these items be incorporated into the City's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), During the past year, the City completed staffing to comply with implementation requirements of the National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES). This will help the City implement the General Plan: requirement for a City-wide drainage master plan. M GENERAL PLAN LEGISLATION To keep current of general plan requirements, the City must annually review new legislation affecting general plans. During the past year, only one bill was passed in the state legislature affecting general plans, statewide: SB 1073 (Costa) Enacted on May 3, 1996,this bill grants cities and counties, statewide, a two-year time extension in which to comply with the five-year housing element update. This update was originally required in 1994 (for cities and counties in the SCAG region). Subsequent time extensions have now delayed this requirement until 1998. The purpose of this requirement is to enable cities to address their Regional Housing Needs Assessment. This can be accomplished, fairly easily, if SCAG is provided the funding to generate the needs assessment numbers. Individual jurisdictions can then address how compliance with those numbers is anticipated. M GENERAL PLAN MPLEMENTATION MEASURES Status June 25, 1996 The General Plan is implemented primarilyby adopting, and then carrying out, specific programs and action items which address the goals and policies contained within it. The General Plan Implementation Program (adopted July 14, 1992) lists implementation measures, categorized by and correlated with the goals and policies of each element. Implementation measures are achieved through various means: incorporation into established City programs, enactment of ordinances, resolutions, codes or other documents, and the development of strategic plans for both individual City departments and the community at large. Through these activities, implementation efforts are programmed into the City's annual budget for one or more fiscal years. The following chart shows the status of the implementation measures of the General Plan by land use category. An "X" shows the current status. �1• 1 1 , 1\ .m1 1UI' _4.1 A W V D1 OB W.._LL�1 ■ A comprehensive zoning ordinance and accompanying zoning map X ■ Subdivision regulations X ■ Special Standards District X ■ Specific Plans X ■ Development agreements X ■ Capital facilities improvements X ■ Building and housing codes X ■ Redevelopment ■ Annexation & Sphere of Influence programs X Community Design Element -10- kA COMPLETED/ ELEMENT ON-GOING ■ Design guidelines ■ A comprehensive zoning ordinance, including standards for hillside development and ridgeline preservation X ■ Architectural review process ■ Specific plans X ■ Special Standards Districts X ■ Street median and parkway landscaping programs Economic Development and X Community Revitalization Element ■ A comprehensive marketing plan X ■ Specific plans X ■ Development agreements X ■ Annexation X ■ Redevelopment and Revitalization programs . ■ Industrial Development Bonds Circulation Element ■ A Valley -wide traffic model developed with a consensus approach between the City, County, and SCAG which incorporated this model into a growth management and monitoring program X -11- General Plan Implementation Page -11 - 50%+ X X W COMPLE'T'ED/ ELEMENT ON-GOING ■ Standards for right-of-way dedication and acquisition X ■ Roadway improvement standards and programs X ■ Bikeway and trail standards and programs X ■ A comprehensive zoning ordinance which includes standards for parking and access X ■ Transit improvement programs X ■ Congestion management programs X ■ Development agreements X ■ Capital improvement programs X ■ Transportation facility improvement financing programs X Human Resource Element. ■ City/County cooperation X . ■ Child care programs X ■ Senior citizen programs X ■ Recreational programs X ■ Community development block grants X ■ Public/Private Partnerships X -12- General Plan Implementation Page - 12 - 1, LK1J01UMDVVDll t4jVDP1f W_41CILIII General Plan Implementation Page -13- •1' 1 1 I 1 1 . 1 1► 1 1U.' 4_._1 _ :_.i _Y..DI 1J 4101CI.MI ■ Develop a growth management monitoring system and ordinance X ■ Development and impact fee ordinance g ■ Zoning and subdivision standards X ■ Recycling and conservation programs X ■ Community facility financing programs g ■ Capital improvement program X ■ Community monitoring guidelines for toxic/hazardous waste disposal X transport and storage Parks and Recreation Element ■ A parkland dedication ordinance X ■ A gift or public trust park and recreation ordinance ■ Provisions for onsite recreational opportunities in residential as well as commercial and industrial categories X ■ Park bonds and State grants and funds X ■ Dedication of trail easements X ■ Establishment of landscape maintenance districts X -13- COMPLETED/ ELEMENT ON-GOING ■ A checklist of open space and conservation resources to be used to evaluate proposed development to assure continued protection of resources X ■ A comprehensive zoning ordinance, including provisions for open space zoning, large lot zoning, and special overlay zones X ■ A Significant Ecological Area (SEA) Overlay Zone for the continued preservation of the five existing County SEA's, and the establishment of criteria for additional areas X ■ Zoning regulations and accompanying submittal requirements that specify items such as slope analysis; identification of significant, threatened, and endangered species of flora and fauna; flood plain areas and areas subject to inundation; and significant ridgelines ■ Transfer of development rights as a means of preserving significant area_ s of sensitive flora and fauna ■ Provisions for access to public lakes, waterways, rivers, and streams ■ An open space acquisition fund for the purchase of privately held parcels that are located on or within areas of significant ridgelines, groundwater recharge areas, or areas of endangered X M -14- General Plan Implementation Page -14 - I U0P _4.. 1 ;_1 Y. 1 G General Plan Implementation Page - 15 - COMPLETED/ 1 ELEMENT ON-GOING / 1l1' M- 1 STARTE1 P_; \I\111 flora and/or fauna X ■ Design criteria of the Santa Clara River and its major tributaries X ■ Comply with South Coast Air Quality Management District rules and regulations X ■ Congestion management and transportation demand programs X ■ Transit improvement programs X ■ Clean air demonstration and education programs X ■ Recycling and conservation programs X ■ Dust control measures X ■ Sensitive use guidelines ■ Landscaping/tree planting guidelines X ■ A noise ordinance, including provisions to control noise through use of insulations, berms and walls, building design/orientation, buffer yards, and other techniques X ■ Code enforcement, including citations to require cessation of excessive noise generating activities X -15- COMPLETED/ ELEMENT ON- =OJN r ■ Detailed noise studies in connection with proposals for habitable buildings in identified high noise areas ■ Noise attenuation guidelines for areas adjacent to high noise corridors which incorporate functional and aesthetic features to mitigate roadway noise and enhance the streetscape ■ Compliance with the State's noise insulation standards X ■ Emergency preparedness and safety programs X ■ Floodzones and dam inundation policies and standards X ■ Wildland fire standards X ■ Toxic and hazardous waste clean-up programs X ■ Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Zone standards X ■ Grading and drainage standards X advance\gpanrp04.mar 16- 1 General Plan Implementation Page - 16 -