CC SR 20170606 08 - Rue Le Charlene AnnexationRANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE: 06/06/2017
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA DESCRIPTION:
Consideration and possible action regarding the possible annexation of three (3)
properties on Rue Le Charlene in San Pedro.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive the Staff report regarding procedure to annex three (3) properties from
San Pedro; and,
(2) Provide direction to Staff and the applicants, as appropriate.
FISCAL IMPACT: The applicants have expressed willingness to cover all costs
associated with the City's annexation of their properties. If annexed, the City's
additional costs to provide services to these properties is expected to be negligible.
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Kit Fox, AICP, Senior Administrative Analyst?
REVIEWED BY: Gabriella Yap, Deputy City Manager�j-
APPROVED BY: Doug Willmore, City Manager'
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Aerial photo of Rue Le Charlene properties (page A-1)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
There are three (3) properties on Rue Le Charlene that are located in San Pedro (i.e.,
City of Los Angeles). They are accessible only through the adjacent Rancho Palos
Verdes neighborhood via Chandeleur Drive and Rue Le Charlene (Attachment A). Two
(2) of the homes -1912 and 1910 Rue Le Charlene—were constructed in 1970, prior to
the City's incorporation, while the third home -1908 Rue Le Charlene—was constructed
in 2001. All three (3) homes currently receive mail addressed to "Rancho Palos Verdes,
CA 90275-6372." In addition, the homes all receive the water service from California
Water Service Company that is provided to residents in the adjacent Rancho Palos
Verdes neighborhood.
Over the years, Staff and members of the City Council have occasionally received
inquiries from the owners of these properties about being annexed into Rancho Palos
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Verdes. Most recently, Council Member Misetich asked for this matter to be agendized
for the City Council's discussion at a future meeting on May 16, 2017.
A request to be annexed into the City of Rancho Palos Verdes—and concurrently de -
annexed from the City of Los Angeles—is a process that would start with our City
Council, but would ultimately require the approval and cooperation of several
governmental agencies, including the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County
Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). LAFCO is the agency that has the final
authority to approve so-called "reorganizations of territory" (i.e., annexation/de-
annexation).
Staff understands that the owners of all three (3) Rue Le Charlene properties are
interested in pursuing annexation and are willing to pay the cost of processing the
request. The request to start this process with Rancho Palos Verdes would take the
form of a request to initiate a General Plan Amendment and Zone Change (GPA/ZC) to
"pre -zone" the properties to be consistent with the abutting portion of the City. The
GPA/ZC process would require public hearings before both the Planning Commission
and the City Council, and would be subject to the provisions of the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Once completed, the City Council would also be
asked to adopt a resolution of initiate LAFCO proceedings, which would be submitted to
LAFCO along with the "pre -zoning" ordinance, LAFCO application form and other
materials. The City GPA/ZC process could take six (6) months to a year to complete.
The LAFCO review process involves a detailed analysis of the transfer of territory from
one city to another, including the effects of the transfer upon property tax revenues, the
provision of public services (i.e., police, fire, schools, etc.) and other issues. As a part
of the LAFCO process, the city councils of both cities would be asked to adopt
resolutions dealing with the transfer of property tax revenue and other fiscal issues.
Reluctance and/or refusal of either city to "cooperate" in the process may lead to delays
or denial. Based upon the City's past experience with reorganizations of territory, the
LAFCO review process could take a year to complete.
Additional issues to be considered by the City Council and the potential applicants in
this matter include the following:
There is little or no financial benefit to the City in annexing these properties. The
cost of providing municipal services to single-family homes is typically more than
the small fraction of the annual property tax revenue that the City receives.
However, this is not to say that the proposal does not make sense, especially
since the properties are "land -locked" from the rest of San Pedro and the owners
have to travel through Rancho Palos Verdes to access their properties. Also,
since the City is already serving the existing adjacent neighborhood, the City's
additional cost to provide services to these three (3) properties should be
minimal.
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The City of Los Angeles' openness to this proposal is currently unknown. After
the Eastview area was annexed, the City approached the 15th District Los
Angeles City Council office about the correction of a minor boundary adjustment
along Western Avenue that placed a sliver of Los Angeles territory on the
"wrong" (i.e., west) side of the street. At the time, the City of Los Angeles was
unwilling to agree to a reorganization of territory to adjust this boundary. There
may be similar resistance or opposition to this proposal.
If these properties are annexed into the City, they will become subject to our
Zoning Code, Building Code and other regulations. If the existing properties do
not comply with City codes, they will be deemed nonconforming, which may
place limitations upon the ability to expand or improve them in the future. They
will also become subject to all other City regulations addressing the use and
development of property, such as the View Restoration and Preservation
Ordinance and the ban on short-term rentals.
The reorganization of territory may also affect the provision of municipal services
to these properties, including (but not be limited to) police, fire, waste disposal,
animal control and other functions. The cost of these services to the property
owners might change.
• Another important consideration is the school district that would serve the
annexed properties. There is no guarantee that the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Unified School District (PVPUSD) would agree to allow students in these homes
to attend PVPUSD schools since they would remain outside the District
boundary.
CONCLUSION:
Given that these properties are effectively "land -locked" from the rest of San Pedro and
the residents already benefit from City infrastructure and services for access to their
homes, Staff believes that annexation of these properties is worth pursuing by the City.
However, in the event that the City Council does not currently support annexation, the
property owners may still petition LAFCO to compel the cities of Rancho Palos Verdes
and Los Angeles to engage in this process.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendations, the following alternative action is available for
the City Council's consideration:
Do not consent to the annexation of these properties from San Pedro. As
mentioned above, this will not preclude the property owners from
petitioning LAFCO directly.
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Rue Le Charlene Properties in San Pedro
City Boundary:
Subject Properties:
A-1