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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-07-13 - AGENDA REPORTS - GPA SAND CANYON RD MC 03-437 (2)Agenda Item:_ CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT PUBLIC HEARING City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: Fred Follstad DATE: July 13, 2004 SUBJECT: MASTER CASE 03-437 (GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT 03-004)-A MODIFICATION TO THE THE CIRCULATION ELEMENT TO REDESIGNATE SAND CANYON ROAD TO A LIMITED SECONDARY HIGHWAY. DEPARTMENT: Planning and Building Services RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council open the Public Hearing, receive public testimony, and adopt a resolution which modifies the Circulation Element of the City's General Plan to reclassify Sand Canyon Road between Lost Canyon Road and Placerita Canyon Road from the existing Major Highway designation to a modified Limited Secondary Highway designation and adopt the associated Negative Declaration. BACKGROUND In 1991, the City of Santa Clarita adopted its first General Plan after incorporation. The circulation element identified Sand Canyon Road as a Major Highway at 104 feet of right-of-way in width similar to the previous Los Angeles County designation. However, the General Plan recognized that the road was rural in nature and, therefore, only required the 104 -foot dedication and allowed the road to be constructed with one lane in each direction with trails included in the extra right-of-way. In 1999, the City updated the Circulation Element of the General Plan. The Major Highway status was upgraded to a 116—foot right-of-way requirement. The amendment identified Sand Canyon Road as a Major Highway from Soledad Canyon Road to Placerita Canyon Road. However, the same document also identified Sand Canyon Road south of Lost Canyon Road as a Limited -Secondary Highway. The right-of-way for this type of roadway is 84 feet. The attached exhibit shows the segment of Sand Canyon Road from Lost Canyon Road to Placerita Canyon Road. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The City is proposing to modify the Circulation Element of the City's General Plan to address an inconsistency with the required width of Sand Canyon Road. As stated above, the General Plan identifies the segment of Sand Canyon Road from Placerita Canyon Road to Lost Canyon Road as both a Major Highway and a Limited Secondary Highway. While both identify Sand Canyon Road as a two-lane road with a "Class I" separated trail, there is a 32 foot difference in the required right-of-way (116' versus 84'). Since the City has routinely required the 58 foot dedication from the centerline on all projects along Sand Canyon Road, this has created a number of conflicts with residents trying to develop their properties. This issue in the General Plan surfaced when a resident submitted a request to construct an accessory structure on his property. Based upon the requirement that prohibits the construction of structures within the ultimate right-of-way of a highway, the resident was required to locate the structure approximately 55 feet from the street. Last year, staff was directed by the City Council to review the future needs of the roadway and process any required modifications. Staff members from Planning, Engineering and Parks met to discuss the issue and reevaluate the 116 foot requirement. After a field visit with staff to analyze the existing roadway and any future needs, it was determined by staff that an 84 -foot right-of-way would be adequate. Within this 84 -foot right-of-way would be one travel lane in each direction, a left turn lane where required, a bike lane in each direction, an emergency tum -off lane in each direction and an equestrian trail of which a portion is already completed. There would also be sufficient room within the right-of-way to meander these improvements around the oak trees. In addition, staff will bring forth as part of the upcoming Unified Development Code (UDC) clean-up, a development review process that would allow staff the ability to review requests on a case by case basis. This modification would give staff the flexibility to review each specific location. On April 6, 2004, the Planning Commission unamimosly adopted Resolution PO4-11 which recommended the City Council approve the proposed General Plan Amendment. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Staff has identified the following alternative actions the City Council may take: Council could deny the the project and leave the right-of-way at the existing 116' requirement; or, 2. Any other action as determined by the City Council. FISCAL IMPACT No fiscal impacts are identified by staff. ATTACHMENTS Map Resolution Negative Declaration (In Reading File) Initial Study (In Reading File) Correspondence (In Reading File) CITY OF SANTA CLARITA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING/INTENT TO ADOPT A NEGATIVE DECLARATION APPLICATION: Master Case Number 03-437 General Plan Amendment 03-004 PROJECT PROPONENT: City of Santa Clarita Planning and Building Services Department 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Suite 302 Santa Clarita, CA 91355 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Circulation Element of the General Plan for the City of Santa Clarita identifies Sand Canyon Road as both a Major Highway and a Limited Secondary Highway. The project would clarify the existing situation to identify Sand Canyon Road from Lost Canyon Road to the City of Santa Clarita Limits as a Limited Secondary Highway for right-of-way purposes and require the roadway to be a two-lane road with additional roadway width at intersections for traffic safety purposes. Portions of the additional right-of-way would be utilized as a future equestrian/pedestrian trail. No construction is proposed with this project. A public hearing on this matter will be conducted by the City of Santa Clarita City Council on: DATE: July 13, 2004 TIME: 6:00 PM LOCATION: City Council Chambers 23920 Valencia Boulevard, First Floor Santa Clarita, CA 91355 A DRAFT NEGATIVE DECLARATION has been prepared for the proposed development and will be available for public review beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday June 21, 2004 at: City Hall Planning and Building Service Department 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Suite 302 Santa Clarita, CA 91355 A copy of the draft negative declaration (without all supporting documents) will be posted at the Los Angeles County Public Library, Valencia Branch during the public review period noted above. If you wish to challenge the action taken on this matter in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or written correspondence delivered to the City of Santa Clarita at, or prior to, the public hearing. For further information regarding this proposal, please contact the City of Santa Clarita Department of Planning and Building Services, 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Suite 302, Santa Clarita, CA 91355. Telephone: (661) 255- 4330. Project Planner, Fred Follstad. Sharon L. Dawson, CMC City Clerk Posted: Santa Clarita City Hall June 21, 2004 Published: The Newhall Signal June 21, 2004 Los Angeles County Public Library, Valencia Branch