Santa Cruz Municipal Code Part 4 Specific Plan Preparation

The purpose of this section is to establish requirements and procedures for the development, adoption and amendments of specific plans and to ensure that the city Zoning Ordinance is consistent with state law regarding specific plans.

1. General Plan Consistency Requirement. Specific plans shall be consistent with the General Plan and for areas within the coastal zone, the Local Coastal Program. Following adoption of a specific plan, developments and uses of the land, subdivisions (including tentative tract and parcel maps), public works projects and development agreements shall be consistent with the specific plan.

2. Content of Specific Plan. A specific plan shall include a statement of its relationship and consistency with the General Plan and Local Coastal Program and text and diagrams specifying all of the following in detail:

a. The distribution, location, intensity, and extent of the uses of land, including open space, within the area covered by the plan (including lands to be dedicated for public use, and any easements to accommodate utilities or protect environmental resources);

b. The proposed distribution, location, and extent and intensity of major components of public and private transportation (including pedestrian ways, bike paths, bus turnouts, parking, roadways and other transportation systems), parks and recreation facilities (including provision of public access ways) sewage, water, drainage, solid waste disposal, energy, and other essential facilities proposed to be located within the area covered by the plan and needed to support the land uses described in the plan;

c. Standards and criteria by which development will proceed (including architectural design and landscaping concepts) and standards for the conservation, development and utilization of natural resources (including soils, vegetation and wildlife habitats, water, energy), where applicable.

d. Description of provisions to ensure compatibility with surrounding land uses and resources, addressing geologic, coastal bluff, flooding and fire hazards;

e. A program of implementation measures, including regulations, programs, public works projects and financing measures necessary to carry out the provisions of the preceding requirements;

f. Specific plans may also address any other subjects that are necessary or desirable for General Plan implementation.

3. Preparation and Fees. A specific plan may be prepared by a developer for city approval, or by the city. To defray the cost of specific plan preparation, the city may impose a fee upon persons whose projects must be consistent with the plan. The fee shall be prorated according to the benefit received from the specific plan and shall not exceed the estimated reasonable cost of preparing, adopting, and administering the specific plan.

4. CEQA Exemption.

(a) Any residential development project or any zoning change that is undertaken to implement and is consistent with an adopted specific plan is exempt from the requirements of CEQA. However, if after adoption of the specific plan, substantial changes are proposed to the project, substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken, or if significant new information becomes available, the exemption does not apply unless and until a supplemental environmental impact report for the specific plan is prepared and certified.

Nonresidential development may be exempt from CEQA if the EIR certified for the specific plan is sufficient for environmental review of the nonresidential development and use.

5. Adoption, Amendments and Repeals. Adoption of a specific plan does not amend the General Plan. However it must be consistent with all facets of the General Plan (including any area plans). A specific plan is adopted and amended in the same manner as a General Plan, except that it may be adopted by resolution or ordinance and it may be amended as often as deemed necessary by the local legislature. A specific plan may be initiated, amended or repealed by application of the city or property owner(s) of the area affected.

In the Coastal Zone, a specific plan or any modifications to a specific plan must be submitted to the Coastal Commission as an amendment to the Local Coastal Program. Depending on the nature of the plan it may be an amendment to the Land Use Plan or to the implemen-

tation program, as determined on a case-by-case basis.

(Ord. 95-02 § 1, 1995: Ord. 94-33 § 9, 1994: Ord. 93-36 § 1, 1993).