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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 11142006 - C.168 (05 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ?� Contra FROM: DENNIS M. BARRY AICP 7 °" Costa COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR County q c°U DATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2006 SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION FOR A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT STUDY RELATING TO DEVELOPMENT OF A MASTER PLANNED COMMUNITY PROPOSED ON THE CECCHINI RANCH PROPERTY (ASSESSOR PARCEL NOS. 004-500-004/005), DISCOVERY BAY AREA (COUNTY FILE: GP#06-0006) (DISTRICT III) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1. AUTHORIZE a General Plan Amendment study relating to development of a master planned community proposed for the Cecchini Ranch Property(Assessor Parcel Nos. 004-500-004/005) located in the Discovery Bay area. 2.' AUTHORIZE the Community Development Director, or his designee,as necessary,to modify the proposed land use designations and configurations as this project proceeds through the General Plan Amendment study process in response to emerging infrastructure and environmental concerns. 3. ACKNOWLEDGE that granting authorization for this request does not imply any support for the application to amend the General Plan, but only that this matter is appropriate for study. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE �� • ` RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMIT)TEIE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON PPROVED AS RECOMMENDED -X;/", O ER VE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND YES: NOES: ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN Contact: P. Roche,CDD-AP(925)335-1242 ATTESTED �l cc: CCC-Public Works Dept. JOHN CU LEN, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF CAO SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Clerk of the Board County Counsel Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District Reclamation District 800 BY UTY Delta Protection Commission V.Rover,Private Island Homes C.Talbert,Bingham-McCutchen November 14,2006 Board of Supervisors County Files: GP#06-0006 Page 2 FISCAL IMPACT None. If authorization is granted the applicant shall pay fees to cover the cost for the General Plan Amendment study. BACKGROUND/ REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION The Community Development Department is in receipt of an October 12, 2006 letter from Vincent J. Rover, Private Island Homes, requesting authorization for a General Plan Amendment study relating to the development of a proposed master planned community on the Cecchini Ranch Property, adjacent to the Town of Discovery Bay. Attached as Exhibit"A" to this report is a copy of the October 12, 2006 letter from Mr. Rover. The Cecchini Ranch Property,which is comprised of Assessor Parcel Nos.004-500-400/005, is approximately 1120 acres of farm land currently designated as Delta Recreation Resources (DR) under the General Plan and it is entirely zoned within an A-3: Heavy Agricultural District. The subject property,which is now in agricultural use, is located directly adjacent to and east of the Town of Discovery Bay. It is bounded by Old River to the east, Indian Slough to the north, and State Route 4 highway, which runs-along its the-southern boundary. The entire property is located inside the County's Urban Limit Line. The letter from Mr. Rover describes a proposal to re-designate the 1120-acre property from the Delta Recreation Resources(DR)to a variety of General Plan land designations, including: residential,commercial, mixed use, light industrial, public,and open space uses. Private Island Homes envisions a master planned community for the-Cecchini-Ranch Property based on a preliminary concept plan that would designate 448 acres for single family and multi-family residential units, ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 units.The residential development would include possible deep water-access lots, large lots,typical single family detached lots, attached multi- family lots (townhouses,condominiums, apartments, etc.). About 91-acres-would be devoted to mixed use development surrounding a proposed marina-to create a new"destination"spot along the Delta. Another 58 acres would be designated for commercial and light industrial development. Approximately 100 acres would be devoted to public uses, including schools, day care center, and community center, etc., 346 acres would be set aside for active and -passive recreational uses (parks, playfields, public trails, marina, and lakes), and 78 acres would be reserved for wetland habitat, largely protected from human contact. For more details, see the concept plan map attached to Mr. Rover's October 12, 2006 letter. Staff recommends authorization of a General Plan Amendment study for the Cecchini Ranch Property, as requested by Private Island Homes. Staff notes, however,that since this General Plan Amendment study would involve the conversion of a large tract of agricultural land into urban uses,albeit inside the Urban Limit Line,there are two important matters that need to be addressed prior to formal initiation of this study. First, given that this proposed master planned community is intended to become a functional part of the Town of Discovery Bay, it will be important to ascertain whether the proposed range of uses and public amenities, as currently presented in the preliminary concept plan, match the desires, needs,and interests of existing Discovery Bay residents.To address this concern, staff recommends that prior to the formal submittal of development applications to the County, the Community Development Department and Private Island Homes conduct a professionally facilitated informational workshop(s)with the Discovery Bay community.The purpose would be to inform the public about this pending project and to get early public input on the "vision"for development of this master planned community, which includes the proposed range of uses and public amenities, before formal development applications are submitted to the County. November 14,2006 Board of Supervisors County Files: GP#06-0006 Page 3 BACKGROUND / REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION - continued Second, it will be important to understand how this proposed master planned community, as currently presented in the preliminary concept plan, could be supported by the existing public services and infrastructure which are now provided by the Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District and other agencies,what additional public services or infrastructure would be required, and how well will the range of uses support the desire by many in the community to incorporate Discovery Bay into a municipality.To address these concerns, staff recommends that prior to the formal submittal of development applications to the County, Private Island Homes prepare a report for submittal to the Community Development Director that provides a preliminary assessment on the delivery of public services and the provision for new infrastructure for the proposed master planned community. The purpose would be to understand the extent and level of public services and infrastructure that will be needed in the future to support development of a master planned community, particularly in reference to a new community with somewhere between 4,000 to 6,000 new residences located at the far eastern end of the County. The report would be used by the Community Development Department in scoping the environmental review for this project. This report should be prepared-in consultation with the Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District, Liberty Union High School District, Byron Union School District, Reclamation District 800, East Contra Costa Fire Protection District, County Sheriffs Department and other agencies that provide essential public services or key infrastructure to the area. Attachments (2) Exhibit"A": 10/12/2006 Letter from Mr. Vincent Rover, Private Island Homes Exhibit"B" Map of Subject Site, including current General Plan/Zoning designations GAAdvance Planning\adv-plan\General Plan Amendments\gp06-0006(Cecchini PIH)\cecchinipingpasparequestbo111406.doc Exhibit "A": 10/12/2006 Letter from Mr. Vincent Rover, Private Island Homes PRIVATE ISLAND u: `, 1 I'll 925.370.3000 October 12, 2006 FX 925.370.3001 1499 DANVILLF BLVD.,SUITE 200 ALA.,110.CA 94507 Dennis M. Barry, AICP Director, Community Development Department Contra Costa County 651 Pine Street Martinez, CA 94553 Re: Cecchini Ranch Property, Discovery Bay Request for General Plan Amendment Study Authorization Dear Mr. Barry: I am writing on behalf of Private Island Homes, Inc. ("PIH") to request authorization from the Board of Supervisors for a General Plan Amendment Study for the Cecchini Ranch property (the "Property") located in Discovery Bay. PIH is under contract to purchase the Property and makes this request on behalf of itself and on behalf of and with the consent of the current owners. The Property is approximately 1,121 acres and is located immediately adjacent to the Town of Discovery Bay in eastern Contra Costa County. The Property is bounded by Old River to the east, Indian Slough to the north, and State Highway 4 along its southern boundary. A vicinity map identifying the Property is. attached hereto as Exhibit A. The Property is inside the County's Urban Limit Line and is currently designated Delta Recreation and Resources (DR) by the Land Use Element to the County's General Plan and it is zoned under the A-3 Heavy Agricultural District. PIH proposes a General Plan Amendment which would redesignate the Property for a variety of residential, open space and recreational, mixed-use, commercial and industrial, and public facilities uses. A preliminary conceptual site plan is attached hereto as Exhibit B. PIH envisions the following approximate mix of development on the Property: • 448 acres would be devoted to residential uses with a total number of residential units ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 units, including General Plan Amendment Study Letter Request Page 2 of 3 October 12, 2006 residential uses in the mixed-use area. Densities would range from Single-Family Residential — Low, to Multiple-Family Residential - Very High. Residential uses would include large-lot and possible deep-water access lots, typical single-family detached lots, small-lot cluster homes, single-family detached motor court homes, and attached multi-family housing types including townhomes, condominiums, apartments, and live-work loft spaces. Residential units would be both market rate and affordable. • 91 acres would be devoted to mixed-uses including mixed commercial, restaurant, residential, and marine educational and research uses. A large area of mixed use would be located around a proposed marina to create a "destination" spot along the Delta and would include restaurants, retail commercial, and light marina services with two and three stories of higher-density residential units over the commercial uses. The land use for this area would be a special mixed use (M-) designation under the General Plan. • 58 acres would be devoted to commercial and custom industrial uses. These uses would include more traditional retail, personal service, office and light industrial uses as well as Delta-specific uses such as recreational equipment services and "incubator" businesses. The land use designations for these areas would be Commercial (CO) and Light Industry (LI). • 100 acres would be designated Public and Semi-Public (PS), and would be dedicated to public facility uses including schools, a day care, and a community center which could include meeting rooms, a youth/senior activity center, a sheriffs substation, a fire boat station, and a fire station. • 346 acres would be designated Open Space (OS), Parks and Recreation (PR), and Water (WA), and would be dedicated to active and passive recreational uses including community parks with athletic fields, public trails, pedestrian paseos, a marina and publicly accessible lakes. • 78 acres would be designated Open Space, and would be created wetland habitat, largely protected from human contact. This approximate mix of uses would contribute approximately 424 acres (38%) to the County's inventory of Non-Urban Land and General Plan Amendment Study Letter Request Page 3 of 3 October 12, 2006 approximately 697 acres (62%) to Urban Uses within the Urban Limit Line under the County's 65/35 Land Preservation Standard. Should the requested General Plan Amendment Study be authorized, PIH also requests that the Board enable the Community Development Director and his staff to, as necessary, modify the proposed land use designations and configurations to accommodate the provision of necessary infrastructure and improvements as the project proceeds through the hearing process. Please place this request on the Board of Supervisors' agenda for its consideration. Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at (925) 370-3000, extension 107 or Kerri Watt at (925) 370-3000, extension 104. 7Sincly yours, Vincent J. Rover Attachments:Vicinity Map General Plan Amendment Study Land Use Plan cc: Cecily T. Talbert, Bingham McCutchen, LLP, 1333 North California Boulevard, Suite 210, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 �1mL U� • .. yowct yJpn�s 17 Tro5 rt tic went y7o. :� t �'. 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