PC RES 2009-024 P.C. RESOLUTION NO. 2009-24
RESOLUTION F THE PLANNINGCOMMISSION THE
CITY OF RANCHO PALOSVERDES FINDING THAT THE
CITY'S ACQUISITION VACANT 0.04-ACRE PARCEL
ON HAWTHORNE BOULEVARDTTI P POINT
VICENTE PARK AND CMC CENTER FOR PUBLIC PARK
AND TRAIL PURPOSES, LOCATED 30940 HAWTHORNE
BOULEVARD (A PARCEL . 73-002-011),
IS CONSISTENT IT THE GOALSPOLICIES F THE
RANCHOP L S VERDES GENERAL PLAN
WHEREAS,on December 2,2008,the City Council considered and accepted Staff's
recommendation to acquire a tax-defaulted property located on Hawthorne Boulevard
abutting Upper Point Vicente Park and Civic Center; and,
WHEREAS, on May 5, 2009, the City Manager advised the Planning Division that
the necessary agreements to complete the acquisition of said property were being drafted;
and,
WHEREAS, Section 65402(a) of the California Government Code requires that no
real property shall be acquired by dedication or otherwise for street, square, park or other
public purposes, if the adopted general plan or part thereof applies thereto, until the
location, purpose and extent of such acquisition have been submitted to and reported upon
by the planning agency as to conformity with said adopted general plan or part thereof;
and,
WHEREAS, the City Manager's request on May 5, 2009, initiated a General Plan
Consistency Finding for the acquisition of the 0.04-acre parcel at 30940 Hawthorne
Boulevard; and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act,
Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et. seq. ("CEQA"), the State's CEQA Guidelines,
California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15000 et. seq., the City's Local CEQA
Guidelines, and Government Code Section 65962.5(f)(Hazardous Waste and Substances
Statement),the City of Rancho Palos Verdes reviewed the request and determined that the
proposed request would not have a significant impact on the environment and has,
therefore, been determined to be categorically exempt (Class 16, Section 15316); and,
WHEREAS,the Planning Commission conducted a hearing on June 9, 2009,within
forty(40)days of the date the request was initiated by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, at
which time all interested parties were given an opportunity to be heard and present
evidence.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: The Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission hereby finds as
follows with respect to the location, purpose and extent of the acquisition of the vacant,
0.04-acre tax-defaulted property at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard (Assessor's Parcel
No. 7573-002-011):
A. The location of the property acquisition is consistent with the Rancho Palos Verdes
General Plan. The subject property is located adjacent to Upper Point Vicente Park
and Civic Center,which accounts for the Recreational-Passive land use designation
for the property. The property is unimproved, which creates no conflicts with the
Open Space-Recreation (OR) zoning district regulations. The General Plan notes
that "[passive] recreational activities comprise the largest amount of recreational
lands...within the City. This is reflective of the strong desire to maintain an
atmosphere which is compatible with the character of the Peninsula. Most of the
[passive recreational] areas lie along the [coast]. [Passive recreational] facilities
should propose a low structuring, in order that the coastline may be enjoyed in its
natural state." Furthermore, the glossary to the General Plan defines "passive
recreation" as "[outdoor] recreation activities that are non-structured in nature
(picnicking, sightseeing, nature study areas, etc.)." The acquisition of the subject
property will enlarge the Upper Point Vicente Park and Civic Center property,
thereby increasing opportunities for passive recreational use.
B. The purpose of the property acquisition is consistent with the Rancho Palos Verdes
General Plan. The primary purpose of the property acquisition is to consolidate the
City's ownership of the properties that comprise Upper Point Vicente Park and Civic
Center prior to any future redevelopment of the civic center. Development of this
property is strictly limited by its current OR zoning and the Program of Utilization
approved by the National Park Service. In addition, several Recreational Activity
Policies in the City's General Plan support the acquisition of this property for public
park purposes.
As a possible secondary purpose, the subject property could serve to facilitate the
improvements of pedestrian trails or other right-of-way improvements for Hawthorne
Boulevard. The specific trail that affects the subject property is the Hawthorne trail,
as identified in the City's Conceptual Trails Plan. This segment is categorized as
"Category III," meaning that it is located within the public right-of-way. However,the
acquisition of the subject property could provide additional City-owned property
abutting the public right-of-way to accommodate future improvements to the trail. In
addition, several Transportation System Policies in the City's General Plan support
the acquisition of this property for trail purposes.
C. The extent of the property acquisition is consistent with the Rancho Palos Verdes
General Plan. The subject property is a vacant 0.04-acre parcel. There are no
other similarly-situated small, vacant parcels in the immediate vicinity that abut City
P.C. Resolution No. 2009-24
Page 2 of 4
property. The acquisition of this property would assist in facilitating the
development of the City's Civic Center Master Plan.
Section 2: Any interested person aggrieved by this decision or by any portion of
this decision may appeal to the City Council. Pursuant to Section 17.80.070 of the Rancho
Palos Verdes Municipal Code, any such appeal must be filed with the City, in writing,
setting forth the grounds of the appeal and any specific actions requested by the appellant,
and accompanied by the appropriate appeal fee, no later than fifteen (15) days following
June 9, 2009, the date of the Planning Commission's final action.
Section 3: For the foregoing reasons and based on the information and findings
included in the Staff Report, Minutes and all other records of the proceedings, which are
attached hereto and made a part thereof by reference, the Planning Commission hereby
finds that the City's acquisition of a vacant 0.04-acre parcel on Hawthorne Boulevard
abutting Upper Point Vicente Park and Civic Center for public park and trail purposes,
located at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard (Assessor's Parcel No. 7573-002-011), is
consistent with the goals and policies of the Rancho Palos Verdes General Plan.
P.C. Resolution No. 2009-24
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PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 9th day of June 2009, by the following
vote:
AYES: Commissioner Knight, Perestam, Ruttenberg,Tetreault, Tomblin,Vice Chairman
Gerstner, Chairman Lewis
NOES: None
ABSTENTIONS: None
ABSENT: None
RECUSALS: None
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P.C. Resolution No. 2009-24
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