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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDirection - Cathedral City Sphere of Influence Amendment 2011-03-4CITY OF PALM DESERT DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF REPORT REQUEST: Policy direction to staff regarding proposed Cathedral City Sphere of Influence Amendment 2011-03-4, and regarding potential growth of the Palm Desert Sphere of Influence north of Interstate 10 SUBMITTED BY: Lauri Aylaian, Director of Community Development DATE: 8 September 2011 CONTENTS: Proposed Letter to LAFCO dated 9 September 2011 Recommendation That the City Council, by Minute Motion: 1. Give policy direction regarding proposed Cathedral City Sphere of Influence Amendment 2011-03-4 and, if appropriate, approve letter to LAFCO objecting to the proposed amendment; and 2. Give policy direction to staff regarding potential growth of the Palm Desert Sphere of Influence areas north of Interstate 10. Executive Summary This agenda item solicits direction to staff concerning a proposed amendment to the Cathedral City Sphere of Influence (SOI) north of Interstate 10 (1-10), and provides a letter by which the City Council could object to the proposed amendment if they choose. The staff report also requests Council input regarding the potential for expansion of the Palm Desert SOI north of 1-10. Background The City of Palm Desert Sphere of Influence north of Interstate 10 includes Del Webb — Sun City ("Sun City Palm Desert") and a commercial district west of Washington Street and south of 381h Avenue. South of 1-10 the Sphere of Influence encompasses Bermuda Dunes. These areas are depicted in red on the following map: Cathedral City Sphere of Influence Staff Report 8 September 2011 Page 4 of 5 fire department will be problematic in the event that the area is ultimately annexed into Cathedral City, which is served by the Cathedral City Fire Department, while all surrounding areas are served by CALFIRE, which serves as Palm Desert's Fire Department. The southeast portion of the proposed SOI amendment is shaped like a finger, bounded on the north by habitat conservation lands and on the south by the City of Palm Desert. There is a single fire station in the area and, because of the conservation area to the north; it is improbable that another station will ever be built in the proposed SOI area. Consequently, if Cathedral City annexes the SOI area, calls for assistance in responses will likely fall to Palm Desert fire stations. This includes the already planned Palm Desert fire station in the area of Cook Street south of Interstate 10 - whose service area overlaps into this SOI north of the freeway. The remaining Cathedral City Fire Department infrastructure is too remote from this 'finger" of area to quickly service it. For the most part, the calls for assistance or backup will be one-sided, since CALFIRE has three stations located nearby that can respond to Palm Desert calls, so they would seldom request help from the Cathedral City Fire Department. The City of Palm Desert believes that the proposed Sphere of Influence expansion is too far reaching and, in particular, that the southeast finger of area is too removed from the rest of Cathedral City to be effectively served by its infrastructure. However, staff recognizes that LAFCO will not likely approve the Cathedral City SOI amendment without addressing this area. To do so would leave an "island" that has potential to be surrounded on all sides by incorporated cities and conservation lands, but that is unlikely to ever be able to be financially self-sustaining. Staff also has concerns about community design and control elements of the proposed Cathedral City SOL The proposed amendment would place a narrow strip of land generally between the 1-10 and the railroad tracks in Cathedral City's SOL If annexed in the future, Palm Desert would lose to a neighboring city control of the land such that they could erect billboards or make other land use decisions that adversely impact the views of Palm Desert from Interstate 10. Because of the concerns described above, staff is requesting policy guidance relative to Cathedral City's proposed SOI amendment. In particular, input on the following issues will be needed to guide future analysis and activities by staff: 1. Should Palm Desert oppose Cathedral City's proposed Sphere of Influence modification? (A letter of opposition is appended to this staff report for consideration.) 2. If LAFCO were to require that the finger of property in the southeast portion of Amendment 2011-03-4 be included in an SOI, should it be included in Palm Desert's SOI, rather than Cathedral City's? If so, how far west should be Palm Desert SOI extend? gAplanningUauri aylaian\staff reports\cathedral city soi 9-8-11.docx Cathedral City Sphere of 8 September 2011 Page 5 of 5 Influence Staff Report 3. Should Palm Desert further examine the possibility of annexing the Sun City area into the City? Would the answer to this question change if (as is probable) LAFCO were to condition Sun City annexation upon simultaneous annexation of Bermuda Dunes? Environmental Review Approval of the staff recommendation has no foreseeable impact on the environment, and the Director of Community Development has determined that no further analysis is necessary at this time. In the event that the City considers amending its Sphere of Influence or annexing territory, a CEQA analysis will be performed. Fiscal Analysis There are no costs to the City of Palm Desert associated with giving staff policy guidance. In the event that the City Council would like to consider annexation of the Sun City and Bermuda Dunes areas, staff will return to request appropriation of necessary funding and approval of a professional services agreement for the specialty studies needed. Such fiscal impact analysis is likely to cost $20,000. Submitted by: Lauri Aylaian, Community Deve CITY APPR RECE AYES: i� NOES: ABSENT: 6 ABSTAIN: l VERIFIED BY: ' *Or naI o% ille wit, Cit� by Minute oti n, feasibility study on uth, City Manager ,DENTED ,OTHER CITY COUNCILACTinN APPROVED U -E—*2 ' DENTED CEIVED OTHER AYES: r"9'r�V6Q24 NOES:? ABSENT: ABSTAIN: A/ .>? VERIFIED BY: Original on File with City erk's Office 1) By Minute Motion, authorize staff to get feasibility study on the 200 feet of territory between the existing northern City limit and the freeway. 5-0 2) By Minute Motion, formally object to the Cathedral City Sphere of Influence Amendment 2011-03-4 pending before LAFCO in order for the City to have sufficient time to give the matter further study. 5-0 ,rk'1Office aut orize staff to obtain territory north of I-10 for Sun City and the adjacent 3-2 (Finerty, Benson NO) commercial -retail area only. gAplanningUauri aylaian\staff reports\cathedral city soi 9-8-11.docx I I I y Of Pflll� OESERi 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 92260-2578 TEL: 760 346-o6ii FAX: 760 341-7098 info@palm-desert.org 9 September 2011 Honorable Chair and Members Riverside County LAFCO 3850 Vince Street, Suite 110 Riverside, CA 92507 RE: PROPOSED CATHEDRAL CITY SOI AMENDMENT 2011-03-4 Honorable Chair and Members of the Local Agency Formation Commission: The City of Palm Desert objects to Cathedral City's proposed expansion of their Sphere of Influence (SOI) due to concerns about public safety and land use control. Specifically, we note that in the event that the area is ultimately annexed into the city, responses by the differing fire departments will be problematic and land use decisions in the narrow strip of land between Interstate 10 and the railroad tracks will be a constant source of friction between the neighboring cities. The southeast portion of the proposed SOI sphere is shaped like a finger, bounded on the north by habitat conservation lands and on the south by the City of Palm Desert, which contracts with CALFIRE for fire department services. There is a single fire station in the area and, because of the conservation area to the north, it is improbable that another station will ever be built in the proposed SOI area. Consequently, if Cathedral City annexes the SOI area, calls by the Cathedral City Fire Department for assistance in responses will likely fall to Palm Desert fire stations. This includes the already planned Palm Desert fire station in the area of Cook Street south of Interstate 10 - whose service area overlaps into this SOI north of the freeway. The remaining Cathedral City Fire Department infrastructure is too remote from this "finger" of area to quickly service it. For the most part, the calls for assistance or backup will be one-sided, since CALFIRE has three stations located nearby that can respond to Palm Desert calls, so they would seldom request help from the Cathedral City Fire Department. The City of Palm Desert believes that the proposed Sphere of Influence amendment is too far reaching and, in particular, that the southeast finger of area is too removed from the rest of Cathedral City to be effectively served by its infrastructure. Our concerns about aesthetic control stem from the fact that, if eventually annexed, a neighboring jurisdiction would control the narrow strip of land between Interstate 10 and the railroad tracks at our northern city limits. The land use in that 200 foot wide strip .. Pam, PRINTED ON RFYYRED PAPER 9 September 2011 Proposed Cathedral City SOI Amendment 2011-03-4 Pg 2 could significantly and adversely impact the view of Palm Desert from the interstate, especially if billboards are installed. Palm Desert would have no control over its interface with the millions of travelers on 1-10, while Cathedral City would have no adverse consequences to making all land use decisions there based strictly upon economics. This sets the stage for unnecessary friction between the two cities, and should certainly be avoided. Sincerely, JEAN M. BENSON MAYOR /la copy: George Spiliotis, LAFCO Members of the City Council John M. Wohlmuth, City Manager IIIV 01 P 0 [ M DESERT 1 PRINREU ON RECYCEEN PAPER Cathedral City Sphere of Influence Staff Report 8 September 2011 Page 2 of 5 FRANK SINATRA DR I "i y JI CLUB DR COUNTRY CLUB DR h � Y gCt jJJ _ U O V 7? - YLNE g o HOVLEY LN E S } g CALIFORED EWARMG.OR.,.--_ '''''""" FRED.WARNG.D F i yy K Palm Desert SOI City of Palm Desert Proposed Cathedral City SOI Cathedral City recently expanded their city limits north of Interstate 10, west of DaVall Drive, and subsequently expanded their Sphere of Influence (SOI) east to Rio del Sol Road to include a portion of Thousand Palms. In response to concerns of the residents there, Cathedral City is now proposing to expand their SOI to include the rest of Thousand Palms such that the Thousand Palms community would not be bifurcated and the SOI would abut the Palm Desert SOL This proposed amendment would include the area south of the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) boundary and north of the railroad tracks on the south of Interstate 10, bounded by Rio del Sol Road gaplanningVawi aylaian\staff reporMcathedral city soi 9-8-11.dou Cathedral City Sphere of Influence Staff Report 8 September 2011 Page 3 of 5 on the west and Washington Street on the east. This area includes the Classic Club and the remainder of the developed areas of Thousand Palms, as outlined below in green. A% wie1 � >e Y Proposed amendment to Cathedral City SOI Palm Desert SOI Staff has reviewed the proposed amendment, and recommends that the City of Palm Desert object to Cathedral City's proposed expansion of their (SOI) due to concerns about public safety and aesthetic control. In particular, we note that responses by the gaplanning\laun aylaian\staFl reports\cathedral city soi 9-8-11.docx