SR-400-001 (4)
'61-\
OCT 2 6 2004
PCD:SF:AS:F:\CityPlanning\Share\CQUNCIL\STRPT\2004\LUE-ZO Jt CC-PC 10-26.doc
Council Mtg: October 26, 2004 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor, Council members, Planning Commissioners
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Joint Discussion of the Land Use and Circulation Element and Zoning
Ordinance Update; Introduction of Project Team; Discussion of Roles and
Resources; Review and Approval of the Public Participation Program
INTRODUCTION
Santa Monica is entering a significant and exciting phase in the evolution of the
community. The update to the Land Use and Circulation Elements of the General Plan
and the Zoning Ordinance is a rare opportunity for the community to coalesce in
formulating a shared vision for the next twenty years. The measure of success will be
an informative and respectful process where all voices are heard, culminating in a vision
that represents the will of the community.
This report introduces the first steps toward adoption of the Land Use and Circulation
Element and Zoning Ordinance. The joint session of the City Council and Planning
Commission will provide an overview of the general plan, introduce the project team
assembled by Dyett and Bhatia, obtain community input, and invite discussion among
the City Council, Planning Commission, staff and consultant team on the best ways to
elicit the broadest possible public participation. The meeting will be an opportunity to
provide input on the proposed strategies and discuss the roles of participants in the
process. Council can than provide direction to staff on the proposed process.
~A
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OCI 2 6 2004
BACKGROUND
Cities generally update their General Plan Land Use and Circulation Elements every 15-
20 years. In Santa Monica, it has been twenty years since the current Land Use and
Circulation Element (LUCE) was adopted. The Zoning Ordinance, the implementing
document for the General Plan, was last updated 16 years ago.
While some policies of the Land Use and Circulation Elements may still resonate for
Santa Monica today, others do not and there is no question it is time to re-vision. There
is general agreement the Zoning Ordinance has become overly complex and difficult to
interpret, resulting in challenges for the public, regulatory bodies and staff.
For the community as a whole, the update of the LUCE is a critical opportunity to
establish a future vision for Santa Monica. For planning professionals (both staff and
consultants), and for appointed and elected officials alike, this is a challenging
undertaking, not the least because its success depends on engaging and holding the
attention of those who will be most closely affected by the plans. In this era, when free
time is scarce and community participation competes with other obligations, sustaining
public engagement over a period of two years will be particularly challenging. Council,
Commissioners and staff have all experienced City processes that began with wide
engagement but, due to the elapsed time from conception to execution, resulted in
members of the public feeling disconnected from the finished product.
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Defining constructive ways to work together to ensure a final product within a
reasonable time frame, one that is informed by broad, sustained and informed public
participation, is an essential first step; and the objective of the joint meeting.
Based on best current practices and with input from staff relative to community process
experience in Santa Monica, the consultant team has prepared a proposed participation
strategy as outlined in Attachment A. On Saturday October 9, 2004, the Planning
Commission met to discuss their interest and concerns. Attachment B provides the
Planning Commission Chair's summary.
DISCUSSION
Santa Monica's Land Use and Circulation Elements, adopted in 1984 with subsequent
amendments, have guided the City's development for the past 20 years. Much of Santa
Monica's built environment today is a reflection of the vision and goals articulated in
these General Plan elements. Social and economic changes, regional influences,
quality of life considerations, and environmental and economic sustainability require
every city at some point to evaluate past visions and identify new directions.
To create a vision for the next 20 years, the Council has initiated a two-year community-
driven process that will evaluate land use distribution and intensity, establish a
transportation network to support the community, consider factors that affect the vitality
of businesses located in the community and the City's economic base, address regional
influences, and incorporate ideals of livability, sustainability, and smart growth. Key to
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the success of this process are the public participation component and mutual
understanding of the important and complementary roles that the Council, Commission
and staff play in developing the LUCE.
Leqal Requirements
Both state and local law establish requirements applicable to the process of updating
the Land Use Element and the Zoning Ordinance. The Brown Act requires that
members of the public be allowed to provide input each time that the Council, Planning
Commission and other administrative bodies consider the updates. CEQA requires the
Planning Commission and Council to objectively evaluate the environmental impacts of
the proposed general plan and zoning ordinance, assess environmentally superior
alternatives and consider ways to mitigate potential environmental impacts. This
responsibility may create a legal limitation upon the Commission's and Council's
participation in the actual preparation of drafts; but it certainly does not preclude their
giving a wide range of directions to staff and reviewing and proposing revisions to staff's
work.
Local law is more complex. Municipal Code Section 9.04.20.18.030, by its terms, gives
the Planning Commission authority both to "prepare" the general plan update and to
recommend to the Council whether it be adopted. Were this section interpreted to
delegate to the Commission the authority to actually draft the general plan update, the
section would be at odds with the City Charter and California case law. City Charter
Section 1008(a) gives the Planning Commission authority to recommend a "Master
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Plan" to the Council, but not its preparation. Moreover, the role of recommending
whether or not to adopt an update may be inconsistent with the role of drafting the
update because one will not presumably recommend against that which one has
prepared.
Most important, the City Charter establishes a council-manager form of government in
which all administrative functions must be performed by staff under the direction of the
manager. California case law makes clear that, in a city where the charter establishes
this form of government, a commission cannot assume responsibility for tasks assigned
to staff, even pursuant to ordinance and even for the most laudable of purposes. In
Brown v. Berkeley, 57 Cal. App. 3d 223 (1976), the Court of Appeal invalidated an
ordinance which established a police review commission with special powers, including
the power to direct staff to perform various clerical functions and to supply any
requested assistance and information. The Court held that this ordinance intruded upon
powers reserved by the City Charter to the City Manager.
These legal parameters do not mean that the Commission and Council cannot fulfill
their separate and crucial roles in directing the updates. They can and must both
participate at each step of the process. However, the legal parameters must be
recognized and observed to protect the integrity of the ultimate result and safeguard it
against legal challenge. These parameters require that staff prepare drafts for
Commission review, remain accountable to the City Manager, and continue to
administer the contracting process pursuant to local law.
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The Roles of City Council, PlanninQ Commission and Staff
The California Supreme Court has called the general plan the "constitution for future
development." The Council, the Planning Commission and staff each play important
and distinct roles in arriving at a final product. The roles are complementary in that
they provide for a "complete" process and resulting documents. From time to time staff
and the Commission, staff and the Councilor the Commission and the Council may
differ with each other's positions. The process provides frequent opportunity to explore
and resolve differences in order to complete this important endeavor in a timely and
reasoned manner.
Staff's role is to carry out the work of drafting the LUCE and Zoning code documents
and administering the process associated with its development. The work is shaped
and guided by policy direction from the Commission and Council and is assisted by
consultants selected by competitive process for their professional expertise.
In addition to guiding the formulation of policy, the Planning Commission's role includes
helping to structure the scope and process of the LUCE and zoning code updates,
making substantive recommendations regarding their content during the preparation
process and conveying formal recommendations to the Council. The process proposed
for the updates recognizes the importance of frequent check-in, review of process
results, progress, and other work through the dedication of one additional Commission
meeting per month for that purpose. As appropriate, those meetings can be held jointly
with other boards and commissions to gain their perspective or may include
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presentations of an educational nature on aspects of the update. The Commission will
also review the Environmental Impact Report that precedes final adoption of the
updates by the City Council and forward a recommendation on its adoption. Decisions
and direction must come by majority vote of the Commission, guided by the body of
open meeting and conflict of interest law.
As elected representatives of the community, the City Council has ultimate responsibility
for policy direction on scope and process, for conceptual approval of the updates, for
certification of the EIR and, finally, for adoption of the updates. In the interest of
achieving timely review and direction and reasonable project duration, joint meetings of
the City Council and the Planning Commission are recommended at key junctures in the
process. Like the Commission, the Council is bound by the body of open meeting and
conflict of interest law and policy guidance. Direction to staff must come from majority
vote.
Proposed Proiect Schedule and Update Process
The update process for both the Land Use and Circulation Elements and Zoning
Ordinance is a coordinated process divided into four phases, 1) background studies and
issues, 2) choices, 3) draft products and 4) final products. The entire project is
scheduled to take two years. The first phase, background studies and issues, is
anticipated to last six months and will actively focus on public education, participation,
and input to identify opportunities and challenges facing the community. During this
phase the Planning Commission will meet at least once a month to discuss issues,
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receive information for review and comment, and provide input to the consultants and
staff. Input from the public, Boards and Commissions will be summarized and presented
in a joint session with the City Council and Planning Commission. Staff will recommend
and receive direction on specific opportunities and challenges for additional focus. In
this phase information regarding discussion of alternative models for measuring traffic
impacts occurs.
The second phase, choices, will last approximately six months and consist of
interactive, educational forums to frame issues and focus public input toward solutions.
In this phase alternatives, the pros and cons of different approaches, and the realization
of a vision should occur. The Planning Commission will continue to meet once a month
and up to four joint meetings will be held by the City Council. At the conclusion of this
phase, the Commission will recommend and the Council will provide direction on a
preferred vision.
The third phase, draft products, anticipated to last six months, begins to transform the
preferred vision into the Land Use and Circulation Elements and Zoning Ordinance.
Throughout this phase the Commission will meet once a month and up to five joint
meetings will be held between the Council and Commission to review material and
provide direction. Environmental review begins at the conclusion of this phase. The
Planning Commission will provide preliminary conceptual approval of a Draft Land Use
and Circulation Element and Zoning Ordinance.
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The last phase, final products, is estimated to last four months and will largely consist of
the completion, review and comment on the environmental impact report. At the
conclusion of this phase, the Planning Commission and Council will approve the final
documents.
Proposed Public Participation Proaram
The public participation program is the foundation that will support and define
community involvement throughout the process. A Land Use and Circulation Element
should reflect the vision of the community, therefore the proposed process is broad
based and far-reaching. The proposed program is based on four guiding principles:
. Educate the public about the purposes of the Land Use Element and Zoning
Ordinance, its physical, economic, and social implications, its process, and how the
public can be involved.
. Inform and interact with the public about planning issues and critical trends that may
affect the City's future.
. Provide opportunities for the vigorous discussion of and effective input regarding
issues, visions, planning principles, growth and development scenarios, planning
policies and programs, and comments on the Environmental Impact Report.
. Achieve public ownership of the recommended updated Land Use Element,
Circulation Element and Zoning Ordinance.
Since it has been over 20 years since the last update process, and because most
people do not know the significance of the documents, the proposed public participation
program focuses on community education as well as participation. The goal of the
proposed program is to facilitate broad input from residents, and from those who work
or do business in the community, and visitors to the community. The challenge is to
motivate participation by individuals not typically involved in land use and planning
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decisions. The proposed process will use a variety of tools to educate and solicit input
including:
. An interactive web site to provide information and gather input
. Newsletters
. "Discover Santa Monica" Guidebook/Driving and Walking Tours to enable
participants to observe and record comments
. Community surveys to include mailings to every address in the City, statistically
accurate phone surveys, internet based surveys and intercept surveys to gather
input from workers and visitors in addition to residents
. Community Workshops
. Presentations and input gathered from groups and organizations throughout the
City such as neighborhood watch groups, school PTAs, neighborhood
organizations, business clubs, and City boards and Commissions and other
stakeholders
. Focus groups
. Children and youth outreach programs
. Press and media releases
. Joint progress reports and decision making meetings between the Planning
Commission and City Council
The attached draft participation plan offers suggested public outreach programs to
educate and facilitate participation and community ownership in the process. This
evening's meeting provides the opportunity for the Council and the Planning
Commission to review and comment on the proposed public participation program and
for Council to provide direction to staff on changes. The plan can be modified if there is
a desire to adjust the guiding principals or proposed outreach methods.
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BUDGET AND FISCAL IMPACTS
The City Manager recommends a budget for adoption by the City Council. The 2004/05
budget made provision for consultant assistance in developing the Land Use and
Circulation Elements and Zoning Ordinance update in the amount of $1 ,648,830 and, as
is customary, funds to support Board and Commission activity at the amount of
$10,000. Significant augmentation of the consultant's scope of work or project duration
will result in additional project costs.
Planning staff and the Commission should define the need for and the most efficient
and effective means of augmenting project related information available to the staff,
Commission, Council and public. The City Manager will consider how and when budget
augmentation may be necessary and provide recommendations to the City Council in
the course of the normal budget development, update and review cycles.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended the Planning Commission and City Council conduct a joint
discussion on the Land Use and Circulation Element and Zoning Ordinance update;
discuss and finalize the proposed public participation program; discuss roles, resources,
and update process; and that City Council provide related direction to staff.
Attachment A:
Attachment B:
Attachment C:
Proposed Public Participation Program
Planning Commission Recommendations
Project Schedule
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Prepared by:
Suzanne Frick, Director
Amanda Schachter, Planning Manager
Lucy Dyke, Transportation Manager
Jonathan Lait, AICP, Acting Principal Planner
Elizabeth Bar-EI, AICP, Associate Planner
Tony Kim, Associate Planner
City Planning Division
Planning and Community Development Department
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Urban ,1nd Region~1 Planners
IAttachment A I
Santa Monica: Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update
DYETT & BHATIA
Draft Public Participation Program
This is a draft of the Public Participation Program for the Land Use Element/Zoning Ordinance
update; the program will be finalized after decision-maker discussion, as part of Task 1 of the
Scope of Work.
The update to the Land Use Element and the Zoning Ordinance offers an opportunity to
define a positive and proactive vision for Santa Monica that will guide many future planning
decisions. The challenge will be to reach out and engage the attention, interest, and active
involvement of a broad representation of Santa Monica's interests. To ensure inclusion
within the practical limits of time and budget, a mix of techniques is proposed that will
provide opportunities for the entire city to be educated about and provide input for the
planning process, as well as provide feedback for decision-making that reflects broad
community viewpoint.
This program will move out of City Hall and will engage individuals, organizations and
groups, communicate using imagery and graphic tools to facilitate understanding of
planning concepts and policies, employ methodologies that foster effective input and assure
participants that their voices have been heard, and build a constituency for the Plan's
policies and programs. In particular, the public involvement program will address the need
to develop an outreach program that speaks to and engages participants of diverse
backgrounds, educational levels, and interests, and one that provides objective feedback
from a broad spectrum of the community, not just self-selected individuals.
OBJECTIVES
An effective public participation program should create confidence in the planning process,
ensure that Plan policies have broad-based understanding and support, and reflect the
interests and needs of the community. Successful Plan-making requires a collaborative
relationship between the general public, community representatives, decision-makers and
the planning team (city and consultant staff).
Because of the wide-ranging impacts of the Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance, it is
particularly important to facilitate a broad range of public participation. The process should
allow input from all, reach out to those often under-represented in the decision-making
process, and provide feedback representative of the community at large. Thus, Santa
Monica's Land Use Element and Zoning Update public participation program is designed to
fulfill four broad purposes:
1. Educate the public about the purposes of the Land Use Element and Zoning Update,
its physical, economic, and social implications, its process, and how the public can
be involved.
2. Inform the public about planning issues, and critical trends that may affect the
City's future.
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DYETT & BHATIA
Urban and Regional Pi~nnen
Santa Monica: Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update
DRAFT Public Participation Program
3. Provide opportunities for the vigorous discussion of and effective input regarding
issues, visions, planning principles, growth and development scenarios, Plan policies
and programs, and comments on the Environmental Impact Report.
4. Achieve public ownership of the recommended updated Land Use Element and
Zoning Ordinance.
The public participation process should provide a means of expression to established groups
that are comfortable with the political process and individuals and groups who do not
normally participate in traditional decision-making processes. It should also serve as an
educational forum, providing an understanding of the inter-relationship between Plan
issues, and their implications for City residents and businesses. The success of this planning
effort will depend in large measure on how well it takes into account the public's views
about growth and conservation issues, and how well it addresses those issues identified as
most critical to the future of the community.
Decision-Maker Involvement
The Planning Commission and the City Council will be involved at all key decision points
to provide policy direction for subsequent steps. Thus, at key points in the process,
including discussion of the Planning Alternatives and the Preferred Plan, the Scope of Work
includes joint Study Sessions of the Council and the Commission to obtain policy direction.
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Finalized Public Participation Program
Following feedback on the Draft Public Participation Program from the Planning
Commission and the City Council at initial study sessions, the Public Participation Program
will be finalized. Opportunities for community members to participate in the process will be
announced on the project website and in the first newsletter.
Project Image
An identifiable and representative image of the project will be created to generate interest
and involvement in the Zoning Update and Land Use Element Update. A logo can impart a
unified look to outreach materials, meeting and workshop graphics, and publications,
enabling more effective, sustained communication with the community. This project
"branding" could be implemented in conjunction with a targeted informational campaign.
Interactive Web Site
A Land Use Element and Zoning Update website, hosted on the City's website, will be
developed and regularly updated throughout the Update process. The site will provide
information about the purposes of the planning process and project progress; workshops;
access to meeting materials, reports, and graphics on-line; and responses to surveys and
other information gathering forums. The site will also act as a record of the process,
providing meeting dates, agendas and meeting notes in a central, accessible location. Project
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DYETT & BHATIA
Urban and Regional Pla.nners
Santa Monica: Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update
DRAFT Public Participation Program
memorandum and milestone documents will be uploaded to the project website to be
accessed by interested citizens.
Sign-up opportunities to be on the Update e-mail list will be provided, and periodic mailers
will be sent to those on the list to inform them of availability of new reports, participation
opportunities, etc.
Newsletters
A newsletter is an excellent vehicle for informing the public about the update process,
describing how they as citizens can participate and presenting schedules, information about
community workshops, key issues, plan alternatives, and policy recommendations. The
newsletters will emphasize graphics, photos, and illustrations in order to be eye-catching
and make the planning concepts easily understood. This project could develop a stand-
alone newsletter or insert it into the Seascape Newsletter p.ublished six times a year by the
city.
Newsletters will be developed at three key points in the process:
. Newsletter #1: Issues and Visioning. The update process will be announced and
invitation to participate in a workshop and/or citywide online survey extended.
. Newsletter #2: Alternatives. Alternatives plans will be depicted visually and in text.
Invitation to participate in community workshop and/or online survey will be
extended.
. Newsletter #3: Draft Land Use Element/Zoning Ordinance. This will provide key
ideas from the drafts and announce the hearing process.
"Discover Santa Monica" GuidebookJDrivinglWalking Tours
A guide book will be prepared to enable participants to observe and record their comments
about key assets and issues that will help frame the discussion of the City's vision and land
use implementation strategies. The guidebook could be structured by district (Downtown,
Airport and Mid-Wilshire, etc.) or theme (urban design, housing, business districts, etc.) so
that a series would be produced. The guidebook will also further the community's
understanding of issues and land use concepts.
The guidebook would contain one or more maps and photographs that identify the
locations to be observed; questions regarding the site's positive and negative attributes,
issues, and opportunities for the future; ideas for implementation strategies; and blank
space for the recording of comments. The guidebook would be used by:
. City staff from various departments to provide structured feedback;
. Residents and merchants, who could get copies from City Hall, local parks, schools,
and other public venues, and/or local businesses, conduct a self-guided tour, and
mail copies to City Hall or drop them off at key locations.
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DYETT & BHATIA
Ufb:an and Region:d Pianners
Santa Monica: Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update
DRAFT Public Participation Program
Results would be documented for use in subsequent public involvement events and
consultant work products, including analysis of opportunities and challenges. This type of
approach has been used successfully in past City planning processes for Santa Monica Pier
(1981), Palisades Park (late 1990s) and the City's 1997 Open Space Element update.
Community Surveys
Surveys are a great tool to enable people to provide direct input and for the planning team
and decision-makers to receive feedback on specific issues and proposals. Four surveys are
proposed:
1. Issues / Internet-based; Entire City. A postcard (perhaps with Newsletter #1) will be
mailed to every address in the City inviting participation in an internet-based survey
on key planning issues and concerns. Mechanisms would be built in (through a
unique identifier on each mailout) to prevent more than two responses from one
address. Participants will be able to use computers anywhere, including local
libraries, if they do not have other access to the Internet.
2. Random Phone Survey. A IS-minute length random phone survey with 600
completed responses will be prepared as part of assessment of issues and concerns. It
will be offered in English and Spanish. The survey population will be matched with
Santa Monica's demographic profile, and statistically valid results provided. Results
will also be stratified by sub-population.
3. Alternatives / Internet Based; Entire City. Sketch plan alternatives will be posted on
the Internet, and an interactive questionnaire provided to get feedback. Invitations
for this will be sent out as part of the newsletter on alternatives. (also through a
unique ID).
4. Intercept Survey. Intercept surveys will help glean input from workers and visitors, as
well as residents in specific demographic segments (for example, people in their
20s), who may not otherwise participate. One intercept survey, held probably at the
Sketch Plans or Preferred Plan stage, is proposed.
Motion by the Ocean Survey Compilation and Analysis
As part of the Motion by the Ocean survey, a variety of quantitative/tabular, geographic-
such as routes, starting points, and destinations-as well as qualitative data that describes
people's transportation experiences is being collected. The survey forms will be compiled in
a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database to provide an organized and efficient way
to display, query, and analyze this information.
To create a GIS, the geographic information will be digitized using existing street centerline
data, creating new locations as needed. Qualitative data will be entered into a table, and
linked with the GIS files data using a unique identifier for each survey respondent. Once all
of the survey responses are collected and digitized, the data will be aggregated to display
patterns in residents' transportation habits, such a frequently-traveled routes, popular
destinations, or areas that are widely viewed as difficult places to travel. Survey information
in the GIS will be queryable by a variety of methods, including location, respondent
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DYETT Be BHATIA
Uf'b:10 and Regional Planners
Santa Monica: Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update
DRAFT Public Participation Program
information, or mode of transportation. This will provide for flexible and dynamic analysis
of the many types of data collected by this survey.
Community Workshops
Community workshops will provide forums for education and brainstorming in interactive
settings. Workshops will be structured as events and use innovative participation techniques
that engage the interest, maximize opportunities for input, and send a message that the
input has been heard and considered in the planning process. Small-group facilitated
tabletop discussions will be preceded by an open house and introductory presentation.
Tabletop facilitation will be conducted jointly by consultant and city staff. A training session
on public meeting facilitation techniques will be conducted by the consultants, including
discussion of group dynamics and addressing challenging group members.
Two workshops are planned:
. Issues and Challenges. This workshop will assist the team in "scoping" issues for the
Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance. The intent is to ensure that issues felt to
be pertinent by the public and are appropriate for consideration in the program are
brainstormed in an interactive fashion. In addition to gathering input on citywide
issues/visions, the workshops may be structured to get feedback on specific
geographic areas.
. Alternative or "Sketch" Plans. This workshop will focus discussion and comparison
of alternative plans, again in a small-group facilitated tabletop setting. The
workshop will be announced as part of Newsletter #2.
Traveling Roadshow
We will work with City staff to prepare a "traveling roadshow" that enables staff or
"community ambassadors" to serve as facilitators of community involvement efforts. We
will also develop a kit of "traveling roadshow" materials, which will include large-scale
graphics, handouts, techniques for addressing the media, etc. The Road Show kit would use
a combination of posterboard exhibits, newsletters and PowerPoint/slide presentations to
describe the process and purpose of the Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update,
facilitate a discussion of specific issues, and announce upcoming opportunities for further
input and information. Where needed, materials, presentations, and facilitation in Spanish
can be provided.
This roadshow will be updated at four key stages in the process (completion of
Opportunities and Challenges, preparation of Sketch Plans, preparation of a Preferred Plan,
and preparation of Hearing Draft Documents).
Community Briefings
An important step in the public participation process is establishing contact with key
constituencies in Santa Monica: community groups, City Boards and Commissions,
building industry groups, environmental organizations, the Chamber of Commerce, and
other relevant parties. Ongoing neighborhood, merchant, PTA meetings, etc., provide
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DY ETT & BHATIA
Urban and R.egional Planners
Santa Monica: Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update
DRAFT Public Participation Program
excellent leveraging opportunities for the planning team to keep community members
informed and gain feedback. Consultant and/or City staff will track these meetings, and
make short presentations or announcement periodically, using roadshows where
appropriate. We have budgeted approximately 40 such briefings by Consultant (with
additional briefings by staff).
Focus Groups
Focus groups will enable qualitative discussions with a small number of randomly selected
people, brought together to discuss potential choices, especially in designing and evaluating
Alternatives and a Preferred Plan. Unlike the one-way flow of information in a one-on-one
interview, focus groups generate data through the give-and-take of group discussion.
Listening as people share and compare their different points of view provides a wealth of
information - not just about what they think, but why they think the way they do.
Two focus groups are planned. Members will be selected either from a pool of interested
people determined as part of the random phone survey, or gathered with professional
marketing firm help.
Children and Youth Programs
One of the most effective public outreach techniques is the involvement of local schools.
This may involve activities in which children either participate directly or serve as the
conduit of information to their parents. The former can include input regarding the
students' perception of community issues and visions for the future - drawing
pictures/making collages of their favorite and least favorite places, how the City should look
in the future, and plans for neighborhoods and districts; writing essays about community
issues and their visions for the future of the City; and/or responding to questionnaires.
Specific activities would be designed to reflect the grade level of the participants.
The consultant team will coordinate with City Staff and the Santa Monica/Malibu School
District to develop a program for classroom use, which would also be made available to
private schools in Santa Monica. Drawing upon the successful youth outreach conducted as
part of the Open Space Element and the Recreation and Parks Master Plan preparation, this
is likely to be in the form of the following components:
. High School Outreach/Internship Program. Interns in 11th and 12th grades (five or
six) will be recruited to plan input activities for students at Santa Monica High
School. These may include a questionnaire, mapping places students visit .and
frequent, like and dislike. The interns will provide analysis of the findings, with
guidance from consulting team, and present these to the student body at large.
. Children and Youth Activity Packet. A packet will be developed for elementary and
middle school teachers to elicit ideas and direction from youth regarding how they
perceive and use their built environment, and introduce them to some techniques
used by planners to assess community needs.
. Presentation of Students Work/Planning Discussion for Parents. At the culmination of
the students work, parents will be invited to an evening meeting to view the work
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DYETT & BHATIA
Urban ~nd R.egional Planners
Santa Monica: Land Use Element and Zoning Ordinance Update
DRAFT Public Participation Program
and will receive a brief update on the planning process and opportunity for parents
and students to comment on the emerging planning concepts. Ideally, this event
would occur during the Sketch Plans/Alternatives discussion phase.
Stakeholder Meetings (Zoning)
Concurrent small group interviews in two or more rooms will be held with approximately
30 frequent users to identify common themes and shared concerns relating to the Zoning
Ordinance. These would cover topics such as development and design standards, signs,
affordable housing, and administration.
Press and Media Releases
Press and media releases will be prepared and distributed to local media at key benchmarks
in the planning process and in advance of the neighborhood and citywide workshops and
other public forums. Editors and writers for local newspapers would be encouraged to
publish articles about the planning process, key issues, options, and recommended policies
and programs. Local cable television outlets would be encouraged to broadcast live or by
taping the public workshops and other public forums.
City Council/Planning Commission Meetings or Joint Study Sessions
Periodic progress and issue meetings with the City Council, Planning Commission,
Landmarks Commission and if desired, Architectural Review Board, could be held. These
would be organized and coordinated by the consultant team with set agendas and items for
review. The joint session approach would facilitate broad community representation for the
length of the process ensuring sustained involvement by key individuals.
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ATTACHMENT B
MEMORANDUM
To: Santa Monica City Council
From: Santa Monica Planning Commission
Date: October 11, 2004
Re: Land Use Element, Circulation Element, and Zoning Ordinance Update
On October 9,2004 the Planning Commission held a Special Meeting to discuss the
process of updating the City's Land Use and Circulation Elements and Zoning Ordinance, and
the Planning Commission's role in that process. As an outcome of that discussion, which
included input from members of the public, at the Joint Session ofthe City Council and the
Planning Commission on October 26, 2004, the Planning Commission will request the City
Council to do the following:
1. Affirm and approve the role the Planning Commission sees for itself in this
update process.
Santa Monica's Municipal Code ~ 9.04.20.18.030 provides in part as follows:
It shall be the function and duty of the Planning Commission, with the assistance
of the Director of Planning, to prepare and recommend that the City Council adopt
the General Plan, including any, all, or any combination of the Elements. In
preparing the General Plan, or any element of the General Plan, the Planning
Commission shall take such steps as they deem necessary or as the Director of
Planning recommends. . . . . During the preparation or amendment of the General
Plan, or any element thereof, the Planning Commission must provide opportunities
for involvement of citizens, public agencies, public utility companies, and business,
civic, educational, neighborhood organizations, and other community groups,
through public hearings and any other means the Planning Commission or City
Council deems appropriate. . . . .
To fulfill this responsibility the Planning Commission believes it must participate proactively in
the update process and not serve merely as a deliberative body to opine on the consultant's
finished product. The Commission therefore believes it must have input into and monitor every
stage of the process.
The Planning Commission takes this role quite seriously. The commissioners want to
educate themselves about the update process to the greatest extent logistically feasible. The
Director of Planning and Development has provided each commissioner with a substantial
notebook of resource materials, but there are additional resources the commissioners may like to
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access. For example, there are online materials, some of which need to be purchased; books
which the Planning Department library does not yet have; and local academics and experts with
whom the Commission would like to consult, some of whom may charge a fee. There are also
other nearby cities who have recently updated their General Plans, and commissioners would like
to visit them and take advantage of their experience. The Commission therefore requests a
modest budget to acquire and take advantage of these resources.
To fulfill its role the Planning Commission would like to meet at appropriate points with
other Santa Monica boards and commissions, as it deems necessary, to get their input. The
Commission also views itself as taking the lead and having the initial responsibility for the City
Council in the update process and requests that the Council establish a plan for communication
between the Commission and the Council with respect to it.
2. Give direction to Dyett & Bhatia, the project consultants, as follows:
a. The public must own the goals for the update and the process itself.
b. There must be a complete identification of stakeholders, and those
stakeholders must have the broadest possible input at the earliest possible time.
c. The public must be educated throughout the process not only about the
process itself but also about the ramifications, economic and otherwise, of the policy choices that
may emerge from that process. Community input must be respected, and the public needs to
know how its input will be - and was - used. In addition to the public participation program
Dyett & Bhatia has suggested, plan a charrette.
d. All data gathering must be valid and reliable. Surveys must be a
statistically significant sample of the entire community. The process must be completely
transparent and open.
e. Submit all educational materials, survey instruments, reports, and
outcomes to the Planning Commission for its review. At the beginning of each step of the
process, meet with the Planning Commission for its input. At the end of each step of the process,
meet with the Planning Commission for its evaluation. Reports should include some
measurement of the effectiveness of achieving the goals set out in a., b., and c. above.
f. The goals of Santa Monica's sustainable city plan, and any revisions to
them, must be incorporated into the update program as a fundamental principle.
3. Give direction to Staff as follows:
a. Support the Planning Commission in the role described in paragraph # 1
above.
b. Review the directions given to Dyett & Bhatia for any changes to the
scope of work and incorporate those changes.
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4. Direct that the Circulation Element be updated concurrently with the Land
Use Element
The Planning Commission role and the standards for the public process are to be
the same for the Circulation Element as for the Land Use Element. To proceed with the
Circulation Element there must be current data on traffic counts and cut-through traffic.
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