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3�pW N OF It-It" COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT DATE: MAY 1, 2013 TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL FROM: GREG LARSON, TOWN MANAGER MEETING DATE: 05/6/2013 ITEM NO: 3 SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO AMEND THE PLANNING CENTER DC &E CONTRACT FOR THE PREPARATION OF REQUIRED ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW DOCUMENTS FOR THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY ZONE (AHOZ) PROGRAM OF THE GENERAL PLAN AND HOUSING ELEMENT. RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the Town Manager to amend the Planning Center DC &E contract for the preparation of required environmental review documents for the Affordable Housing Overlay Zone (AHOZ) program of the General Plan and Housing Element. BACKGROUND: On January 22, 2013, the Town Council continued its review of the proposed Affordable Housing Overlay Zone (AHOZ) Program of the Housing Element and the accompanying Addendum Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the General Plan and referred the matter back to the General Plan Committee for additional study. The Council asked the Committee to review the original 41 sites examined with 2010 General Plan Update and for staff to provide additional outreach to adjacent neighborhoods once potential sites were identified. Council also asked that available information regarding traffic for the new sites be provided as part of the outreach. The General Plan Committee has been meeting since February 27, 2013, to review sites to consider for recommendation as potential AHOZ sites. On April 10, 2013, the Committee narrowed the potential sites to a list of 12 parcels. An amendment to the existing consultant agreement is required for additional environmental analysis. More importantly, due to a narrowing window of time left to conduct the necessary PREPARED BY: Todd Capurso, Acting Director of Community Development Reviewed by: N) Assistant Town Manager Town N:\DEV\TC REPORTS\2013 \DCE Planning Center. 5 -6 -13 TC.doc Reformatted: 5 /30/02 1��y PAGE 2 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: DCE/ Planning Center Amendment May 1, 2013 traffic analysis before the end of the school year as a prerequisite to the subsequent environmental analysis, a quick turnaround is needed for the preparation and execution of an agreement. Staff is recommending that Council authorize the manager to execute the amendment to the consultant agreement when it is available and to expedite the execution of the agreement in order to keep the AHOZ Program and environmental review on a critical path for consideration in late 2013. Staff plans on returning to the General Plan Committee on May 8, 2013, to again review potential sites due to new critical information that became available after the Committee's April 10, 2013, meeting. As a result of this information, staff will be recommending changing the review process and timeline in order to begin the traffic and environmental studies to be able to meet the late 2013 deadline noted. DISCUSSION: The State requirement to adopt an AHOZ program in the current Housing Element period (i.e. before December 31, 2013) is the key driver to this project schedule. If an AHOZ program is adopted by this deadline, the Town avoids the automatic penalty of the remaining 346 "unmet" housing need being added to the anticipated 617 units that the Town may be required to plan for the next Housing Element. Additionally, compliance with the requirement also allows the Town to avoid the state mandate that the Town zone sufficient land within the first year of the next housing element to accommodate any unmet housing needs from the prior period. The Town's consultants have verified that the traffic analysis must start in May as a precursor for completing the environmental analysis this summer, and there is a limited amount of time remaining this year to complete the necessary work before the end of the school year. Staff anticipates having preliminary traffic volumes for the General Plan Committee meeting on May 22, 2013, and the subsequent neighborhood outreach meeting in June. Staff anticipates that the draft environmental documents and additional analyses will be available in early summer and will cost approximately $50,000 due to the expedited schedule. The environmental documents will use data generated from the preliminary May traffic analysis. The traffic analysis work will cost an additional $16,000 and will be covered by another contract. CONCLUSION: Given the priorities set by Council for the Housing Element and AHOZ, the limited remaining time left for preparation of required environmental analysis and the need to keep this project on a critical path for review, staff recommends authorizing the Town Manager to amend the Planning rMLOW MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: DCE/ Planning Center Amendment May 1, 2013 Center DC &E contract for the preparation of required environmental review documents for the Affordable Housing Overlay Zone (AHOZ) program of the General Plan and Housing ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: Is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required. FISCAL IMPACT: The preparation of required environmental analysis is anticipated to be approximately $50,000. Sufficient funds exist in the General Plan Update and Housing In -lieu Fee accounts to cover this expenditure. 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