CC RES 2014-059 RESOLUTION NO. 2014-59
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES INSTITUTING A POLICY FOR IDENTIFYING THE
VIEWING STATION DESCRIBED IN THE CITY'S COASTAL SPECIFIC
PLAN CORRIDORS ELEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING
THE VISUAL IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FROM THE
PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY FOR PROJECTS WITHIN THE CITY'S
DESIGNATED COASTAL DISTRICT THAT ARE NOT LOCATED WITHIN
A DEFINED VISUAL CORRIDOR.
WHEREAS, on March 4, 2014, the City Council received a report on the
implementation of the City's Coastal Specific Plan (CSP) that primarily focused on the
Corridors Element relating to the viewing station for development projects within defined
(as depicted in Figure 26) and non-defined visual corridors. For development projects
that are not located in the CSP's specific visual corridors, the CSP states that in order to
protect the visual relationship between Palos Verdes Drive West / Palos Verdes Drive
South and the ocean, no building should project into a 2-degree down arc zone, as
measured along the shortest distance between the viewing station and the coastline. For
projects located outside the specific view corridors, every effort is made to protect ocean
views on a case-by-case basis, depending on the topography, geology, and viewing
stations that apply to each individual project; and,
WHEREAS, given the City's practice for establishing the viewing station for
projects not located within a defined visual corridor, the City Council directed Staff to
develop a policy that would consistently establish the viewing station for purposes of
applying the 2-degree down arc called for in the Coastal Specific Plan for projects not
located within a specific view corridor and provide the maximum view protection from the
public right-of-way; and,
WHEREAS, on September 2, 2014, the City Council approved revised policy
language that institutes criteria for identifying the viewing station for development projects
not located within a defined visual corridor and directed Staff to bring back a Resolution
adopting the City Council policy;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Council hereby adopts the Policy that is set forth in Exhibit
"A" hereto, which establishes the method to identify the viewing station described in the
City's Coastal Specific Plan Corridors Element for purposes of determining the visual
impact of development projects from the public right-of-way for projects within the City's
designated Coastal District that are not located within a defined visual corridor.
PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED this 16th day of September, 2014.
Mayor
ATTEST:
l
City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )ss
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES )
I, Carla Morreale, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the
above Resolution No. 2014-59 was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said
City Council at a regular meeting held on September 16, 2014.
City Clerk
Resolution No. 2014-59
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RESOLUTION NO. 2014-59
EXHIBIT "A"
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
NUMBER: 49
DATE ADOPTED/AMENDED: September 16, 2014
SUBJECT: Coastal Specific Plan Corridors Element— Identifying a Viewing
Station to Assess Visual Impacts of a Proposed Project Located
Outside of a Visual Corridor
POLICY:
To protect the visual relationship between Palos Verdes Drive West/ Palos Verdes Drive
South and the ocean in areas that are not part of an identified visual corridor, as identified
in Figure 26 of the Visual Element, the City's Coastal Specific Plan states that no buildings
should project into a zone measured 2-degrees down-arc from horizontal as measured
along the shortest distance between the "viewing station" and the coastline (Page C-12
of the Coastal Specific Plan). It shall be the policy of the City that for purposes of this
requirement, the "viewing station" shall be at an elevation that is 3-feet above the "fog
line" (painted white line/bike lane line) adjacent to the vehicle travelling lane along the
seaward side of Palos Verdes Drive West or Palos Verdes Drive South where the best
and most important view exists over the site of the proposed project. The viewing station
may or may not be immediately adjacent to the subject property line. This policy is not
intended to supersede any existing condition of approval that is more restrictive in
preserving views from Palos Verdes Drive West or Palos Verdes Drive South.
DISCUSSION:
The State of California's Coastal Act, enacted in 1976, mandates that coastal jurisdictions
establish a local coastal plan that regulates local land use decisions within a defined
coastal district. It is through the Coastal Act that the City's Coastal Specific Plan (CSP)
was adopted by the City Council on December 19, 1978 thereby creating a Coastal
District located seaward of Palos Verdes Drive West and South, along the City's 7.5 miles
of coastline. The CSP is intended to protect the natural features, such as geology,
shoreline character, and biota of the coastline while controlling the character of
development and providing access to the coast. Similar to the City's General Plan, the
CSP is divided into five elements, one of which is the Corridors Element.
The Corridors Element identifies five basic categories of"corridors."As utilized within the
CSP, the term "corridor" includes a full range of interrelated linear and non-linear
elements that provide functional, protection and preservation, definitions and linking
capabilities. One of the five corridors identified in the Corridor Element is the category of
visual corridors.
Visual corridors have dimensions for "vistas" and "views." Vistas have a viewing station,
object or objects to be seen and an intermediate area. Views have a viewing station but
do not have a specific focus or object to be seen and have broad focal points which have
an unlimited arc and depth. The visual corridors identified in the CSP are considered to
have the greatest degree of visual value and interest to the greatest number of viewers.
As a result, the CSP sets criteria for identifying viewing stations to assess proposed
development projects located within identified visual corridors. Furthermore, the CSP
establishes specific height zones for projects located within the same identified visual
corridors.
However, the CSP does not establish criteria for identifying viewing stations to assess the
visual impacts of development projects located outside of a CSP visual corridor. This City
Council policy establishes the criteria to be used to determine the location of the "viewing
station" in areas located outside of a specified view corridor from which the visual impacts
of proposed projects shall be assessed in order to maximize the protection of vistas and
views within the Coastal District.
Resolution No. 2014-59
Exhibit A
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