Watsonville Municipal Code Art. 3 Coastal Permits

The purpose of the coastal permit is to insure that development within the Coastal Zone District is consistent with the Local Coastal Land Use Plan, the Local Coastal Implementation Program, and the coastal permit requirements of the State and the City.

(§ 1, Ord. 789-88 C-M, eff. December 8, 1988)

All uses within the Coastal Zone District shall be allowed only with the approval of a coastal permit, except as provided in Section 9-5.304 of this article relating to exemptions.

(§ 1, Ord. 789-88 C-M, eff. December 8, 1988)

An application for a coastal permit shall be reviewed concurrently with other required permits. Uses requiring only a coastal permit shall be acted upon by the Council. A public hearing shall be held prior to the approval of a coastal permit.

(§ 1, Ord. 789-88 C-M, eff. December 8, 1988)

The following shall be exempt from the permit requirements of this article:

(a) Roads. The repair and maintenance of existing roads and traffic control devices provided there is no addition to, or expansion of, the existing public road and no permanent street closure or abandonment of local streets providing coastal access;

(b) Utilities, sewers, flood control, and public works facilities. The repair, maintenance, and minor alteration of utilities, sewers, flood control, and public works facilities which do not increase capacity or which are required to restore service or prevent service outages;

(c) Transmission facilities. The installation, maintenance, and repair of underground electrical facilities (including power, telephone, and television lines) and the conversion of existing overhead facilities to underground facilities provided the work is limited to public road or railroad rights-of-way or public utility easements and provided the site is restored as closely as reasonably possible to its original condition;

(d) Weed abatement. The removal of minor vegetation for maintenance purposes (tree trimming, weed abatement); within environmentally sensitive habitats, the weed abatement exemption shall apply only to removal of non-native species such as pampas grass and genista (broom);

(e) Safety devices. The installation of new safety devices and pollution control facilities within existing structures or equipment where land coverage, height, or bulk will not be increased;

(f) Grading. The grading of fifty (50) cubic yards or less outside an established public or private right-of-way; the exemption shall not apply within an environmentally sensitive habitat or archaeological site;

(g) Parks. The routine maintenance of existing public parks, including the repair or modification of existing public facilities where the level or type of public use or the size of structures will not be altered;

(h) Industrial facilities. The routine repair, maintenance, and minor alteration of existing facilities, provided such repair, maintenance, or alteration is necessary for ongoing production and does not expand the area or operation of the existing plant, and the minor modification of existing structures required by governmental safety and environmental regulations where necessary to maintain existing structures and where the height or bulk of existing structures will not be altered;

(i) Federal agency projects. Projects undertaken by Federal agencies;

(j) Projects with coastal permits. Development authorized by a valid coastal permit issued by the Coastal Commission or in areas where the Coastal Commission retains the original permit jurisdiction;

(k) Replacement after natural disasters. The replacement of any structure, other than a public works facility, destroyed by a natural disaster if the replacement structure:

(1) Will be for the same use as the destroyed structure; and

(2) Will not exceed the floor area, height, or bulk of the destroyed structure by more than ten (10%) percent; and

(3) Will be sited in the same location on the affected property as the destroyed structure;

(l) Improvements to existing single-family residences and mobile homes. Improvements to existing single-family residences and mobile homes, including the following:

(1) Additions and improvements to fixtures or other structures attached to the residence or accessory structures normally associated with a single-family residence, such as garages, swimming pools, decks, gazebos, patios, greenhouses, driveway paving, and other similar non-habitable improvements; and

(2) Site landscaping;

(m) Improvements to existing duplexes and multi-family residences. Improvements to existing duplexes and multi-family residences, including the following:

(1) Additions and other improvements to an existing duplex or multi-family residence, including improvements to any fixture or other structure directly attached to the residence or to structures on the property normally associated with a duplex or multi-family residence, such as garages, swimming pools, fences, storage sheds, decks, gazebos, patios, greenhouses, driveway paving, and other similar nonhabitable improvements; and

(2) Site landscaping;

(n) Interior remodeling. All interior remodeling, residential and nonresidential, except where the use is being converted to a more intensive use;

(o) Land divisions. Land divisions brought about in connection with the acquisition of such land by a public agency for recreational purposes or for agricultural leasing;

(p) Tree removal. Tree removal and the trimming of all dead, severely damaged, or diseased trees and other plants, except for those trees covered by Chapter 13 of Title 7 of this Code; and

(q) Sidewalks and bikeways. Maintenance, repair and construction of all sidewalks and bikeways within public rights-of-way, except for new construction beyond the developed edge of the roadway or within sensitive habitat areas;

(r) Special events. Except where the event will be of a different use and/or greater intensity than the permitted development where it is to be held or where the City determines that the event has the potential to:

(1) Either individually or together with other temporary events scheduled before or after the particular event precludes the general public from use of a public recreational area for a significant period of time;

(2) The event and its associated activities or access requirements will either directly or indirectly impact environmentally sensitive habitat areas, rare or endangered species, significant scenic resources, or other coastal resources; or

(3) The event is scheduled between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day and would restrict public use of roadways or parking area or otherwise significantly impact public use or access to coastal waters.

(§ 1, Ord. 789-88 C-M, eff. December 8, 1988; as amended by § 1, Ord. 1096-00 C-M, eff. October 12, 2000)

The hearing body shall find that the development:

(a) Is consistent with the General Plan, the Local Coastal Land Use Plan, and the Local Coastal Implementation Program;

(b) Will protect vegetation, natural habitats, and natural resources consistent with the Local Coastal Land Use Plan;

(c) Will meet the general requirements of Section 9-5.703 of Article 7 of this chapter;

(d) Complies with the specific performance standards of Section 9-5.705 of Article 7 of this chapter; and

(e) That the special findings have been made which are listed in Section 9-5.705 of Article 7 of this chapter for each area.

(§ 1, Ord. 789-88 C-M, eff December 8, 1988)