HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm Reports/1993/05/12 (9)
CITY OF CHULA VISTA
GROWTH MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT COMMISSION
1992 REPORT
SUBMITTED
MAY 1993
CITY OF CHULA VISTA
GROWTH MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT COMMISSION
1992 REPORT
Commission Members
Will T, Hyde, Chairman (Environmental)
Chuck Peter, Vice Chairman (Business)
Thomas Martin (Planning Commission)
Mike Armbrust (Center City)
Ricardo Reyes (Education)
Elizabeth Allen (Montgomery)
Tris Hubbard (Eastern Territories)
vacancy (Development)
vacancy (Sweetwater)
Staff
Robert A. Leiter, Planning Director
Gordon H, Howard, Principal Planner
Edgar Batchelder, Associate Planner
May 1993
TODic
Introduction
Process
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Development Forecasts
Threshold/Annual Review Summary
Annual Review of Thresholds
Police
Water
Schools
Air Quality
Libraries
Sewer
Drainage
Traffic
Fire/EMS
Fiscal
Parks and Recreation
ADDendix
A.
S,
C,
D.
E,
F,
G,
H,
Police Department Memorandum I.
Water District Communications
School District Communications J,
APCD Communications
Library Memorandum K.
Engineering Sewer and Drainage Reports
Engineering Traffic Reports
Fire Department Memorandum
Paae
1
2
2
4
5
7
11
17
20
21
23
24
28
29
30
Finance Department
Memorandum
Parks and Recreation
Department Memorandum
Development Forecast
Report
GROWTH MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT COMMISSION
1992 REPORT
May 1, 1993
INTRODUCTION
In November 1987, through the input of citizens and developers, the City Council adopted
the Threshold/Standards Policy for Chula Vista, Eleven public facility and service issues
are addressed by the Policy and each is discussed in terms of a goal, objectives,
"threshold" or standard, and implementation measures, The Standards form the backbone
of an overall growth management program for the City which has evolved since 1987
through adoption of a Growth Management Element of the General Plan in 1989, and a
Growth Management Program document and Implementing Ordinance in 1991. Adherence
to these Citywide Standards is intended to preserve and enhance public services, the
environment. and the quality-of-life of Chula Vista residents as growth occurs,
To provide an independent annual City-wide Threshold/Standards compliance review, a
Growth Management Oversight Committee (GMOC) was created, The Committee was
appointed by the City Council in the summer of 1988, It is composed of nine members
representing a geographical balance of residents as well as a cross section of interest
including education, environmental, business and development. There is also
representation by the Planning Commission. In April of 1991, the City Council changed
the designation of the Committee to the Growth Management Oversight Commission, As
Commission vacancies occur they should be filled reflecting the geographic or special
interest designation which they represent. .
The responsibilities of the Commission in conducting its annual review include the'
following: a determination of whether the thresholds have been complied with on both a
project and cumulative basis over the prior year; whether compliance is likely to be
maintained based on both short-term and long-term development forecasts; whether each
threshold is appropriate for its goal; whether any new thresholds should be adopted for any
issues; whether any new issues should be added to or deleted from the threshold group;
whether the City has been usin9 developer fees for the intended purpose; what the fiscal
impact of threshold compliance may be; and whether the means of compliance are
appropriate and being achieved,
Development projects in Chula Vista are required to demonstrate that the
Threshold/Standards will be maintained as growth occurs, and are appropriately
conditioned to assure that needed facilities and services are in place in advance of, or
concurrent with proposed development. This "concurrency" policy promotes the
continuation of a high quality-of-life for existing as well as future city residents,
1
PROCESS
The Growth Management Oversight Commission met from January through April 1993,
The Commission spent the first several meetings reviewing the threshold policies and
determining compliance with those pOlicies based on reports which were submitted by both
individual City departments and external agencies, Presentations of the reports were made
by representatives of the both water districts, both school districts, the San Diego County
Air Pollution Control District, and City staff including Engineering, Traffic Engineering, Parks
and Recreation, Library, Fire, Police, Finance, and Planning, The GMOC reviewed each
threshold and determined whether or not it was appropriate to issue a statement of
concern or make other recommendations regarding that threshold. Following completion
of the individual threshold reviews, the GMOC prepared, reviewed and adopted this annual
report,
In accordance with the change from a calendar to a fiscal year cycle, this year's review
period was scheduled to begin in October 1992 so that the GMOC could complete the
annual report prior to commencement of Fiscal Year 1992-93 budget deliberations in
January 1993, However, the process did nor begin until January 1993, due to delays in
production of the development forecasts due to timing of the release of initial figures from
the San Diego Association of Government's (SANDAG) Series 8 regional forecasting
updates, Officially, the review period for this report is July 1, 1991 through June 30, 1992.
However, any issues identified during the second half of 1992 and early in 1993 have also
been discussed in this report, The next review period will begin in October of 1992, and
address the period from July 1, 1992 through June 30, 1993,
DEVELOPMENT FORECASTS
The Threshold/Standards Policy calls for City staff to prepare both short-range (12 to 18
month) and mid-range (5 to 7 years) development forecasts at the beginning of the annual
GMOC review process, Complimentary to threshold performance evaluation over the prior
year period, these forecasts serve to provide a common basis by which the GMOC, staff
and external agencies can identify and address future potential threshold concerns before
a problem arises, The forecasts were prepared in November 1992 in cooperation with
SANDAG, and distributed to the respective agencies and City departments for evaluation
and report back to the GMOC, Copies of the forecast are included in Appendix K.
12-18 Month Forecast
In response to the uncertain current economic climate, two sets of forecast figures
consisting of a range with a high end and low end were included. The high end forecast
primarily reflects the local development community's anticipated construction schedules,
and projects 1,264 dwelling units to be permitted for construction and 1,629 dwelling units
to reach occupancy over the next 18 months, The low end forecast, which is more
market/economic climate driven, is based on a 24-month trend analysis of prior
construction activity during 1991 and 1992, and projects 1.000 dwelling units to be
permitted for construction and 1.050 dwelling units to reach occupancy over the next 18
2
months, The forecast range reflects the uncertainty in the timing of development and in
the amount of construction activity that may take place, Construction activity slowed
considerably in 1992 as a result of the continuing recession, the associated lack of demand
in the housing market, and the difficulty or inability of builders to secure financing, By
comparison, residential development activity levels in both 1991 and 1992 were about one
half of average annual levels experienced during the later 1980's, Local economic
forecasters do not project improvement until the latter part of 1993,
5-7 Year Forecast
It should first be noted that this year's mid-range forecast reflects a substantial revision in
methodology in coordination with SANDAG and their Series 8 regional forecast. The
decision to modify the methodology arises from a need to refine the local forecasting
process to incorporate regional and subregional trends which will directly impact the City's
future growth rates and characteristics. Incorporation of such trends enables the City to
consider the impacts of all projects within and adjacent to its planning area, so that facility
and service needs can be preplanned in concert with the policies of the City and other
affected governmental agencies, The forecast publication is attached as an appendix to
this report, and provides a full description of this improved approach,
Similar to the 12-18 month forecast, a high and low-end range were used, City-wide,
during the next five to seven years, the average annual number of dwelling units expected
to be completed ranges from a low of 1,179 to a high of 1.388, These annual averages
reflect increased activity levels in the latter years of the forecast (post 1995) associated
with the projected commencement of construction in Otay Ranch. This forecast also takes
into consideration known facility capacity limitations, particularly those related to traffic
circulation and the proposed State Route 125 phasing and financing stuay,
While a majority of the forecast is attributable to growth in eastern Chula Vista, the figures
do reflect approximately 200 dwelling units per year of infill development in western Chula
Vista based primarily on an analysis of historic trends,
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-ANNUAL REVIEW OF THRESHOLDS.
THRESHOLDS REFLECTING STATEMENTS OF CONCERN OR NON-COMPLIANCE
a POLICE
THE GMOC FINDS THAT THE POLICE THRESHOLD HAS NOT BEEN
MAINTAINED ON A CUMULATIVE OR PROJECT BASIS, ALTHOUGH SPECIFIC
REMEDIES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND IMPLEMENTED BY THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT WHICH REFLECT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT SUBSEQUENT
TO THE CURRENT REVIEW PERIOD, THE CITY SHOULD CONTINUE TO
CLOSELY MONITOR THIS THRESHOLD IN THE NEAR FUTURE,
During Fiscal Year 1991-92, the threshold for Police services was not met for
Priority I calls, but was met for Priority II calls, The threshold for Priority I
(emergency) calls requires that 85% of these calls be responded to within 7
minutes, with an average response time of 4,5 minutes or less measured annually,
The actual performance for FY 1991-92 indicates that 81,2% of all Priority I calls
were responded to within 7 minutes with the average response time for all Priority
I calls being 4,9 minutes, However, performance has subsequently improved, with
figures for the period of October 1992 through January 1993 showing an 86%
Priority I response rate within 7 minutes, with the average response time being 4,3
minutes,
With regard to Priority II (urgent) calls, the threshold standard requires that 62% of
all Priority II calls be responded to within 7 minutes, with an average response time
of 7 minutes or less measured annually. The actual performance for FY 1991-92
indicates that 65,8% of all Priority II calls were responded to within 7 minutes with
an average response time of 6,5 minutes, The data indicates that the threshold for
Priority II Police services is being met.
While the department did not meet the Threshold measure for Priority I calls for
service, the department was, in absolute terms, within 3,8% of meeting the measure
in FY 1991-92, This means that had the Department responded to only two more
Priority I calls for service per day within the 7 minute time frame, the threshold
would have been met. While this shortfall represents an actual deterioration over
the period reviewed in last year's report, the GMOC acknowledged that due to the
timing of the review process and the change from a calendar to fiscal year basis,
any proposed changes implemented by the department would have limited impact
upon response data for the current reporting period, The cited major contributing
factors affecting performance are as follows:
1) Increase in total call for service (CFS) volume primarily as a result of
community outreach efforts to encourage citizens to report crime, CFS
volume is up 5,5% over that in FY 1990-91, and 18% in the last two calendar
5
years (1991 and 1992), However, no conclusive evidence exists to indicate
that this increase is attributable to growth;
2) increased participation in neighborhood watch programs; and
3) no increase in Patrol staffing for the year despite the CSF volume increase.
Under the new Police Department administration a variety of mitigating efforts are
planned or are being implemented to ameliorate threshold performance deficiencies,
the results of which are reflected in the significantly improved response times noted
for the October 1992 to January 1993 period,
1) Communication Center operational and dispatch procedures have been
validated and are followed consistently,
2) Field supervision of Patrol staff has been re-emphasized, resulting in greater
officer response flexibility based on CFS volume,
3) Police beats have been realigned, effective 1/1/93, to more closely resemble
the CFS pattern, and to add beats in the developing area east of 1-805,
4) Change from a squad to a shift form of deployment in the Patrol Division,
adding flexibility to have more officers on the street on the days/times when
CFS rates are typically higher.
5) Community Service Officers (CSO) are now taking more crime reports, In
effect, this relieves time spent by sworn officers in taking/making reports and
responding to lower priority calls (III, IV, V), allowing them to improve
response on emergency and urgent calls, From a fiscal perspective, several
CSO's can be hired for the cost of one officer.
6) Working towards full staffing in Patrol, with a zero or less vacancy rate with
152 sworn personnel.
Although the above noted efforts have shown a significant increase in recent
response performance, the threshold must be measured on overall annual
performance, Toward ensuring compliance, and more effectively monitoring the
effects of growth on the delivery of Police services, the GMOC recommends the
following to the City Council:
. continue to closely monitor response rates on calls for service
on a quarterly basis during 1993, to confirm whether these
measures will result in the threshold standard for Priority I calls
being met.
6
. direct that the Police department devise a measure or system to
enable the quantification of the effect of growth on police
performance. This may be accomplished through institution of
a new computer system being proposed for police and fire
call/dispatch management.
. strongly support the increased use of Community Service
Officers. Through assistance in the preparation of reports, and
response on lower priority calls, CSO's effectively increase the
ability of sworn officers to remain in the field and respond to
Priority I and II calls for service.
c WATER
THE GMOC REMAINS CONCERNED ABOUT THE lONG-TERM WATER
AVAilABILITY SITUATION. AND PLANNING EFFORTS FOR STORAGE AND
RECLAMATION FACILITIES. AND RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY COUNCil
ISSUE A STATEMENT OF CONCERN TO BOTH THE SWEETWATER
AUTHORITY AND THE OTAY WATER DISTRICT.
Although several issues relating to water availability, planning and service remain
unresolved, leading to the recommended Statement of Concern, the GMOC is
pleased to recognize the official end to the State's six year drought, and to
acknowledge the progress which has been made by both the Sweetwater Authority
and the Otay Water District in meeting past concerns of the GMOC expressed in
prior year reports, This is particularly true of their coordination. and cooperation
with the City to mutually address water matters,
Both the Sweetwater Authority and the Otay Water District provided the GMOC with
excellent written and oral reports, and are undertaking substantial facility master
plans and other efforts to maintain sufficient delivery and storage systems to meet
the demands of forecasted growth, The following highlights their principal
cooperative and individual activities in these regards:
1) with the recent heavy rainfalls which have ended the drought, both districts
indicate more than adequate available water supplies to serve anticipated
development for the next 1 to 2 years, Sweetwater Authority has
approximately a two year supply (53,000 acre feet) in storage in Loveland
and Sweetwater Reservoirs, and has had to spill over 28,500 acre feet
through the Sweetwater dam due to heavy run off, Most of the County's
reservoirs are at or near capacity for the first time in 13 years.
2) average household water usage is down due to conservation efforts which
both districts will continue to promote. This effectively increases their service
capacity,
7
3) the districts are working on a cooperative agreement which could allow Otay
Water to use Sweetwater Reservoir as an emergency source of supply,
Additionally, the districts are continuing to explore development of a
conjunctive use groundwater project in the Middle Sweetwater River Basin
which could yield as much as 1000 acre feet per year of storage capacity for
Otay Water, Otay Water is also meeting with Helix Water and the City of
San Diego in attempt to negotiate agreements whereby emergency supplies
could be provided to Otay during CWA aqueduct failures, All these efforts
can reduce Otay's need to construct costly reservoirs to achieve their ten
day emergency supply goal.
4) Sweetwater Authority is exploring the possibility of injection wells in the San
Diego formation area for the storage of surplus water in groundwater
aquifers,
5) Both agencies are continuing to work with and actively support the County
Water Authority's proposal to participate in construction of desalinization
facilities at SDG&E's South Bay Power Plant. Sweetwater Authority is also
actively studying a brackish groundwater desalinization project in the
Sweetwater Aquifer below the dam; an engineering report has been released
and test wells are being drilled,
6) Regarding reclaimed water, Otay continues to pursue the development of
reclaimed water facilities and piping networks in new developments, and
supports the construction of the reclaimed water treatment plant proposed
in the Otay River Valley, That plant was originally included as part of the
Clean Water Program, and slated for start-up in 1998, although the City of
San Diego has since indefinitely postponed work on all reclamation plants in
the Clean Water Program, The Otay Valley plant is a significant local facility
in that it would provide reclaimed water for these newly built distribution
facilities,
Relatedly, Sweetwater Authority is not currently considering the use of
reclaimed water due to the probability that it will not be available in the
foreseeable future. However. they would support a treatment plant.
Increased efforts and focus on the matter of making reclaimed water
availability and usage a timely reality are necessary at this time, especially
regarding the Otay Valley plant.
7) Sweetwater Authority is working on the final component of their urban runoff
protection system in the Bonita Valley area. Study of an urban runoff
collection system to minimize the amount of water lost to the ocean is
continuing, and the Authority has prepared a preliminary cost estimate
indicating the proposal as a costly one, However, discussions are occurring
8
with City staff for a potential collection facility within the proposed Otay Valley
Regional Park area near Main Street.
8) Otay Water's 30 million gallon underground reservoir in Eastlake Greens is
about to commence construction with completion anticipated by summer
1994, The District recently reached agreement with the City regarding
purchase of 50 acres from the Baldwin Company and future planning
processes regarding the location of proposed reservoirs within the City. The
need for such coordination had been noted last year in order to resolve
environmental concerns and to maximize the opportunity for other land uses
which could be precluded by the resevoir facilities,
9) Representatives of both Districts are continuing to meet with the City and
other interested parties to address issues of joint concern through the
Interagency Water Task Force,
Although the GMOC commends the water districts for the above noted efforts to ensure
adequate water delivery and reduce dependency on imported water supplies, long-term
water supply for Chula Vista remains an issue which merits a Statement of Concern,
Despite the official end to the drought which continued to afflict Southern California in
1992, the amount and reliability of imported water for Chula Vista and Southern California
is still a problem. The GMOC recommends that the City Council take the following actions
relating to this issue:
. Strongly support the proposed South Bay Demineralization Plant, which
would provide a steady supply of demineralized sea water for San
Diego County.
. Direct and support City staff to continue evaluating the feasibility of
Chula Vista financing, designing and construction of the proposed
reclamation plant in the Otay River Valley which has been indefinitely
postponed under the Clean Water Program. This vital plant would
provide a steady supply of reclaimed water for use in landscape
irrigation and other appropriate applications.
. Request that both water districts work cooperatively with the City to
establish common strategies for making reclaimed water use a reality.
. Direct staff to continue to work toward development an urban runoff
collection system through efforts such as the Sweetwater Authority's
potential Otay River Valley project, and encourage the water districts'
cooperation and support.
Also of concern for the City of Chula Vista is the provision of water storage for emergency
purposes, While many positive activities are noted, both the County Water Authority as
a whole and the Otay Water District are still lacking adequate emergency water storage
9
facilities at this time, The GMOC recommends that the City Council take the following
actions relating to this issue:
. Request the Otay Water District to continue to work cooperatively with
the City in the evaluation of future sites for proposed emergency
storage reservoirs in the District's area of service.
· Urge the District to actively see through to completion efforts to
diversify its storage and emergency supply options. Continue to urge
the District to review its policy decision to provide for five full days of
emergency storage in underground water reservoirs as part of its ten
day goal, as opposed to pursuing cooperative arrangements with the
Sweetwater Authority, other districts, or the City of San Diego to make
use of existing reservoirs and water treatment facilities for emergency
purposes.
· Continue to urge the County Water Authority to speed construction of
emergency storage reservoirs in Northern San Diego County.
While not a concern directed at supply availability, the City needs to increase coordination
with the Sweetwater Authority regarding advance planning of water facility upgrades to
support rezonings and infill development, particularly in the northwestern quadrant of the
City, Currently, many smaller developers and property owners are faced with
insurmountable costs when informed by the District at the building permit review stage of
the often substantial improvements necessary to replace existing small diameter cast iron
pipes to meet the required fire flow demands, Better advance coordination would facilitate
an applicant's understanding of improvement costs, and ways to address them early in the
development review process, In this regard the GMOC recommends that the City Council:
. Direct staff to work with the Authority to devise a mutually acceptable
advance planning program for water facility needs for infill
development, and return the program proposal for Council
endorsement.
Regarding the California-American Water Company which serves approximately 350
homes in the Broderick's Otay Acres and Woodlawn Park areas of Montgomery, the
GMOC would like to request that the City Council formally grant them relief from the need
to report to the GMOC. Their service area is almost built-out, and the existing service
network is capable of supporting almost ten times the existing demand.
10
D SCHOOLS
THE GMOC RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ISSUE A STATEMENT
OF CONCERN TO THE CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
THE SWEETWATER UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT.
!!" Chula Vista Elementary School District
Based upon the City's 12 to 18 month growth forecast, the Elementary
School District has estimated that it will need to accomodate 50 new
students west of 1-805, The District has also previously raised, and
continues to raise, the issue of additional indirect student generation from
non-residential development. Currently, most of the schools west of 1-805
are at or over capacity, with a total of 273 children being overflow bused,
Any additional growth will contribute to further exacerbation of this
overcrowding situation, At this time, the District can only accommodate
additional student generation through a combination of busing, facilities
modifications, and program changes, Several opportunities do exist,
however, for the expansion of existing schools in western Chula Vista,
particularly Vista Square and Rice which have adequate land to permit
expansion, or Feaster School where additional adjacent vacant land could
be acquired,
East of 1-805, growth in school enrollments caused by new development can
be accommodated by existing schools and schools which are being planned
and financed through Mello-Roos Community Facilities' Districts (CFD),
Eastlake School is currently using relocatable classrooms to accommodate
new students until population is sufficient to warrant opening of a school in
the Eastlake Greens project. Given the economic slowdown, that school's
planning' has been delayed for at least another year. Discovery School,
located in Rancho Del Rey, will open in July on a year-round single track
schedule, The District is currently working with several major developers to
establish additional CFD's to address their project's future impacts,
The report from the Chula Vista Elementary School District provided
thorough responses to each of last year's Statements of Concern and
described a number of activities the District is undertaking to keep abreast
of changing conditions as follows:
1) The District supports expansion of existing schools where feasible,
and indicates Feaster School is the most logical candidate given the
four acre adjacent property which is for sale, However, as with the
other noted candidate schools, financing is the impediment. For the
Feaster site, financing only appears available through mitigation funds
from the proposed Bayfront project. The District is concerned that the
11
possible acquisition and development of this project by the Port
District may make such mitigation more difficult to obtain,
2) Eight more schools prepared growth plans this year for a total of 24
schools, By next year all schools will have begun the annual process
of developing and updating such plans. Several schools' plans
contain a multi-track component to be analyzed when the school
reaches 120% of capacity, However, as studied and reported upon
by a District formed committee last year, there is still substantial
opposition from parents and staff to multi-track scheduling. While
requiring the traditional nine month school pattern to be revised, it
should be noted that Mueller School is piloting a five-track schedule
which so far has worked well and effectively increased the school's
capacity by approximately 20%.
3) A proposed measure to change the required vote for a General
Obligation Bond from a 2/3 vote to a simple majority will be on the
June 1994 State ballot. If passed the District will consider mounting
a bond campaign,
4) The City has adopted a schools mitigation ordinance requiring all
residential projects involving legislative acts to fully mitigate school
impacts, In addition, the City, District, Sweetwater Union High School
District and Source Point (a non-profit arm of the San Diego
Association of Governments) are planning a study to develop
quantifiable criteria for assessing impacts of both residential and non-
residential projects on school facilities. The anticipated outcome is a
comprehensive schools mitigation ordinance which would set forth
these standards and an equitable method of mitigation.
5) As mentioned with #1 above, full mitigation of school impacts
(residential and non-residential) from the Bayfront Project is critical to
the overcrowding situation in western Chula Vista, The City has
conditioned the project's conceptual approval on the developer fully
mitigating such impacts, While the District had verbal agreements
with the property owner, requested written confirmations have never
been provided, With the possible sale of the project to the Port
District, there is concern that the condition remain in effect. This
concern has heightened since the School District notified the City and
the Coastal Commission of the difficulty in obtaining confirmation of
the verbal agreement. A subsequent letter from the City to the
Coastal Commission appears to reference school mitigation in the
context of the standard fees required at the time of building permit
issuance, Any type of full mitigation, such as the Mello-Roos
financing contemplated for the project, must occur far earlier in the
12
review process, To be enforceable, such full mitigation must be a
condition of project approval imposed by the City,
6) The District is participating in the State Modernization Program, which
will provide funding to upgrade 11 existing schools which are over 30
years old, and make other capital improvements. Although this is
important to the District, this program will not provide for additional
student capacity,
7) The District continues with a variety of ongoing activities including
development tracking and phasing monitoring, school growth planning
studies, boundary/attendance area adjustments, residency verification,
requests for City assistance, and review and response to proposed
development.
The GMOC recommends that the City Council take the following actions
related to the Statement of Concern regarding the Chula Vista Elementary
School District:
. As the overcrowding situation has not changed, assist the
School District in adopting and implementing expansion of
schools in Western Chula Vista, particularly Vista Square, Rice,
and Feaster Schools.
. Urge the School District to maximize the use of school facilities
through innovative scheduling methods and techniques. The
School District acknowledges that much of the overcrowding
problem in Western Chula Vista schools would be relieved by
implementing a multi-track year-round schedule for schools, but
such a solution has not been pursued by the School Board at
this time because of parental and staff opposition. Adoption of
multi-track school schedules are also a strong factor in the
provision of state financing for new school facilities, which the
School Board should consider in its decision.
. Suggest that the District re-evaluate its policy on the ownership
of relocatable classrooms which are then considered in the
calculation of the schools permanent capacity and included in
the State's assessment of overcrowding. The District currently
owns over 80 relocatable classrooms which will continue to
count against them in calculating eligibility under the State
Program. Leasing the relocatables would put the District in
better position of receiving State funding.
· Support the School District in its efforts to change State law to
lower the required vote on general obligation bonds from two-
13
thirds to a simple majority, and encourage voting support for the
June 1994 State ballot measure.
· Deny applications to rezone any prOpE!rty in western Chula Vista
which would increase allowable density or intensity of use
unless no aggravation of existing threshold standards related to
schools will result because of full,. adequate and equitable
mitigation. Chula Vista should ~;eek achievement of full
mitigation in the long-term for infill dE!velopment in the western
portion of the City, regardless of w/lether rezonings or other
legislative acts are involved.
· Continue to support and encourage progress of the cooperative
efforts between City staff, the District, Sweetwater Union High
School District and Source Point to study the impacts of new
residential and non-residential development upon City schools.
Based upon the study, consider adoption of measures which
would fully mitigate such impacts.
· Through firm conditions of approval e~lrly in the process, require
full mitigation of school impacts from both residential and non-
residential development in the Bayfront project, and recommend
to the school district that this mitigation measure be
implemented by expanding existing ~;chools in the northwest
quadrant of Chula Vista. Reinforce tliris condition by requiring
that any Disposition and Development Agreement for the project
ensure full mitigation of all school impacts.
b. Sweetwater Union Hiah School District
The Sweetwater Union High School District reported an overall enrollment
of 28,748 students throughout the district, a 62:4 student (2,2%) increase
over the previous year. 14,135 of these students, or 49% of the total, attend
five high schools and four junior high schools in Chula Vista. As a
comparison, 482 (77%) of the 624 new students district-wide were added to
Chula Vista schools, The District is operating at 107% of total capacity,
including relocatable classroom space, or 730 students over. If only
permanent facilities are considered (no relocatables), then the District is at
120% of capacity, or 4720 students over. These overcrowding figures
include the 1200 student first-phase capacity of the new Eastlake High
School which opened in the fall of 1992 with an enrollment of 1046, The
second-phase, expected to be complete by September 1994, will add an
additional 1200 classroom seat capacity,
Given the 12-18 month forecast provided by the Chula Vista Planning
Department, the District projects an increase of 475 students in Chula Vista
14
Junior High and High Schools in the 1993-94 school year. This is a slightly
smaller increase than in previous years, which have traditionally averaged
approximately 500 new students per year,
With the exception of the new Eastlake High School, all high schools in
Chula Vista are currently over their total capacity, while all the junior highs
and middle schools are operating slightly under total capacity, Based on the
12-18 month enrollment projections, most of the junior high/middle school
grade levels will not be significantly impacted, however Bonita Vista Middle
School will have exceeded capacity by approximately 13 students, All high
schools, with the exception of Eastlake, will continue to be overcrowded,
The report from the Sweetwater Union High School District provided
responses to last year's Statement of Concern, and described several
measures the district is taking to alleviate overcrowding as follows:
1) Opening of the first-phase EastLake High School in the fall of 1992.
The second-phase is anticipated to be complete in September 1993.
In July 1993, the school will begin a year-round single track schedule,
12 trailer classrooms have been arranged on a temporary basis to
accommodate additional students expected in July until schools
construction is completed in September,
2) In August 1992 the District received unfunded approval from the State
for the Rancho Del Rey Middle School. Eastlake Middle School, and
Otay Mesa High School. Regarding the two schoots in Chula Vista,
the District's 50% funding match from Eastern Territories Mello-Roos
fees increased the schools' statewide priority to receive funding,
Architectural firms have recently been solicited for RFP's for the
design and engineering of the Rancho Del Rey Middle School.
3) Continued establishment of Mello-Roos Facility Financing Districts for
new development in the Eastern Territories, participation in the state
lease-purchase program for new schools, ongoing review and
adjusting attendance boundaries, and residency verification.
4)
Participation
development
mitigations,
in the study of residential and non-residential
impacts upon schools, and a program of related
5) The District has executed necessary land agreements with Otay Mesa
developers for the provision of needed school sites which would
provide some relief to Chula Vista schools, Implementation, however,
is contingent upon lifting of the development moratorium which the
City of San Diego has imposed due to study of the Twin Ports
proposal.
15
6) Continued cooperation and preplanning review with the City of all
development proposals, General Plan amendments and rezonings,
The GMOC recommends that the City Council take the following actions
related to the statement of concern regarding the Sweetwater Union High
School District:
· Urge the School District to continue to actively explore means to
alleviate school overcrowding through innovative scheduling
methods and techniques.
· Support the School District in its efforts to change State law to
lower the required vote on general obligation bonds from two-
thirds to a simple majority, and encourage voting support for the
June 1994 State ballot measure.
· Deny applications to rezone any property in Western Chula Vista
which would increase allowable density or intensity of use
unless no aggravation of existing threshold standards related to
schools will result because of full, adequate and equitable
mitigation. Achievement of full mitigation in the long-term for
infill development in western Chula Vista should be sought,
regardless of whether rezonings or other legislative acts are
involved.
· Continue to support and encourage the District's participation in
cooperative efforts between City staff, the Chula Vista
Elementary School District and Source Point to study the
impacts of new non-residential development upon City schools.
Based upon the study, consider adoption of measures which
would fully mitigate such impacts.
· Through firm conditions of approval early in the process, require
full mitigation of school impacts from both residential and non-
residential development in the Bayfront project, and recommend
to the school district that this mitigation measure be
implemented by expanding existing schools in western Chula
Vista. Reinforce this condition by requiring that any Disposition
and Development Agreement for the project ensure full mitigation
of all school impacts.
· Support the Sweetwater District Board's efforts to end the
moratorium on residential development on Dtay Mesa in the City
of San Diego, in order that the District could construct new
16
schools in the area which would relieve overcrowding pressures
on Chula Vista schools.
. The City Library and the Sweetwater District support creating a
program which would provide work experience for high school
students within the proposed joint library facility to be located at
Eastlake High School. As a joint use agreement has been
forwarded to the City Attorney, it is urged that the City expedite
action on the agreement, as the library must become a reality
before the mentioned work study program can be created.
a AIR QUALITY
THE GMOC RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ISSUE A STATEMENT
OF CONCERN TO THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT.
The Air Pollution Control District (APCD) again provided the GMOC with a
voluminous and thorough report for this year's threshold analysis, The materials
consisted of a letter addressing last year's Statements of Concern to APCD, a
variety of handouts on pollution sources, violators and enforcement actions in Chula
Vista, APCD's 1991 Annual Report and 1992 Scorecard, the State Air Resources
Board's (ARB) and APCD's resolutions adopting the 1991 San Diego Regional Air
Quality Strategy, a list of the Strategy's measures, and a State memorandum
regarding vehicles garaged in Mexico,
The San Diego region continued to experience improvement in overall air quality in
1992, primarily from industry controls (reducing stationary emissior:1s from industrial
and commercial sources), and engine technology (better motor vehicle pollution
controls), Despite these improvements, however, an acceptable level of air quality
for the San Diego region has not yet been achieved, As the effective capacity of
such improvements has almost been exhausted, future significant improvements will
only occur from decreasing automobile use through strong public transit programs,
It was noted that Chula Vista continues to enjoy some of the best air quality of any
area in the region, with the best record for fewest number of days/hours for which
State standards were exceeded last year,
Several significant matters were addressed in APCD's materials regarding last
year's Statement of Concern, and the current activities of APCD as they may affect
the City in the future, as follows:
1) In June 1992 the APCD adopted the San Diego Regional Air Quality Strategy
(AQS) which was subsequently approved by the State ARB in November
1992, Pursuant to the State Clean Air Act, air pollution must be reduced by
5% annually unless the adopted AQS implements all feasible measures to
control air pollution. The adopted plan includes all such measures, but due
to population growth in San Diego County and the continued transport of air
17
pollution from the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the AQS will result in
approximately a 3% annual reduction to the year 2000 and a 1 % annual
reduction thereafter.
The AQS contains several major implementation measures developed in
conjunction with SANDAG including the Transportation Control Measures
Plan (TCM Plan), the Model Regional Transportation Demand Management
Program (TOM Plan), and an indirect source control program. The first
transportation measures are scheduled for adoption in July 1993, and will
require in a phased fashion. businesses with 60 or more employees to boost
the average vehicle ridership of their morning commuters from a countywide
average of 1.18 commuters per car to an average of 1,5 commuters per car
by the year 2000, through use of a variety of incentives and decentives, A
draft of an Indirect Source Reduction Plan, which will include proposed land
use measures for local implementation, is anticipated for release this
summer for review with adoption expected by December 1993,
2) The region was previously only in compliance with 3 of the 6 State ambient
air standards, The State has recently given compliance on one additional
standard, for a total of 4 complying,
3) Despite the improvements made through industry controls and substantial
improvements in automotive engine technology, the region's largest air
quality problem continues to be too may vehicle trips/miles driven, The
number of miles driven per year continues to grow at a rate almost double
that of population growth, This trend must be reversed if the region's air
quality situation is to continue to improve. In this regard, successful
implementation of the AQS's measures is critical.
4) Recent changes in federal legislation have created increased flexibility in the
spending of funds for mass transit allocated under the Intermodal Surface
Transportation and Efficiency Act (ISTEA), SANDAG receives the funds and
is charged with their allocation/distribution, APCD has recommended to
SANDAG that the monies be focused on transit projects, however, to date
SANDAG has not accepted the recommendation. but has indicated the intent
to review the matter in the future,
5) The issue of US registered motor vehicles garaged in Mexico and commuting
to San Diego is near resolution, DMV's parent agency, the State Business,
Transportation and Housing Agency, has determined DMV has sufficient
authority to regulate, The State ARB is drafting regulations for the DMV, with
adoption expected this summer. However, the matter of Mexican registered
vehicles driven in the US is under the auspices of the federal EPA, which
has formed a task force to initiate discussions with Mexican authorities,
18
The GMOC also discussed the APCD's recommendation to for possible future
changes to the threshold standard regarding coordination of annual growth forecasts
reviews in conjunction with SANDAG's regional forecasts which are the basis for air
quality planning, and with regard to adding evaluative standards predicated upon
the Regional Air Quality Strategy's implementation measures once they are
adopted,
The GMOC recommends the City Council take the following actions related to the
Statement of Concern to be submitted to the Air Pollution Control District:
. Recognize the recent adoption of the Regional Air Quality Strategy
(A QS), and continue to urge the APCD to expeditiously proceed with
efforts related to the development, review, adoption and implementation
of the AQS's subsequent implementing measures including the
Transportation Control Measures Plan (TCM Plan), the Model Regional
Transportation Demand Management Program (TDM Plan), and an
Indirect Source Reduction Plan.
. Support the APCD's efforts to obtain additional state funding for mass
transit programs which would reduce air pollution, and to change
federal and state tax laws which encourage private automobile use over
use of public transit.
. Actively support the adoption of proposed State regulations which will
require automobiles garaged in Mexico but registered in the United
States to meet California requirements for pollution controls.
Encourage federal EPA to work expeditiously with Mexican Authorities
to address the additional matter of Mexican registered vehicles used
frequently in the United States that currently have no smog control.
. Direct staff to work with SANDAG and APCD to evaluate possible
revisions to the Threshold Standard based upon the provisions of the
recently adopted Regional Air Quality Strategy and its implementation
measures in the following regards:
o referencing/coordinating review and evaluation of the City's
annual growth forecasts in conjunction with SANDAG's "Series"
regional forecasts, as APCD's Regional AQS is predicated upon
these regional forecasts.
o consideration of adding evaluative standards predicated upon
the Regional AQS's various implementation measures, such as
TDM, TCM and indirect source, once those measures are
adopted.
19
These proposed revisions should be considered with the GMOC's 1993
review.
. Regarding the importance of developing transit as stressed by APCD,
recognize the window of opportunity presented by the Otay Ranch
planning effort, particularly the light-rail proposal. The GMOC has
particular concern with respect to the current plan which uses the light
rail line to support high density residential on the western parcel, but
indicates that the line may not become a reality for over 20 years. More
than simply requiring set aside of an easement, the Commission
strongly recommends that the granting of high density be specifically
conditioned to the phased provision of the light rail line intended to
serve it. Only in this manner can the light rail line be ensured to
become a reality, and playa meaningful role in the timely amelioration
of air quality and traffic impacts consistent with the intent of the City's
Threshold Standards.
ISSUES WHERE THRESHOLDS ARE MET
C LIBRARIES
THE GMOC FINDS THAT WITH THE SCHEDULED CONSTRUCTION OF THE
EASTLAKE AND SOUTH CHULA VISTA LIBRARIES, THE CITY HAS ACHIEVED
CONFORMANCE WITH THE LIBRARY THRESHOLD ON A CUMULATIVE BASIS
The threshold standard for libraries requires that 500 square feet of library space
(adequately equipped and staffed) be provided per each 1,000 population, Based
on a population estimate of 143,800 as of December 1992, a total of 71 ,900 square
feet of library space is required, Currently 57,329 square feet is provided by the
Chula Vista Public Library at 365 "F" Street with 55,000 square feet. and a
combined 2.329 square feet in two small branches, Castle ParklOtay and Woodlawn
Park, This 57,329 square feet results in a current shortage of 14,571 square feet
in library space, The objectives expressed as thresholds for libraries were foreseen
in The Librarv Master Plan of 1987, which recommends the City supplement the
Library at 365 "F" Street by providing a new area library facility in the
Montgomery/Otay Planning Area and two new library buildings in each of the
planning areas east of Interstate 805.
In accordance with that master plan, the 10,000 square foot library in conjunction
with Eastlake High School scheduled to open in fall 1993, and the 37,000 square
foot South Chula Vista Library scheduled to open in late 1994 will actually result in
exceeding of the threshold requirement by 27,276 square feet, based on a projected
population of 150,665 in 1994, This is consistent with the threshold standard which
requires that solutions to deficiencies be commenced within three years,
20
The City has also allocated $200,000 in the Capital Improvement Program to hire
an architect for the initial design work for a 29,000 square foot library to be located
at the corner of East "H" Street and Paseo Ranchero in the Sweetwater/Bonita
Planning Area, This project will be funded by Development Impact Fees and is
tentatively scheduled for completion in 1998, Although not the official name, this
library is referred to as the Rancho Del Rey Library.
C SEWER
THE GMOC FINDS THAT THE SEWER THRESHOLD HAS BEEN MAINTAINED
ON BOTH A PROJECT AND CUMULATIVE BASIS,
There were no major problems attributable to new growth in the City during the
reporting period with respect to the established thresholds for sanitary sewers, The
City design standards for sewers limit the flow in sewers up to 12" in diameter to
50% full and to 75% full for sewers larger than 12", The City has also allowed flow
up to 75% full in 8", 10", and 12" diameter sewers if it can be shown that ultimate
development has already occurred,
One major project which is expected to cause a significant impact to the sewer
system is the Kaiser Hospital and Medical Center which will be discharging to the
Telegraph Canyon Trunk Sewer. An amendment to the Telegraph Canyon Sewer
Basin Plan prepared by Willdan Associates to address out-of-basin pumped flows
from the Eastlake and Salt Creek Ranch developments is already in process, and
a second amendment is also being prepared to address projected flows from the
Kaiser project.
Construction of the Proctor Valley Sewer, which will serve The Salt Creek I, Salt
Creek Ranch, Rancho San Miguel and Bonita Meadows developments as well as
other parcels in the area was completed. The sewer connects to the County's
Frisbee Trunk, for which a sewer trunk usage agreement is currently being
prepared,
The potential sewer capacity problems identified last year in connection with the
Scripps Hospital, Chula Vista Mall Expansion and Palomar Trolley Center projects
have been mitigated, A parallel sewer on "G" Street has been constructed to serve
the hospital, and construction of the parallel sewer along Industrial Blvd, to serve
the Palomar Trolley Center is scheduled for completion by June 1993, A recent City
study concludes that the flows from the Chula Vista Mall Expansion do not exceed
previous flows from the area to be demolished,
The City is using several methods to identify and determine the cause of peak flows
exceeding City standards in existing sewers, The flow monitoring program has
been continued and several problem sites have been identified, and parallel sewer
efforts are underway, The City's sewer TV inspection crew continues to monitor
problem sites in order to determine if the condition of the sewer lines has affected
21
the flow, 58,400 linear feet of lines were inspected in 1992, and Phase IV of the
Sewer Rehabilitation Program was prepared. An additional 12,00 lineal feet have
been televised for Phase V, Repair is an ongoing program. The Wastewater
Master Plan prepared by Engineering-Science includes an analysis of current
projected future flows for all City trunk lines and provides recommendation for
construction of new and upgraded sewers and preliminary cost estimates. In
addition, adequacy of sewers must also be addressed in the environmental
documents of proposed new developments,
Sites identified through these methods may be considered for inclusion in the
Capital Improvement Program or the Sewer Rehabilitation Program, New
developments will be required to pay a proportionate share for the construction of
new sewers needed,
San Dieao Metropolitan Sewer Authoritv/San Dieao Area Wastewater Manaaement
District
At present, the City's total daily wastewater flow into the Metropolitan Sewage
System (Metro) is approximately 11.479 million gallons per day (mgd), well within
our current contract capacity of 19,2 mgd, This includes 9.251 mgd of metered
flows discharged directly to the Metro sewer line, and 2.228 mgd of metered and
non-metered flows discharged through the Spring Valley Sewer outfall. Annual
wastewater flows have increased at a rate much less than predicted due primarily
to the recent building slowdown and water conservation efforts, Flows grew by only
0,742 mgd over the last year.
Six new permanent wastewater metering stations which measure the Spring Valley
flows are in operation, Two more meters, one in Proctor Valley and the other on
"F" Street west of Bay Blvd" have recently been installed and are to be operational
this year.
The City's existing sewage capacity reservation with Metro is 19,2 mgd, Based on
current projections, the 7,7 mgd of remaining capacity beyond current flows should
serve the City until approximately 2010, However, the San Diego Wastewater
Management District (SDAWMD) took effect on January 1, 1993. The SWAWMD
effectively replaces Metro, and includes representatives from most Metro agencies
and will manage construction and operation of Metro and Clean Water Program
sewage transportation and treatment facilities, Member agencies have a maximum
of one year to withdraw from the SDAWMD without penalty. While the City's current
Metro capacity contracts extend to 2004, they will not necessarily be maintained
under the SDAWMD, The GMOC wishes to emphasize the important decision
Chula Vista must make over whether to remain in the SDAWMD or leave, and
recommends that the City continue to retain a team of technical, financial and legal
consultants to develop a strategy regarding membership,
22
As also discussed in the water section of this report, the proposed 6 mgd Otay
Valley Water Reclamation Plant proposed as part of the Clean Water Program and
scheduled for start-up in 1998, has been indefinitely postponed by the City of San
Diego. As the timing of construction will be a consideration in the development of
the southern and eastern portions of Chula Vista, the GMOC feels it is critical that:
. City staff be directed to continue evaluating the feasibility of
Chula Vista financing, designing and constructing this plant.
. The GMOC also wishes to express its concern regarding the
potential impacts of development in eastern Chula Vista on
sewer facilities in older western Chula Vista, and stress the need
to continue close monitoring to ensure the timely funding and
phasing of necessary upgrades and replacements.
D DRAINAGE
THE GMOC FINDS THAT THE DRAINAGE THRESHOLD HAS BEEN MAINTAINED
ON A CUMULATIVE AND PROJECT BASIS,
At this time, no major problems can be attributed to new growth in the City
concerning the threshold standards for drainage, One reason for this is that
developers have constructed detention basins so that downstream flows are not
increased, Each new subdivision is required to construct all drainage facilities to
handle storms of a certain magnitude and discharge the flows into a downstream
facility, The Environmental Impact Report for each development must address any
possible drainage problems either on-site or off-site, The developer is required to
implement mitigation measures, if necessary,
In addition to the construction of drainage facilities, developers must now obtain a
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Construction Activity permit for
each grading operation affecting an area of five acres or more, This permit program
requires a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan which is specifically developed for
each construction site in order to prevent pollutants from reaching drainageways,
These permits are issued by the State Water Resources Control Board, the
Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the City, Developers will be required to
dedicate land and construct facilities necessary to serve their proposed
developments, Facilities benefiting an extensive area with multiple owners may be
financed through assessment districts,
In February and March 1992, runoff resulting from a series of high intensity
rainstorms caused localized flooding in the older areas of the City, primarily within
the Central Drainage Basin and the south branch of the Telegraph Canyon Basin.
As a result, and upon City Council direction, the Engineering Department prepared
a report accepted in May 1992 which includes proposals for construction of
drainage facilities to correct deficiencies, and establishes a priority list of drainage
23
improvement projects, That list contains a total of 84 needed but currently
unfunded improvements with an approximated cost of $23,025,000, Considering
an inflation rate of 4% per year, funding of $1 ,695,000 per year for 20 years would
be necessary to complete the projects. Given current prospects, this level of
funding is very unlikely. Therefore, the GMOC:
. Suggests the City Council re-evaluate this situation, and direct
development of aggressive funding strategies which would allow
for much more timely completion of the most important of these
projects.
. In addition, while the above noted drainage problems
encountered in 1992 are related primarily to inadequate existing
facilities that were built prior to the adoption of threshold
standards, the GMOC is still concerned over whether or not
extensive new development in eastern Chula Vista has
contributed or will contribute to drainage problems in western
Chula Vista, and recommends that this situation be closely
monitored.
a TRAFFIC
THE GMOC FINDS THAT THE TRAFFIC THRESHOLD HAS BEEN MAINTAINED
ON BOTH A CUMULATIVE AND PROJECT BASIS,
As amended in 1991, the threshold for traffic requires that Level-of-Service (LOS)
"C" or better as measured by observed average travel speed on all signalized
arterial segments except that during peak hours a LOS of "0" can occur for no more
than any two hours of the day, Those signalized intersections west of 1-805 which
do not meet the above standard, may continue to operate at their current 1991 LOS,
but shall not worsen,
This threshold represents a change from the original Intersection Capacity Utilization
(ICU) method which analyzed the performance of intersections only, to the Highway
Capacity Manual (HCM) method which analyzes conditions over whole roadway
segments, and is a more comprehensive measurement as it considers the overall
"driving experience" in terms of time delay,
1992 Traffic Monitorina Proaram
The 1992 Traffic Monitoring Program (TMP) presented to the GMOC summarizes
the results of analysis performed through actual travel time and speed surveys of
all the arterial streets in Chula Vista during the PM peak hour period (4pm to 6 pm),
as conducted from March through mid-July 1992, This provided the first opportunity
for the GMOC to review a complete (or "base year") analysis under the HCM
method, as the 1991 TMP was only an abbreviated study of traffic conditions,
24
focusing on along "H" Street between 1-805 and 1-5 and Third Avenue between "H"
Street and Moss Street, due to the cut off of the reporting period in conjunction with
the threshold's change over from ICU measurement, Because the necessary HCM
field study work is labor intensive, travel studies for the AM and mid-day periods are
proposed to be spread out, with the AM report presented next year, and the mid-day
the following year, resulting in a complete cycle of analysis every four years,
Additionally, any segments found to be operating at LOS "C" in any year would be
analyzed along with the following year's period to determine if potential problems
exist so that any necessary operational changes can be addressed,
The 1992 TMP results show that all arterial segments studied were found to operate
at LOS "C" or better. Nine (9) arterial segments were found to be operating at LOS
"C", in at least one direction, and will be included for reevaluation with the 1993
TMP which will assess the AM peak period for all arterial streets, It should also be
noted that the study shows the arterial interchange segments at the 1-5
interchanges, in general, were found to be experiencing reduced levels-of-service,
This is due primarily to the close spacing of the signals, signal timing at the ramps
which is controlled by CAL TRANS, and the high volume of vehicles entering and
exiting the freeway, This is especially true of the short segment of westbound "H"
Street between Woodlawn Ave, and Bay Blvd, Staff will be contacting CAL TRANS
to see if signal timing changes at the freeway ramps can be made which would
improve the LOS for traffic on "H" Street crossing the freeway, A related concern
involves the trolley crossing gates at "E", "H" and Palomar Streets which interrupt
flows every 5 to 7,5 minutes, and the need to continue to urge the Metropolitan
Transit Development Board (MTDB) to construct grade separations,
"H" Street Corridor Traffic Issues
During review of the 1991 TMP, follow-up information was requested about the.
continuing impact of development in the area east of 1-805 on the operating
performance of "H" Street west of 1-805, and short-term solutions to maintain
acceptable LOS. The Engineering Department produced a report indicating
measures implemented to address this matter as follows: 1) development of a
typical cross-section for "H" Street as a 6-lane roadway, 2) requirements for
dedication and/or construction of road widening for three projects along "H" Street,
most notably the Chula Vista Mall Expansion and the Scripps Hospital Expansion,
3) proposal for a widening of "H" Street at Hilltop Drive to provide for two left-turn
lanes for the westbound direction, 4) a request to CAL TRANS to rectify problems
at the intersection of "H" Street at Bay Boulevard,S) progress on the improvements
at the 1-805I"H" Street interchange, and 6) review of additional measures to
increase "H" Street capacity between Third Avenue and Hilltop Drive,
However, in the longer-term, traffic volumes are projected to continue to increase
on 'H" Street, particularly on the segment between 1-805 and Hilltop Drive which will
grow from 37,800 today to 49,000 based on buildout of the July 1989 General Plan,
Recent approvals of projects such as Kaiser Hospital and Rancho Del Rey
25
Commercial Center, not fully contemplated by the General Plan, continue to place
demands on "H" Street and add to the need to carefully monitor growth from other
projects and streets in the "H" Street corridor in order to assure threshold
maintenance,
SR125
The City, in conjunction with the firm HNTB, has recently completed an Interim State
Route 125 Study, which outlines a $27,9 million plan for the phasing of an
expanded interim network of surface roadways in the general future alignment of the
freeway which will supplement the City's existing planned near-term roadway
network, and allow development to continue until either a toll facility or a freeway
can be built. The importance of SR125 to supporting buildout of the projects in the
City's General Planning Area consistent with the Traffic Threshold has been
previously established by both the City's Growth Management Plan and the Eastern
Chula Vista Transportation Phasing Plan, The study proposes a combination of
development impact fee type collections with bond sales to construct phases
needed before all dwelling unit fees are collected, and a potential Mello-Roos to pay
off bonds if development slows to the point where bonds cannot pay the annual
assessments.
In summary, evidence presented to the GMOC for 1992 indicates that the threshold
for traffic is being met. However, the following serious concerns exist regarding
potential problems which may result in an inability to meet the traffic threshold
standard in the near future:
. The GMOC wishes to reiterate and amplify prior concerns
expressed in both its 1990 and 1991 Annual Reports regarding
potentially serious future "H" Street traffic problems both east
and west of 1-805. As the principal arterial for many of the large
approved but not yet built master planned communities and
other projects, "H" Street's current configuration and capacity
must adequately meet these future traffic demands over the next
20+ years as buildout occurs. Recent traffic models developed
in conjunction with land use approvals such as Kaiser Hospital
and the Rancho Del Rey Commercial Center, indicate that "H"
Street will need to operate at or very near its maximum capacity
to meet the traffic threshold standard, providing little, if any,
reserve capacity to address actual future conditions not foreseen
by the traffic models. The lack of reserve capacity also limits the
City's future flexibility to consider other project proposals like
Kaiser or Rancho Del Rey which may prove beneficial over the
next 20 or more years.
Given the foreseeable physical and economic constraints to
major future modifications to "H" street, such as those currently
26
presented west of 1-805 between Hilltop and Third Ave., prudent
planning would dictate that the City take a more conservative
land use planning approach to ensure future planning flexibility,
and satisfactory long-term capacity and threshold compliance on
"H" Street. In view of these concerns, the GMOC recommends
that as an adjunct to current circulation studies for SR125, the
City re-evaluate the land use currently contemplated for the "H"
Street service area, and determine if in fact, any short or long-
term threshold compliance problems exist.
. Regarding SR125, the Commission wishes to express its concern
as to the feasibility and viability of the current HNTB study's
proposal to utilize a slightly upgraded existing roadway network
in the general alignment of future SR125, in-lieu of a four lane
interim facility. It has been the Commission's understanding that
such a four lane through facility was necessary to adequately
meet traffic demands pre-SR125, in order to alleviate the
projected heavy demands on "H" Street and Telegraph Canyon
Road, and ensure longer term Traffic Threshold compliance.
Given the previously noted "H" Street concerns, the
Commission requests that in conjunction with the recommended
re-evaluation of the "H" Street service area, the Council also
require a supplement to the HNTB 125 study specifically
addressing the proposal's relationship to short and long-term
Threshold maintenance for the Commission's benefit.
. The Commission wishes to express concern over poor levels-of-
service at freeway interchanges, and urges the City to work with
CAL TRANS to resolve this issue.
. The City needs to approach the Metropolitan Transit
Development Board (MTDB) about the need for light rail grade
separations at "E" Street, "H" Street, and Palomar Street to
address the trolley's impacts on traffic circulation. These grade
separations will especially be needed when the Bayfront project
is built.
. The GMOC also wishes to recommend approval of the revised
Year 1992 HCM Segment Map which is made a part of the Traffic
Threshold Standard.
27
D FIRE
THE GMOC FINDS THAT THE FIRE THRESHOLD HAS BEEN MAINTAINED ON
BOTH A PROJECT AND CUMULATIVE BASIS
The threshold standard requires that 85% of all emergency fire and medical
emergency calls be responded to within 7 minutes. The actual performance for
Fiscal Year 1991-92 was that 91.0% of all emergency calls were responded to
within 7 minutes, These data indicate that the threshold for fire response was met,
and exceeded, for the reporting period,
The Fire Department will be opening a sixth fire station in the EastLake Business
Center in March-April 1993, which will allow the Department to maintain the present
level of service regarding threshold standards, Additionally, the Department is
currently exploring options, including DIF Funds loans/advances to accelerate the
opening of the Paseo Ranchero Station (Rancho Del Rey), which would provide
further ability to maintain the current exemplary levels-of-service being provided,
The existing Otay Lakes Road Station would close with the opening of the Paseo
Ranchero Station, and the Department has an interested buyer for the site, DIF
commitments to support the accelerated opening would allow this prospective
purchase to become a reality, with sale proceeds available to apply to the opening
of the Paseo Ranchero Station, Continued provision of satisfactory service to the
growing Rancho Del Rey community and surrounds is extremely important, and the
GMOC recommends that the City Council:
. support staff's current efforts to obtain advance DIF funding, and
on a broader note, direct staff to continue to explore the
feasibility of a new DIF accounting system which would provide
increased flexibility in accommodating such advances.
. Regarding consideration of splitting the Fire and EMS standards
as recommended last year, the GMOC supports the position of
the Fire Department that such be deferred for 2 to 3 years based
on the need to review EMS response time standards on a
regional basis, and to allow additional development to occur in
eastern Chula Vista where projects such as Salt Creek Ranch
and San Miguel Ranch will create a different fire response
setting.
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D FISCAL
THE GMOC FINDS THAT THE FISCAL THRESHOLD HAS BEEN MAINTAINED
ON BOTH A CUMULATIVE AND PROJECT BASIS,
The Fiscal threshold standard was created as a revision to the former Economic
threshold by the City Council in November 1991, in order to refine the scope of the
GMOC's review to address the impacts of growth on the City's fiscal well being,
particularly the collection and expenditure of impact fees from new development.
The Fiscal threshold calls for the preparation of a report to the GMOC which
evaluates the fiscal impacts of growth on operations and capital improvements over
both the previous 12 months and projected over the next 12-18 month period,
including an analysis of development impact fee collection and expenditure over the
previous 12-month period,
A report prepared by the City's Finance Department indicated that the City's
Development Impact Fee (DIF) Programs for Public Facilities, Transportation and
Drainage are in sound financial shape, and the programs are working as planned,
According to Mr. Lyman Christopher, the City's Finance Director, the DIF's along
with the various special assessment and financing districts which are required of
major new developments in eastern Chula Vista, result in no negative fiscal impacts
to the City from new development. The majority of these projects were required to
prepare Fiscal Impact Analyses to address creation of a positive revenue picture,
and must provide periodic updates for comparison based on actual occurrences.
In addition, under the Growth Management Program, all are required to prepare
Public Facilities Phasing and Financing Plans (PFFP) to ensure the timely provision
of needed facilities and services in concert with development and consistent with
threshold standard maintenance.
Most of the DIF expenditures in FY 1991-92 were related to street projects and fire
services including $300,000 for improvements at 1-805 and Telegraph Canyon Rd"
$625,000 for the widening of Otay Lakes Rd, between Rutgers Ave. and Apache
Dr., $210,000 for study efforts related to SR 125, $170,000 for the Paseo Ranchero
Fire Training Facility, and $313,000 for the interim fire Station at Eastlake Village.
An annual DIF funds financial report is prepared to review the funding status of
each DIF and its projects, and to update the associated costs for these and any
new facilities necessary to support future development. The reports analyze the
apportionment of costs to projected development in order to adjust the DIF's to be
applied to new development.
Based on the prolonged recession, and the State's budget balancing activities, a
variety of anticipated General Fund revenues were lower than originally estimated,
City sales tax revenues increased by only 1 % (from $11,679,000 to $11,808,279)
compared to normal annual increases between 4% and 8%, License and permit
revenues were flat, and fees for services such as plan check, subdivisions and
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zoning were down approximately $400,000 over the previous year due to the
continued slump in building activity, Utilizing the Planning Department's 12-18
month development forecasts, the Finance Department continues to analyze revised
revenue projections and strategies with the Building, Planning and Engineering
Departments on an annual basis.
In spite of the above noted losses, and due to the efforts of the City Manager and
staff, the City was able to end FY 1991-92 with a General Fund balance of
$8,762,000, and avoid negative impacts to personnel and services, Furthermore,
the GMOC supports the City's current Fiscal 1993-94 budgeting posture of using
fallback/contingency plans based on likely State budget cut scenarios, In this
regard, the extent to which upcoming potential State budget cuts will affect the
proposed City budget and growth management programs will be better known, and
appropriately addressed. when the GMOC begins its next review cycle in October
1993,
The GMOC concluded from the report and Mr. Christopher's presentation, that there
are no significant fiscal problems from new growth which currently warrant special
attention, As the long-range DIF Programs are still in their relative infancy, the
GMOC will continue to monitor the collection and expenditure of DIF funds, and
track development forecasts over time to identify any potential problems before they
become serious,
C PARKS AND RECREATION
THE GMOC FINDS THAT THE PARKS AND RECREATION THRESHOLD HAS
BEEN MAINTAINED ON BOTH A PROJECT AND CUMULATIVE BASIS,
The Parks and Recreation threshold is a population-based standard calling for 3,0
acres of neighborhood and community park land to be provided for every 1,000
residents east of 1-805, This standard has been met as of June 30, 1992, as
illustrated by the following table:
Acres of Acres/ Acre Shortfall
Area Population Parks 1.000 or Excess
East of 1-805 39,108 190.50 4.87 +73.18
West of 1-805 100,042 129.45 1,29 -170,68
City-Wide 139,150 319,95 2,30 -97.50
Standard/Ideal 139,150 418,26 3,00 0
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However, this table also reveals the continuing shortfall in park land both for
Western Chula Vista and for the City as a whole, The GMOC has recommended
each year since 1990 that the Parks Threshold Standard be amended to apply both
east and west of 1-805, 'In response to last year's annual report, the City Council
did conceptually endorse amendment of the Standard, However, adoption of a
revised Standard was deferred in conjunction with preparation of the proposed
Parks Implementation Plan (PIP) which would address possible park equivalency
factors, land availability, and other matters in western Chula Vista, and serve as a
foundation for developing a 20-year master plan to correct existing deficiencies
toward meeting the goal of 3 acres/1000 population west of 1-805, The equivalency
factors, in particular, were seen as necessary before the final language of a revised
threshold standard could be prepared for adoption,
In June 1992, the City Council authorized $75,000 for the PIP for western Chula
Vista, The funding was targeted to hire a consultant to perform a needs
assessment survey and prepare a parks and recreation plan which, in addition to
forming a basis for the above noted 20-year parks and recreation plan, would
provide a framework for addressing the following GMOC issues also noted in last
year's report:
an impact fee program for new apartments in the western area,
development of an equivalency factor for parks and recreation credit for
major facilities such as pools and gymnasiums for more land than they
actually occupy,
recommendations on the appropriateness of "mini parks",
In February 1993, the City Council directed that the PIP be prepared in-house by'
City staff. Given the need to involve several Departments, and coordinate their
workloads, it was believed the planning effort would take a minimum of 18 months
once initiated, in comparison to the proposed consultant contract which was to be
completed by August 1993, The GMOC wishes to stress the importance of the
PIP's timely completion. In addition, although not directly tied to the PIP, is the
need to complete preparation of the Greenbelt Master Plan called for by the City's
1989 General Plan Update, and to develop the related Bike and Hiking Trails Plan,
In 1992 the Parks and Recreation Department completed many positive efforts
which should be noted:
adoption of non-resident fees for use of facilities and programs,
completion of the 4,5 acre Marina View Park in conjunction with the Port
District.
commencement of a 2-phase renovation project at Parkway Community
Center.
commencement of renovations at the Chula Vista Women's Club,
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hiring of a design consultant for restroom, tot lot and slope renovation
improvements at Hilltop Park.
allocation of 25% of PAD fees toward acquisition of a park site in the
Montgomery area,
expansion of the Otay Park Master Plan southwardly to consider joint use
with Otay School.
work on development of a master plan for the Gayle McCandliss Memorial
Grove atop the knoll at Halecrest Park,
the City of San Diego will administer a $1,5 million grant from the Coastal
Conservancy for property acquisition in conjunction with the Otay Valley
Regional Park, Another $10 million may be available next year if a proposed
bond measure passes.
The GMOC recommends that the City Council take the following actions with
respect to the Parks and Recreation threshold:
. As recommended each year since 1990, and endorsed by the Council
last year, actively work toward adopting a revised Parks and Recreation
threshold standard to achieve 3 acres of parkland per 1,000 population
for the area west of Interstate 805 as well as east. In this regard,
completion of the western Chula Vista Parks Implementation Plan (PIP)
is critical as it will address Council's inquiries regarding a credit
system for major facilities such as swimming pools, and other matters
which must be resolved before the final language of a revised standard
can be completed. The PIP is also necessary as a foundation for
formulating the subsequent 20-year master plan for the acquisition of
land and construction of facilities to correct existing deficiencies.
. A Greenbelt Master Plan should be undertaken and closely coordinated
with the PIP to ensure optimum use of the Greenbelt for for park and
recreation purposes. This is especially important for those Gre.enbelt
areas west of 1-805 due to the deficiency of parkland in that part of the
City.
. In conjunction with recent Council direction for in-house preparation of
the PIP, direct the involvement of the City Manager's Office to the
extent required to ensure the interdepartmental coordination and
prioritization necessary to achieve the PIP's timely completion. The
GMOC is concerned with the current minimum estimate of 18 months,
as compared to the proposed consultant contract for completion by
August 1993.
. Create an impact fee program which will require new apartment
construction in Western Chula Vista to pay park fees. Park Acquisition
& Development (PAD) fees are currently collected only for subdivisions,
including condominium projects. With the approval of a Parks and
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Recreation Implementation Plan which outlines specific proposed
improvements and areas of benefit, equitable impact fees can be
collected from new apartment development as well. It should be noted
that the completed PIP will provide the basis for this impact fee.
. Continue to require large master planned communities in the Eastern
Territories, which include proposed parks, to conduct a Needs
Assessment, which will determine the most appropriate site, size, and
content of local parks within the proposed community.
. The City currently does not have enough detailed criteria to judge the
adequacy of a proposed park site for dedication credit in terms of
topography, accessibility, adjacent uses, and other factors. However,
such criteria are being incorporated into the Parks and Recreation
Department's Landscape Manual currently under preparation. The
GMOC encourages the City Council to suport the timely completion and
adoption of this Manual.
. New multi-family projects in Western Chula Vista should be required to
provide a set amount of private recreation facilities within the
development. General provisions regarding such facilities are included
in the proposed City Design Review Manual being drafted by the
Planning Department for adoption. However, those provisions amount
to only broad guidelines, and more in-depth study is necessary to
develop a workable program. Preparation of the PIP provides an
opportunity to address such a study.
. The Parks and Recreation Department should re-assess the
appropriateness of "mini-parks" in Western Chula Vista. While such
parks are more expensive in per-acre costs to develop and maintain,
they provide a more iniimate scale for local neighborhoods, and may
be the only method by which local park deficiencies in Western Chula
Vista can be remedied without significant condemnation of existing
development. Again, this re-assessment is part of the PIP's work
program.
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