Tracy Municipal Code § 10.12.010 Authority and reference to chapter

This chapter 10.12 of the Tracy Municipal Code may be referred to as the "Growth Management Ordinance" or "GMO", and is adopted pursuant to article XI, sections 7 and 9 of the California Constitution.

(Ord. No. 1136, § 1, 2009)

The purpose and intent of this chapter is to:

(a) Achieve a steady and orderly rate of annual residential growth in the City, and to encourage diverse housing opportunities for the region in which the City is situated, and to balance these needs with the City's obligation to provide public facilities and services to the City's residents with available fiscal resources; and

(b) Regulate the timing and annual amount of new development projects, so that necessary and sufficient public facilities and services are provided, and so that new development projects will not diminish the City's level of service standards; and

(c) Encourage concentric growth of the City by promoting efficient residential development patterns and orderly expansion of residential areas to maximize the use of existing public services and infrastructure; and

(d) Encourage development which will efficiently utilize existing and planned future, public facilities; and

(e) Encourage a balance of housing types in the City which will accommodate a variety of persons, including affordable housing projects which will accommodate persons of very low, low, and moderate income, and persons on limited or fixed incomes; and

(f) Implement and augment the City policies related to the regulation of new development as set forth in the general plan, specific plans, City ordinances and resolutions, master plans, finance and implementation plans and design documents.

(Ord. No. 1136, § 1, 2009)

(a) Residential development on property that has obtained active adult residential allotments pursuant to Chapter 10.18 of the Municipal Code is unlike typical residential property in important ways. The senior housing development on such property generates fewer vehicular trips resulting in improved air quality over typical residential subdivisions, imposes fewer burdens on local public school systems and public services, creates lower demand for athletic fields, and has lower water and sewer demands. Such AAR communities are also recognized as providing a new source of skilled and experienced volunteers for civic organizations and nonprofits, as well as supporting local businesses and creating additional community benefits such as parks and other recreational amenities.

(b) For these reasons, the development of property that has been allocated "Active Adult Residential Allotments" through a ballot measure (in accordance with the Elections Code, including without limitation, sections 9214, 9215, 9222) are not subject to this GMO or the GMO Guidelines and shall not require any residential growth allotment under the GMO. In addition, new AAR units constructed with active adult residential allotments shall not be counted against the annual residential growth allotment allotments under this chapter. Finally, the term "residential building permits" as set forth in section 10.12.110 of this chapter shall be construed as meaning only residential building permits for residential units which have not been allotted active adult residential allotments through the initiative process and Chapter 10.18 of the Tracy Municipal Code.

(Res. No. 2015-162, § 3(Exh. A), 9-15-2015)

Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, the definitions set forth in chapter 10.08 (Zoning Regulations), chapter 12.08 (Subdivision Ordinance), title 9 (Building Regulations), and title 13 (Impact Fee Ordinance) of this Code shall apply to this chapter. In the event that the definitions or provisions of the Zoning Regulations, the Subdivision Ordinance, the Impact Fee Ordinance, or any other provisions of this Code conflict with any provisions of this chapter, then this chapter shall control to the extent necessary to administer and effectuate the purpose of this chapter. As used in this chapter:

"Affordable dwelling unit" means either a "moderate income dwelling unit", or a "low income dwelling unit", or a "very low income dwelling unit", as defined by the State Department of Housing and Community Development. In general, an affordable dwelling unit means a dwelling unit for rent or sale with a rental rate or consumer purchase cost which enables persons to rent or purchase that dwelling unit, if their gross household income is within the following percentages of the San Joaquin County area median income (as adjusted for family size):

(a) For a moderate-income dwelling unit, more than eighty percent (80%), but not more than 120%;

(b) For a low-income dwelling unit, more than fifty percent (50%), but not more than eighty percent (80%); and

(c) For a very low-income dwelling unit, not more than fifty percent (50%).

"Applicant" means "developer", as defined below.

"Board" means "Growth Management Board".

"Developer" means a person, or other legal entity, who applies to the City to divide or cause to be divided real property into a development project, or who applies to the City to improve (into a development project) any existing parcel of real property.

"Development project" means any project undertaken for the purpose of development, as defined in the Subdivision Map Act (Government Code § 66410 et seq.), and shall specifically include any tentative parcel map, tentative subdivision map, final parcel map, final subdivision map, preliminary development plan, final development plan or building permit.

"Growth Management Board" or "Board" means the Board as established and defined by section 10.12.040.

"Public facilities and services" is as described in this chapter and the GMO guidelines.

"Reasonable certainty" means that the applicant has provided documentation, to the satisfaction of the Board, which establishes that the financing necessary for the public facilities and services required to serve the development project is secured, and is described in a finance and implementation plan, approved by the City Council, which feasibly provides the required public facilities and services in a timely manner. In analyzing "reasonable certainty", the Board shall consider:

(a) The availability of capacity in public facilities;

(b) The availability of financing for the public facilities which will serve the applicant's development project, including an analysis of financing from the applicant and financing which will come from other development projects which benefit from the public facilities; and

(c) The anticipated date of completion of construction of the permanent public facilities which will serve the applicant's development project.

"RGA" means "residential growth allotment", and is an allotment made by the City in accordance with this chapter which must be obtained by a developer (by allocation or conveyance) before each residential building permit is issued by the City, unless the subdivider obtains an exemption in accordance with this chapter. One RGA is required for each dwelling unit to be constructed.

(Ord. No. 1136, § 1, 2009)

The Growth Management Board ("Board") is hereby established in order to manage and enforce the requirements of this chapter. All decisions of the Board shall be made by the City Manager in consultation with appropriate department heads, particularly including the Development and Engineering Services Director and the Public Works Director, or their respective designees. The Board may meet as necessary to implement the GMO and GMO guidelines.

(Ord. No. 1136, § 1, 2009)

The City Council shall adopt GMO guidelines, in order to implement the requirements of this chapter. In the event that the provisions of this chapter conflict with any provisions of the GMO guidelines, then this chapter shall control.

(Ord. No. 1136, § 1, 2009)

A project shall be exempt from further compliance with this chapter if the developer includes (in addition to the requirements of this chapter and the GMO guidelines) documentation, to the satisfaction of the Development and Engineering Services Director, which establishes that the development project which is the subject of the application meets the requirements of one of the following subsections:

(a) Remodel; minor addition; conversion. The development project is a rehabilitation or remodeling of, or a minor addition to, an existing structure, or a conversion of apartments to condominiums; or

(b) Replacement. The development is replacing legally established dwelling units that have been demolished and do not exceed the number of legally established dwelling units demolished. Where the number of new dwelling units exceeds the number of legally established dwelling units demolished, an allocation of RGAs must be obtained for the additional dwelling units; or

(c) Model homes. To the extent the development project includes "model homes" (structures used as an advertisement for housing sales and not used as dwellings), the model homes shall not be required to obtain an allocation of RGAs; provided, however;

(1) The number of model homes shall be limited to the lesser of twenty (20) percent of the total dwelling units identified in the application, or seven dwelling units per project;

(2) Prior to the issuance of each building permit, the subdivider shall pay all required fees, including impact fees required by title 13 of this Code; and

(3) Model homes may be converted and occupied as dwellings only after RGAs are allocated for each dwelling unit as required by this chapter; or

(d) Four units or fewer on a single lot. The development project is either a four-plex or lesser number of dwelling units on a single existing lot; provided, however;

(1) The dwellings are not part of a larger eligible parcel that will result in more than four dwelling units at build-out of the project;

(2) The exemption is limited to no more than a total of four such dwelling units per subdivider per calendar year; and

(3) Prior to the issuance of each building permit, the subdivider shall pay all required fees, including impact fees required by title 13 of this Code.

(e) Accessory dwelling unit. The development is a secondary residential unit.

(Ord. No. 1136, § 1, 2009; Ord. No. 1184, § 1, 4-2-2013; Ord. No. 1254, § 5, 5-1-2018)

(a) Authority. This section is enacted under the authority of and is intended to comply with and implement Government Code section 65584.

(b) RHNA. The State Department of Housing and Community Development requires that each City adopt a housing element as part of its general plan. That Department also establishes a "Regional Housing Needs Allocation" (RHNA) for all cities, setting forth the target number of dwelling units to be constructed during any planning period. (The "planning period" is defined in each housing element. The planning period in effect at the time this code amendment was adopted is July 1, 2009 through December 31, 2015.) The RHNA housing unit allocations are established by income categories: very low-, low-, moderate, and above-moderate-income.

(c) Requirement. Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, in any calendar year, once RGAs have been allocated or building permits have been issued for the number of residential units permitted by this chapter, the City shall continue to issue building permits for residential dwelling units if they are necessary to achieve the RHNA goals in a particular income category (during each planning period). The number of building permits may not exceed the RHNA goals in each income category. Any building permits issued in accordance with this provision shall not require an RGA.

(d) Purpose of calculating averages.For the sole purpose of calculating the RGA and building permit averages contained in sections 10.12.100 and 10.12.110, any building permits issued under the authority of this section shall be treated as if an RGA and a building permit were issued under the GMO.

(Ord. No. 1184, § 2, 4-2-2013; Ord. No. 1201, § 1, 11-3-2015)