HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-12-18 - RESOLUTIONS - APPROVING FOR ANNEX 95-006 (2)RESOLUTION NO. 97-127
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
APPROVING MASTER CASE NOS. 95-242, 96-120, 97-041, 97-063 FOR ANNEXATION
NO. 95-006 (NORTH VALENCIA), GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT 97-001 TO THE LAND
USE ELEMENT TEXT AND LAND USE MAP,
VESTING TENTATIVE TRACT MAP 51931, OAK TREE PERMIT 97-009 AND HAUL
ROUTE TO ALLOW FOR THE 858 ACRE NORTH VALENCIA ANNEXATION AND
DEVELOPMENT OF A 706.6 ACRE PROPERTY WITHIN THE ANNEXATION AREA
KNOWN AS THE NORTH VALENCIA SPECIFIC PLAN AREA
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS
FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council does hereby make the following findings of fact:
a. The North Valencia Annexation area is approximately 858 acres generally located
east of Anza Drive, south of Newhall Ranch Road, west of Bouquet Canyon Road
and Valencia Blvd., and north of Magic Mountain Parkway and the Auto Center
in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County adjacent to the City of Santa
Clarita. The North Valencia Specific Plan area is approximately 706.6 acres
within the North Valencia Annexation area and is generally located south of
Avenue Hopkins and east of Anza Drive and the west side of San Francisquito
Creek, south of Newhall Ranch Road, west of Bouquet Canyon Road and Valencia
Blvd., and north of Magic Mountain Parkway and the Auto Center in the
unincorporated area of Los Angeles County adjacent to the City of Santa Clarita.
b. In November 1995, the City and the Valenica Company entered into a non-
binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding certain aspects of the
potential annexation of approximately 969 acres of unincorporated area in the
North Valencia area. At the time the MOU was adopted, the Valencia Company
stated their intention to request approvals for up to 3,690 dwelling units,
approximately 850,000 square feet of commercial uses, and 223,000 square feet
of industrial uses. Entitlements to be requested at the time of MOU approval
included a prezone, an annexation and development agreement, and tract maps.
The MOU specifically indicated that any annexation would be subject to
environmental review.
C. A prezone (MC95-242, PZ95-006) was approved on April 16, 1996 by the City
Council for portions of the North Valencia Annexation area through Ordinance
No. 96-12. An annexation request for the North Valencia Annexation
(Annexation No. 95-006) was filed with LAFCO in June 1996 following the
direction of the City Council on June 11, 1996 (Resolution 96-84). Following the
prezone and filing of the annexation request by the City, the Valencia Company,
herein referred to as the "applicant", submitted entitlement requests noted above
for a portion of the annexation area known as the North Valencia Specific Plan
Reso. 97-127
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Area which are subject to environmental review. The City's annexation request
is on hold at LAFCO at the request of the City and the applicant pending
approval of the environmental review document and the above entitlements.
d. On June 5, 1996, the applicant submitted the following entitlement requests:
(Master Case No. 97-120) Annexation and Development Agreement 96-001,
Annexation 95-006, Conditional Use Permit 96-010, TPM 20496 (Builder's South),
TPM 20669 (Valencia Industrial Center), TPM 18417 (Pony League), TPM 24516
(Overall Project Area), VTTM 51931 (Valencia Del Lago), VTTM 51281 (South
River) and VTTM 44832 (Arbor Park). Incomplete letters were sent on these
entitlement requests in July and staff noted that an Oak Tree Permit would also
be required. In January 1997, the applicant formally withdrew the application
for a CUP and all of the tract and parcel maps except for VTTM 51931. The
applicant submitted the following entitlement requests: a Specific Plan document
including a comprehensive plan of development and development standards for
the North Valencia Specific Plan area and Prezone 97-001 to change the zoning
within the area to the City zone SP (Specific Plan). Following review of the
specific plan document and revised site plan, staff recommended that a general
plan amendment be filed in order for the requested entitlements to be consistent
with the City's General Plan. On March 12, 1997, the applicant filed a request
for MC 97-041, OTP 97-009 to allow for possible encroachment upon oak trees,
and a general plan amendment to the text of the Land Use Element Valley
Center Concept narrative to allow for a North Valencia Specific Plan and an
amendment to the Land Use Map
The development application includes the proposed annexation of approximately
858 acres of unincorporated Los Angeles County land located adjacent to the City
boundary. This request would amend portions of Ordinance No. 96-12 to
establish the City of Santa Clarita prezone Specific Plan (SP) over 706.6 acres on
the areas known as the North Valencia Specific Plan area. The remaining
acreage in the annexation area would remain as previously prezoned by
Ordinance No. 96-12. The Specific Plan request includes entitlement for up to
2,000 dwelling units (750 single family detached, 1,250 multi -family attached),
636,000 square feet of commercial/retail, 167,000 square feet of
industrial/business park space, a 6.5 -acre elementary school site, a 15.2 -acre
lake/park, a 12.4 -acre community park, 4.9 acres of neighborhood parks, 355.6
acres of open space and over 5 miles of community trails; Vesting Tentative
Tract Map 51931 to subdivide 706 acres into 138 lots; An oak tree permit to
allow construction within 200 feet of the oak trees with no removals or
encroachments are proposed; and review and certification of the Environmental
Impact Report (SCH#96071077) prepared for this project. A development
agreement was also requested.
d. The original North Valencia Specific Plan request excluded a .6 acre Southern
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California Gas Facility located on Magic Mountain Parkway; however, the City
proposes to include this area within the Specific Plan area to avoid the issue of
spot zoning. The North Valencia Specific Plan area is bisected by the
approximately 13 acre MWD property which is excluded from the Specific Plan
prezone; however, the City proposes to prezone this area Open Space (OS) in
order to be consistent with the surrounding uses proposed in the Specific Plan.
e. On June 25, 1991, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 91-98, adopting the
General Plan of the City of Santa Clarita and Certifying the Environmental
Impact Report. The City's General Plan presently designates the annexation
area as Commercial Town Center (CTC), Community Commercial (CC), Business
Park (BP), and Residential Moderate (RM), with a Valley Center Concept (VCC)
Overlay on the majority of the site and a Significant Ecological Area (SEA)
Overlay over the Santa Clara River and San Francisquito Creek. The General
Plan does not specifically mention the North Valencia site as an area ideal for a
specific plan; however, the site does meet the minimum size of 100 contiguous
acres under single ownership as identified in the Specific Plan zoning standards
of the City's Unified Development Code . Zoning on the site is presently Los
Angeles County zones C2, Ml'/z, and A2-5 and has already been prezoned City of
Santa Clarita zones CTC (Commercial Town Center), CC (Community
^� Commercial), BP (Business Park), and RS (Residential Moderate).
f. The North Valencia Specific Plan area is vacant, generally flat, and was used for
agricultural purposes. The approximately 153 acres of the annexation area that
is excluded from the Specific Plan is flat and improved with industrial,
commercial and public utility uses. Major features of the annexation area include
the Santa Clara River, the South Fork of the Santa Clara River, San Francisquito
Creek, Bouquet Creek, a portion of the San Gabriel Fault Alquist-Priolo Special
Studies Zone, the MWD aqueduct pipeline and electrical transmission corridors.
g. The design of the project concentrates development within areas previously used
for agricultural uses and includes preservation of approximately 348.3 acres of
the Santa Clara River and San Francisquito Creek and 84 acres of upland buffer
area located adjacent to the River and Creek as identified in the North Valencia
.Specific Plan document. The project proposes grading on approximately 281
acres of the 858 acre project site. The total amount of grading involves
movement of approximately 1.4 million cubic yards of on-site cut, 2.7 million
cubic yards of on-site fill and 1.5 million cubic yards of off-site earth to be
imported. Movement of approximately 850,000 cubic yards of the necessary off-
site fill has been approved from the northeast corner of McBean Parkway and
Newhall Ranch Road through conditional use permit No. 96-013 (MC# 96-236).
The remaining earth would be imported from the area known as the Center City
Specific Plan area located east of the present terminus of Newhall Ranch Road,
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east of Bouquet Canyon Road. A haul route for imported earth is included within
the Specific Plan document, however, specific haul route approval would be
required at the time of grading permit.
h. The City of Santa Clarita prepared an Initial Study for the project which
determined that the project may have a significant effect on the environment and
that an environmental impact report must be prepared. A Notice of Preparation
(NOP) for the annexation, annexation and development agreement, tentative
tract maps, conditional use permit and oak tree permit was mailed in July 1996
to affected agencies. A scoping meeting was held at the Valencia Town Center
Conference Room on August 7, 1996 to obtain information from the public as to
issues which should be addressed in the environmental document. Following a
substantial revision to the project with the withdrawal of the conditional use
permit application and six of the tentative maps in January 1997 and filing of a
request for a prezone, specific plan document, general plan amendment, and
revised vesting tentative tract map 51931, a subsequent NOP was prepared and
mailed in May 1997.
i. The Planning Commission went on a field visit to the North Valencia site on
Saturday, May 31, 1997 at 9:00 a.m., beginning in the Council Chambers for the
purpose of becoming familiar with the annexation and Specific Plan area.
j. The City Council held a study session on this project on June 3, 1997 and
received an informational report on the status of this project. At that Council
Study Session the Council approved a preliminary processing schedule for this
project which identified various Planning Commission public hearing dates and
specific project topics to be discussed at each of these meetings. The goal of this
processing schedule was to reduce redundancy and allow the Commission and the
public to better prepare for the meetings. This processing schedule allowed for
each issue area of the Draft EIR to be discussed in a public forum during the
Draft EIR public comment period to allow for maximum public participation, with
numerous opportunities for the public to ask questions and receive information
concerning the environmental document and the project.
k. The Planning Commission received an informational presentation about the
North Valencia Specific Plan proposal at their regularly scheduled meeting on
June 17, 1997, at 7:00 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia
Boulevard, Santa Clarita. This presentation was given by staff to distribute
copies of the proposed North Valencia Specific Plan dated June 1997 and the
proposed Vesting Tentative Tract Map 51931 version dated June 13, 1997, to
provide the Commission with a background on the project application and to
provide the Commission with a review of the entitlements requested.
Reso. 97-127
Page 5
The North Valencia Specific Plan Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
was circulated for review and comment by the affected governmental agencies
and all comments received have been considered. The DEIR (SCH#96071077) was
distributed to the Planning Commission, the public and affected governmental
agencies for a 45 -day public review period beginning on August 1, 1997 and
ending on September 15, 1997. Late comments were accepted until September
22, 1997 to allow for mail delays.
In. Following the processing schedule set by the Council on June 3, 1997, the
Planning Commission held duly noticed public hearings on the North Valencia
Annexation and Specific Plan and related entitlements commencing on July 1,
1997 and continuing on July 9, 1997, July 23, 1997, August 5, 1997, August 13,
1997, August 19, 1997, August 25, 1997, September 2, 1997, September 10, 1997,
September 24, 1997, October 7, 1997, October 15, 1997 and October 30, 1997.
These public hearings have been held at 7:00 p.m. at the City Council Chambers
and Orchard Rooms, 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Santa Clarita.
Five of the public hearings were held between August 5, 1997 to September 2,
1997 which was during the public comment period. These public hearings were
held for the purpose of providing an opportunity for the Commission and the
public to consider focused discussions on each of the environmental issue areas
discussed in the DEIR.
n. The Final EIR, herein incorporated by reference as Exhibit A, includes the Draft
EIR and the following: responses to written comments on the DEIR, responses
to public testimony regarding Draft EIR issues raised at the public hearings
during the public comment period, modifications to the Draft EIR text, and the
Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP). The Draft EIR was
provided to the Commission on August 1, 1997 and the remaining Final EIR
documents were prepared and provided to the Planning Commission on October
3, 1997. The Proposed Specific Plan Text dated June 1997, herein incorporated
by reference as Exhibit B, also contains specific development standards and
policies that mitigate potential environmental impacts and was considered by the
Planning Commission. The Planning Commission has considered the Final EIR,
as well as information provided in staff reports, the amendment text and through
public testimony, prior to recommending project approval.
o. The City of Santa Clarita Development Review Committee met and supplied the
applicant with draft conditions of approval.
P. The project proposes the extension of all utility services to the project site.
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q. Article 8-- Specific Plans Sec 65451 et seq. of the California Planning and Zoning
Laws defines the contents which must be included in a specific plan as follows:
(a) A specific plan shall include a text and a diagram or diagrams which
specify all of the following in detail:
(1) The distribution, location, and extent of the uses of land, including
open space, within the area covered by the plan.
(2) The proposed distribution, location, and extent and intensity of major
components of public and private transportation, sewage, water drainage,
solid waste disposal, energy, and other essential facilities proposed to be
located within the area covered by the plan and needed to support the
land uses described in the plan.
(3) Standards and criteria by which development will proceed, and
standards for the conservation, development, and utilization of natural
resources, where applicable.
(4) A program of implementation measures including regulations,
programs, public work projects, and financing measures necessary to
carry out paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
(b) The specific plan shall include a statement of the relationship of the
specific plan to the general plan.
r. Section 17.16.030 of the City's Unified Development Code (UDC) identifies
general requirements and performance standards for a specific plan zone. A
Specific Plan Zone shall:
(a) Include a minimum of 100 contiguous acres.
(b) Be determined by the Council after considering the recommendation of
the Planning Commission.
(c) Provide for the development of a comprehensively planned community
within the zone that is superior to development otherwise allowable under
alternate regulations.
(d) Provide for development within the zone in a manner consistent with the
General Plan and with related development and growth policies of the
City.
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(e) Provide for the construction, improvement, or extension of transportation
facilities, public utilities, and public services required by development
within the zone.
S. A duly noticed public hearing was held by the City Council on November 4, 1997
at 6:30 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Santa
Clarita. At this meeting, the Council considered the project's Draft EIR, the
Final EIR, information provided in staff reports, the general plan amendment
text, the proposed specific plan document, the entitlement requests, the proposed
prezone for the property, the Annexation and Development Agreement, the
Planning Commission's considerations, and public testimony regarding the
project. The public hearing for the project was continued, with subsequent
meetings being held on November 25, 1997, December 2, 1997, December 9, 1997,
and December 18, 1997. The City Council formally closed the public hearing on
December 9, 1997, and continued the item for action to the meeting of December
18, 1997. The meeting of December 18 was held at 8:00 a.m. at the City Council
Chambers, 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Santa Clarita.
SECTION 2. Based upon the above findings of fact, oral and written testimony and
other evidence received at the public hearings held for the project, and upon studies and
investigations made by the City Council find as follows:
a. At the hearing described above, the City Council considered staff and consultant
presentations, staff reports, applicant presentations, and public testimony on the
proposal, and the FEIR prepared for the project.
b. The Specific Plan complies with Article 8 --Specific Plans Sec 65451 et seq. of
the California Planning and Zoning Laws by including the required text and
diagrams which specify all of the detail as described in Section Lq of this
Resolution No. P97-20.
C. The design of the subdivision and the type of improvements will not cause serious
public health problems, since water, sewage disposal, fire protection and other
public services and utilities are addressed in the Specific Plan, MMRP and
Conditions of Approval.
d. The project complies with the general requirements and performance standards
for the Specific Plan Zone. The project is consistent with the intent of the
Specific Plan Zone which was created to: facilitate development of certain areas
by permitting greater flexibility and consequently, more creative and imaginative
designs; promote more economical and efficient use of land while providing a
harmonious variety of choices, higher level of amenities, and preservation of
natural and scenic qualities of open space; and ensure that development
Reso. 97-127
Page 8
substantially conforms to the approved plans.
e. Following a redesignation of the North Valencia Specific Plan area to SP (Specific
Plan) and the MWD ownership area to OS (Open Space) on the City's General
Plan land use map, prezone SP (Specific Plan Zone) and OS (Open Space) as
identified in the Specific Plan for this project and adoption of the Specific Plan,
this Specific Plan project will be consistent with the City's General Plan and
Zoning Ordinance.
f. The City Council has adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations for those
impacts in the project which cannot be mitigated to less than significant levels
and certified the FEIR for the project (Resolution 97-126).
SECTION 3. Based upon the foregoing facts and findings, the City Council hereby find
as follows:
a. An FEIR, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan (MMRP) and a Statement
of Overriding Considerations for this project have been prepared and circulated
in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and adopted as
certified as required by that Act.
b. This project as modified by the Planning Commission and City Council will not
adversely affect the health, peace, comfort or welfare of persons residing in the
area; nor be materially detrimental to the use, enjoyment, or valuation of
property in the vicinity of the project site; nor jeopardize, endanger or otherwise
constitute a menace to the public health, safety, or general welfare since the
project conforms with the zoning ordinance and is compatible with surrounding
land uses.
C. The project is compatible with existing development in the area, consistent with
the City's General Plan and Zoning, and consistent with the State Planning and
Zoning Laws.
d. The applicant has substantiated the findings for approving a general plan
amendment, haul route, vesting tentative tract map and oak tree permit.
SECTION 4. The City Council hereby approves the following entitlements requested
under Master Case Nos. 95-242, 96-120, 97-041, and 97-063: General Plan Amendment 97-001
to the amend the Land Use Element Text and Land Use Map with text and map changes
attached hereto as Exhibit "A", Vesting Tentative Tract Map 51931, Oak Tree Permit 97-009
and a haul route and subject to the VTTM conditions which are attached hereto and
incorporated herein by this reference as Exhibit "B", which includes the MMRP which is
incorporated herein by this reference as Exhibit "C".
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Page 9
SECTION 5. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution and certify
this record to be a full, complete, and correct copy of the action taken.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 18th day of December —'19 97.
-kl AL�W-
YOR
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) §
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA )
I, Sharon L. Dawson, CMC, City Clerk of the City of Santa Clarita, do hereby certify
that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Clarita
at a regular meeting thereof, held on the 18ttday of December 1997 by the
following vote of Council":
AYES: COUNCILMEM3ERS: Boyer, Klajic, Darcy, Smyth, Heidt
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEM 3ERS: None
CITY CLERK
0
Reso. 97-127
Page 10
Exhibit A
General Plan Text and Map Changes
Incorporated by Reference
Exhibits on file in the Department of Planning and Building Services
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Reso. 97-127
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Exhibit B
Conditions of Approval
Incorporated by Reference
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s: \cd\munch\res9712711f
Exhibit C
Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
Incorporated by Reference
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