REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Create a Community Advisory Committee and a Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee for the Update of the Precise Plan for El Camino Real
Report
BACKGROUND
In December 2014, Council authorized the acceptance of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Priority Development Area (PDA) Planning Grant in the amount of $587,000 to update the 2007 Precise Plan for El Camino Real and prepare the related Environmental Impact Report (RTC14-0974). The main goals of this effort are to effectively engage stakeholders, leaders, businesses and the general community to update the vision, policies and development standards for the Plan area. The resulting product will be the Sunnyvale El Camino Real Corridor Plan (ECR Plan) that will update and replace the 2007 Precise Plan for El Camino Real.
A key component of the update process, and a condition of the MTC Grant, is the formation of a citizens' advisory committee to guide the preparation of the plan. Staff believes that a representative citizen advisory committee would be beneficial for preparing the plan update. The City has formed similar committees for the development of the Lawrence Station Area Plan (Lawrence Station Area Plan Community Advisory Group) and for the update of the Land Use and Transportation Chapter of the General Plan (Horizon 2035 Committee).
EXISTING POLICY
GENERAL PLAN: Community Vision Chapter
Goal CV-1: Achieve a community in which citizens and businesses are informed about local issues and city programs and services.
CV-1.3: Ensure an integrated approach to informing community members about local issues, City programs and services that reaches all segments of a diverse community.
COUNCIL POLICY MANUAL
Policy 7.2.1: Community Engagement-Goals and Policies (Attachment 1)
Policy 7.3.12: City Council Appointments to Intergovernmental Agencies, City Council Subcommittees and Council or Mayor-Created Advisory Task Forces (Attachment 2)
DISCUSSION
Benefits of a Community Advisory Committee
The ECR Plan will guide future development along the corridor and it is essential that the community provide input on the Plan from the beginning of the process. Creating a community advisory committee whose members represent a cross-section of stakeholders within the Plan area will provide broad-based participation in the development of the plan and oversight of the planning process. Committee meetings will facilitate more in-depth education, dialogue and deliberations on relevant policy issues and therefore provide a more open and transparent public review process. As a result, the involvement of the community advisory committee will allow the community to share ownership of the planning process and of the final plan.
Having a community advisory committee is just one strategy to involve community stakeholders in the planning process; it would not replace general outreach to the community, including holding widely noticed community workshops, or the formal public hearing process conducted by the Planning Commission and City Council for adoption of the ECR Plan and associated Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Staff also intends to solicit public input during the planning process through an online community engagement tool (Peak Democracy).
Committee Composition and Selection of Members
According to Council Policy 7.3.12, a community advisory committee (or "Community Member Advisory Task Force" per the policy) can be created by the Mayor or City Council. Staff suggests that given the policy-level responsibilities of the community advisory committee, it is appropriate to have the committee be a "Council Created Task Force" that would be subject to Brown Act open meeting requirements, rather than a "Mayor Created Task Force." The Council policy further states that members of a Council Created Task Force can be appointed by the Council or Council's designee. Per Council policy, staff recommends that the Mayor appoint a City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to review applications. Staff further recommends that the Council designate the Committee to select the members of the community advisory committee without the need for confirmation by the full Council. This would be similar to how past community task forces have been created, such as the Horizon 2035 Committee and the Lawrence Station Area Plan Citizen Advisory Group.
The recommended composition of the community advisory committee consists of residents, business owners and property owners primarily within the ECR Plan study area (includes properties within a half mile of the roadway), as well as representatives serving on City boards and commissions. Alternative 1 suggests the following 12-member composition for the ECR Plan Advisory Committee (ECRPAC) to allow for diverse community representation:
· One (1) member of the Planning Commission
· One (1) member of the Sustainability Commission
· One (1) member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC)
· One (1) member from the Housing and Human Services Commission (HHSC)
· Three (3) business representatives/property owners from the study area
· Three (3) residents from the study area
· One (1) resident from the City at large
· One (1) business representative/property owner from the City at large
For the recommended commission members on the ECRPAC, staff recommends that each of the commissions nominate one member to represent their respective commission. The City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee would confirm these nominations when it selects the other members of the ECRPAC. This would be similar to the past process for selecting commission representatives for the Lawrence Station Area Plan committee.
For a project of this scale, staff recommends a maximum of 12 members in order to better manage meeting schedules and other logistics of committee work. Staff would confer with the Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to appoint replacement members if the ECRPAC membership drops to nine members at any point, or if a new Commission representative needs to be appointed.
Following Council's approval of the general composition of the ECRPAC and creation by the Mayor of a Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to select the members, staff will prepare recruitment announcements and an application form to solicit applications from members of the community. Announcements would be posted on City bulletin boards, KSUN, in the Sunnyvale Sun and on the City's website. Announcements will also be sent to those members of the community who have contacted staff to be placed on the mailing list for updates on the project. Staff will ask the identified Commissions to select a representative Commissioner for recommendation to the Council Advisory Committee. It is anticipated that the ECRPAC would be formed by June 2015.
Member Commitment
Staff is in the process of using a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a consultant (or team) with the required expertise to prepare the ECR Plan. It is anticipated that the consultant selection process will be completed by May 2015. Staff will present to Council a contract with the staff recommended consultant, as well as a detailed work plan and community involvement plan outlining the schedule of meetings for the ECRPAC.
Once the work plan is finalized, staff anticipates the commitment for ECRPAC members would be approximately six to eight meetings over 12-15 months, primarily during the beginning and towards the end of the planning process. The Committee members will be expected to provide input throughout the planning process to help the consultant and staff develop land use alternatives for the Plan area, select a preferred alternative, and review the final documents that will ultimately be presented to Planning Commission and City Council.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
An Environmental Impact Report is being prepared in connection with the ECR Plan. The creation of the Citizen Advisory Committee does not require separate environmental review.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the ECR Plan effort will be provided through the MTC Grant of $587,000 and the $80,000 appropriated towards the project in the General Fund for the required local match. The required local match can also include in-kind staff costs. The inclusion of a community member advisory committee in the planning process is a requirement of the grant and would require some additional time for staff support, meeting preparation and expanded outreach. Incidental expenses (e.g. as meeting, noticing and copying costs) will come from the City's matching project budget.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the 12-member composition of the ECRPAC, and have the Mayor appoint a City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee composed of three Councilmembers to select the members of the ECRPAC.
2. Modify the 12-member composition of the ECRPAC, and either have the Mayor appoint a City Council sub-committee of three Councilmembers to select the members of the ECRPAC or have the full Council appoint the members of the ECRPAC.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve the 12-member composition of the ECRPAC, and have the Mayor appoint a City Council Ad Hoc Advisory Committee composed of three Councilmembers to select the members of the ECRPAC.
Staff
Prepared by: Rosemarie Zulueta, Associate Planner
Reviewed by: Trudi Ryan, Planning Officer
Reviewed by: Hanson Hom, Director, Community Development
Reviewed by: Robert A. Walker, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Council Policy 7.2.1
2. Council Policy 7.3.12