(18)AR 110607 Regional Park Update

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Regional Park Update / Land Use Discussion November 6, 2007 City Council meeting Page 3 of 4 The potential applicant is informed that this process may take up to 18 months to complete. Staff has collected changes to the current land use designations of the GP as proposed by potential applicants and will consider these requests with the General Plan Consultant as part of the overall General Plan revision process. If a potential applicant wishes to pursue the GP and ZC amendment at their own risk and costs, they are informed that the application fee consists of (1) Zone Change, $1,375 plus $35.00 per acre, (2) General Plan Amendment, $1,800, (3) Environmental Assessment, $425.00, and (4) Architectural and Site Plan Review, ranging from $210.00 to $2,138.00 The applicant is also informed that Staff will recommend "Denial" of the request, as it may be "inconsistent' with the land use designation that may be considered during the current update of the Land Use Element of the General Plan. Given staff opinion that development of a Regional Park across the entire 100 acres is unlikely, the City Council will be asked to consider alternative land use designations as part of the General Plan update process. This process will include community outreach in the affected neighborhoods and will also include dialog with the affected property owners. The difficulty with establishing a moratorium for this area is that the law requires the City to approve a moratorium based upon findings that .the moratorium is needed due to a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, or welfare from approval of additional subdivisions, use permits, variances and building permits. Government Code, Section 65858(c) provides that: "The legislative body shall not adopt ...any interim ordinance ... unless the ordinance contains legislative findings that there is a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, or welfare, and that the approval of additional subdivisions, use permits, variances, building permits, or any other applicable entitlement for use which is required in order to comply with a zoning ordinance would result in that threat to public health, safety, or welfare." In this case, the area is substantially zoned for open space uses and there have been no applications filed requesting approval of subdivisions, use permits, variance or building permits. Thus, it would be challenging to develop findings to document a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare. All of the inquiries to date have been requested for legislative acts (i.e. General Plan amendments and Zone Changes) which the Council is under no obligation to approve. Pellisier Ranch Specific Plan Activity At a meeting on October 24, 2007 County Regional Park staff, City staff and our Pellisier Ranch Specific Plan consultant reviewed the progress of the Specific Planning effort and the potential to develop a Regional Park component within that Specific Plan. The purpose of the meeting was to review the requirements ("Wish List") for a County Regional Park to determine what elements might be able to be planned into the Specific Plan area. The following are concepts / ideas that were shared with the City staff and Specific Plan consultant: • Tent and RV camping, with potential tie-in, via Washington Avenue, to Colton's RV dealers; • Equestrian uses throughout the La Loma Hills and adjacent to the Santa Ana River; • Nature interaction along the Santa Ana River, with an educational nature center built alongside the River; • A more intimate interactive experience with the River, through the Santa Ana River Trail, which is not accessible from the original site;