RPVCCA_CC_SR_2014_09_16_F_Coastal_Specific_PlanCITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
MEMORANDUM
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: JOEL ROJAS, AICP, ~NIM"'UNITY
DIRECTOR ov DEVELOPMENT
DATE: . SEPTEMBER 16, 2014
SUBJECT: COASTAL SPECIFIC PLAN CORRIDORS ELEMENT -
ADOPTION OF CITY COUNCIL POLICY FOR
IDENTIFYING A VIEWING STATION
REVIEWED:CAROL YNN PETRU, ACTING CITY MANAGER@
Project Manager: Ara Mihranian, AICP, Deputy Community Development Directo~
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt Resolution No. 2014-XX adopting City Council Policy No. 49 thereby 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 that are not located within a defined visual corridor.
DISCUSSION
Pursuant to Council directive at the September 2, 2014 meeting, the City Council is being
asked to adopt a Resolution adopting a City Council Policy that establishes criteria for
identifying the viewing station described in the City's Coastal Specific Plan Corridors
Element for development projects that are not located within a defined visual corridor. In
order to provide maximum view protection from the public right-of-way, the Policy states
that the viewing station shall be at a point along the street where the best and most
important view exists over the site of the proposed project at an elevation that is 3-feet
above the "fog line" (painted white line/bike lane line) along the vehicle travelling lane on
the seaward side of Palos Verdes Drive West or Palos Verdes Drive South. Additionally,
the Policy preserves any existing project's condition of approval that is more restrictive in
preserving views from Palos Verdes Drive West or Palos Verdes Drive South.
The policy attached as Exhibit "A" is the same as presented at the September 2nd meeting
with the exception to one sentence that was changed into two sentences (The viewing
station may or may not be immediately adjacent to the subject property line).
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CC POLICY -CSP CORRIDOR ELEMENT
SEPTEMBER 16, 2014
PAGE2
FISCAL IMPACTS
Adoption of the City Council Policy will not result in fiscal impacts to the City's General
Fund since the implementation of establishing the viewing station for development projects
will be borne by each developer.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached Resolution adopting City
Council Policy No. 49 for establishing the viewing station described in the City's Coastal
Specific Plan Corridors Element for development projects that are not located within a
defined visual corridor.
ATTACHMENTS
• Draft Resolution No. 2014-XX
o Exhibit "A" -City Council Policy No. 49
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RESOLUTION NO. XX
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 I 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.
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PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED this 15th day of September, 2014.
MAYOR
ATTEST:
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. XX was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City
Council at a regular meeting held on September 16, 2014.
Carla Morreale, City Clerk
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
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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 I 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.
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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.
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