Planning Commission Agenda Packet 102225 (1)

P25-0352, PMC Amendments Planning Commission 4 of 9 Over the past ten years, staff has processed an average of 110 ADRs annually . A typical ADR takes approximately 3.5 to 7.5 hours to process; on aggregate, this accounts for the equivalent of approximately 20 to 40 percent of a full-time employee (FTE, Associate Planner). This figure does not include hours spent by other City divisions and administrative staff. Over the past five years, staff has processed an average of 42 Design Review applications annually. Hours spent processing DR applications are harder to quantify, since they can vary widely from project to project, and in many cases, applications are processed in tandem with other land use approvals/entitlements. A breakdown of the data can be viewed in Exhibit B. DR for small residential and commercial projects, which form the largest share of applications processed, can demand almost as much time and resources to process as larger projects. Because even small projects require professionally prepared plans, the DR process particularly burdens homeowners and small business owners. Additionally, staff resources expended are disproportionate to the benefit achieved by subjecting so many small projects to an exhaustive design review process. Noticing Currently, the public notification radius requirements outlined in PMC Chapter 18.12, throughout PMC Title 18, and specified in adopted City Council Resolution No. 91-132, Exhibit C, far exceed those specified in the Government Code. For projects subject to Planning Commission review and approval, a 1,000-foot radius is used for public noticing, where a 300- foot radius is required by Government Code Sections 65090 and 65091. Additionally, while not required by Government Code, the City adopted an administrative policy for On-Site Project notification, which was reviewed by the Planning Commission at its May 25, 2022, meeting. This requires on-site project notifications for projects or applications that are subject to a public hearing before the Planning Commission or City Council, projects that add one or more dwelling units (excluding ADUs), or other projects at the determination of the Zoning Administrator (ZA). The on-site noticing policy has proven effective and relatively easy for applicants to implement. For many projects where no public hearing, public notice, or on-site project notification is required (e.g., residential additions subject to Administrative Design Review), the City currently sends out project notification cards to immediately adjacent neighbors. Pursuant to the PMC, the mailed project notification radius is determined on a project-by-project basis and is determined by the ZA. Project notification is intended to allow an opportunity for neighbors near a project to identify concerns or request public hearings prior to ZA approval. Historically, requests for ZA hearings are infrequent (typically five or fewer per year), and are most often made for projects involving second-story additions, balconies where there is a perceived impact on privacy, or where there have been pre-existing conflicts or disagreements between neighbors. ZA hearings rarely result in outright denial of a project, but sometimes result in additional design measures included in a project to address neighbor concerns. Appeals As outlined in PMC Chapter 18.144, the current appeal process is lengthy and can last 15 to more than 30 days. The effective appeal period can vary substantially from project to project because expiration of the period is based on provisions allowing City Council to review (“call up”) actions of a ZA or Planning Commission decision as specified in PMC Section 18.144.010 (B) and other associated PMC sections. These provisions can cause lengthy delays in