City of Palo Alto (ID # 4427) Planning & Transportation Commission Staff Report

City of Palo Alto (ID # 4427) Planning & Transportation Commission Staff Report Report Type: Meeting Date: 1/29/2014 Summary Title: P&CE Work Plan Title: 2014 Draft Work Plan for the Department of Planning and Community Environment From: Hillary Gitelman, Director Lead Department: Planning & Community Environment Informational Report The Director of Planning and Community Environment prepared the attached draft work plan for 2014 in response to a request from the City Manager related to establishing a clear work plan for CY 2014, especially important given the broad and deep range issues the Department will be working on this year. The City Manager also asked the Director for staffing and budget recommendations necessary to support the Department s work. Please note that this item is informational and that the budget implications are subject to the City Manager s review and recommendations from the Director during Budget review for the FY 2015 Budget and the subsequent Finance Committee and Council review and action in May and June 2014. The draft work plan attempts to explain the responsibilities of the Department, to summarize available/requested resources, and to identify goals and priorities for calendar year 2014. As noted in the introduction, the work plan is meant to inform development of the Department s FY 2015 budget and may be adjusted in the course of the year as City Manager and City Council priorities evolve. It should also be noted that Department staff had an opportunity to contribute input to the Department-wide goals at an all hands meeting in December, and that Department managers informed the work plan by providing plans for each of their functional areas. The Director welcomes comments and questions from the Commission regarding the draft work plan and the Department s workload for the coming year. Attachments: City of Palo Alto Page 1

Attachment A: 2014 Workplan Proposal (DOCX) City of Palo Alto Page 2

Palo Alto Department of Planning & Community Environment DRAFT WORK PLAN FOR (CY) 2014 The Palo Alto Department of Planning & Community Environment is responsible for a range of planning and implementation actions aimed at preserving and enhancing the quality of life in Palo Alto, ensuring wise transportation investments, and facilitating land use and development decisions via consistent and transparent processes. Recognizing that our City is facing significant challenges due to its place in the vibrant information economy, the Department has identified two overarching goals for (CY) 2014: 1. Increase the public s trust in the City s planning functions, reaffirming the role of the Comprehensive Plan as the City s fundamental land use and transportation policy document, maximizing transparency and objectivity, and providing ample data and a reasoned basis for staff recommendations. Expanded, significant public engagement is expected. 2. Make significant progress on critical planning and transportation projects, including the 2015-2022 Housing Element Update, Comprehensive Plan update, parking supply enhancements, parking management (including RPP), transit and transportation demand management programs, bike plan implementation, and PC zoning reforms. This draft work plan document summarizes the Department s functions and resources, and then articulates recommended goals and priorities for calendar year 2014. It is meant to inform development of the Department s FY 2015 budget and may be adjusted in the course of the year as City Manager and City Council priorities evolve. I. DEPARTMENTAL FUNCTIONS Long Range Planning is the Department division responsible for updating and maintaining the City s Comprehensive Plan, including its Housing Element, as well as implementing programs and ordinances. In addition, the group administers the City s historic preservation and community development (CDBG) programs, and is responsible for data and analysis, including use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to support a wide variety of planning projects. Transportation is the Department division responsible for the City s transportation infrastructure and plans for multi-modal movement of people and goods in the City of Palo Alto. The group also analyzes the potential transportation impacts of private and public projects, and manages the City s parking programs. Current Planning is the Department division responsible for the review of public and private projects pursuant to CEQA, the City s zoning ordinance, and the Comprehensive Plan. The division accepts and reviews private development applications, seeks input from the public and other City departments, makes and accepts recommendations from the City s Architectural Review Board, and provides staff support to the Development Center. Code Enforcement is the division responsible for Building Code and Zoning Code enforcement, and is generally complaint-based, meaning that enforcement personnel are dispatched to investigate potential violations when complaints are received from the public. Page 1 of 6

Department Administration includes the Director, Assistant Director, a Senior Management Analyst, and administrative staff necessary to support the activities of the Department and the Planning and Transportation Commission. Administrative functions include budgeting, contracts and purchasing, office support, records management, performance metrics, and fee administration. Figure 1: Estimated expenditures by division in FY13 demonstrates the City s relative investment in each. (These are estimates because the Department budget is currently combined with the Development Center). II. CURRENT STAFF RESOURCES & REQUESTED ENHANCEMENTS FOR BUDGET YEAR FY 2015: There are currently approximately 42 staff and contract positions (and 32.13 full time equivalents or FTE) in five Department divisions: Long Range Planning, Transportation, Current Planning (including Development Center support), Code Enforcement, and Administration. We will shortly have as needed consultant contracts in place, and will fill 3.0 vacant positions in current planning and 1.0 vacant position in long range planning. Midyear, we ll shift 100% of the senior management analyst s time to Department activities following addition of a similar position in the Development Center. Also, in FY 2015 we will be proposing to reclassify several existing positions to better reflect staff s current work assignments. Figure 2: Summary of current staffing & contract positions. Current planning staff is shown in red and orange. Code enforcement is included in Advanced Planning In the FY 2015 budget, we will be requesting 1.5 additional positions in the Transportation division; 0.5 FTE will support the City s robust Safe Routes to Schools program, and a new Senior Transportation Planner position (1.0 FTE) will expand our ability to disseminate and analyze data, and undertake transportation planning efforts. We will also be requesting Page 2 of 6

significant additional investments in the Palo Alto shuttle program and a TDM initiative in response to critical concerns about traffic and parking demand. In FY 2015, we will also be requesting the addition of a position (1.0 FTE) to supervise the Code Enforcement division, which will have two benefits: enabling more proactive enforcement of conditions of approval (including tracking Planned Community projects and other planning entitlements); and increasing capacity in the Long Range Planning division, since Steven Turner currently supervises enforcement staff. In the Long Range Planning division, we will also be requesting additional investment in the Comprehensive Plan update, with the goal of engaging the community in a far reaching conversation about the future of our City, critical challenges, and alternative futures. The additional investment will enable expanded community engagement, dissemination of baseline data, and a robust CEQA review of cumulative impacts, alternatives, and mitigation. Long Range Planning Data & Analysis/GIS Comp Plan Update Housing Element Update Historic Preservation CDBG Other Planning Efforts HRB Support Transportation Parking Supply & Management Bike Plan Implementation Planning, Data & Analysis Shuttle Traffic Engineering Safe Routes to Schools Expanded Shuttle & TDM Current Planning (incl. Development Center Support) Planning Entitlements CEQA review Code Interpretations IR Program Building Permit Reviews C&D Program Public Information ARB Support Code Enforcement Building Code Enforcement Zoning Enforcement Mitigation Monitoring/ Conditions of Approval Administration Director/Asst Director Budget Contracts & Purchasing HR Liaison Noticing & Admin Support PTC Support Fee & BID Administration Records Mgmt Fee Study Neighborhood Outreach & Communication Figure 3: Planning & Community Environment Department functions showing areas (in pink) where additional resources are being requested in FY 2015. In FY 2015 we will also request additional support for a contract position related to neighborhood outreach & communication, recognizing that this is an area where improvement is needed. The contract position will assist current staff with Planning s website coordination and content, public meeting coordination and planning, email communications, translating notices from plannereese, coordinating open data initiatives, and creating a social media presence. Page 3 of 6

Finally, in FY 2015, we will be undertaking studies of our user fees and housing impact fees, both of which will require an investment in consultant support. Figure 4: Summary of funding sources. Approximately 46% of the Departments operations are fee supported and relate to the processing of development applications. III. DEPARTMENTAL PRIORITIES FOR 2014: Housing Element Update & Implementation. The City must implement its current housing element and also adopt an updated housing element by the end of January 2015. The update process will involve quantifying the City s housing need, obtaining public input, identifying additional sites for multifamily housing, preparing a CEQA document, and bringing forward a revised housing element for Council adoption and State certification. Comprehensive Plan Update. The Department will be recommending both an expanded community engagement process and a more robust EIR process than originally envisioned when the Comprehensive Plan Amendment was initiated. The effort could also consolidate several ongoing planning efforts (the Downtown cap study, Cal Ave/Fry s, 27 University). If the Council accepts these recommendations, the PTC s recommended revisions to the current Comprehensive Plan would be the starting place for a two year process examining baseline data, alternative futures, cumulative impacts and mitigations. Parking Supply & Parking Management. In collaboration with other departments, staff will bring forward recommendations for new garages, as well as continued planning for the Urban Lane site and solicitation of ideas for public-private partnerships to increase supplies at existing parking lots. Staff will also be recommending implementation of an RPP program, technology enhancements to provide real time data about garage occupancy, establishment of a satellite parking supply w/shuttle service. Transit and TDM Programs. The Department will be recommending expansion of the City s shuttle system and development of an organization to coordinate and market transportation demand management (TDM) strategies. Bike Plan Implementation. The Department is contracting for the design of 18 major projects in the City s adopted Bicycle Plan, and will be seeking community input on each, with the goal of beginning construction of 9 projects by the end of 2014. Outreach, Data & Analysis. The Department has begun making website improvements and will continue to improve its communication with the public, collection and dissemination of data, and the analyses needed to support planning and decision making. Technology enhancements at parking garages implemented this year will allow dissemination of real Page 4 of 6

time data related to occupancy, and the Department will be pursuing a traffic signal system upgrade to allow dissemination of real time data related to traffic volumes and congestion. The Department will also obtain and disseminate updated data on parking occupancy, traffic congestion, and other metrics (including downtown office employment densities) in the course of the year, and conduct an annual transportation survey of residents and employees. These efforts will be closely coordinated with the City s Chief Communications Officer and the City s broad, Our Palo Alto outreach initiative. Planned Community Zoning Reform. The department expects to analyze potential reforms and alternatives to the City s PC process, by which zoning exceptions are exchanged for public benefits. This effort may be broadened to include identifying outdated zoning provisions for elimination as part of a clean up ordinance. Transportation Planning. The Department will be requesting additional resources to support the scoping and review of transportation studies aimed at assessing potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of proposed projects. Efforts will include public discourse on alternatives to the current Level of Service (LOS) metrics, as the Governor s Office of Planning and Research seeks to implement SB 743 from 2013. Development Center Support. The Department is committed to reviewing building permit applications within the timeframes established by the Development Services Center (generally less than 10 days for small projects and less than 30 days for larger ones), and for providing general information to the public about planning requirements during regular business hours. In 2014, the Department will seek to increase the number of building permit approvals that are accomplished over the counter, and to shift many of these responsibilities to staff in the Development Center. If 2014 is similar to 2013, the Department will review 2,700 building permit applications. Planning Entitlements. The Department accepts and reviews applications for review of projects requiring architectural review, site and design review, use permits, rezoning and subdivision approvals, among others. If 2014 is similar to 2013, the Department will review upwards of 350 applications, providing required noticing, analysis and recommendations, and will prepare over 20 initial studies/negative declarations or EIRs. IR Program. The Department accepts and reviews applications for two story single family home construction and alterations consistent with Individual Review Guidelines. If 2014 is similar to 2013, the Department will review upwards of 100 applications pursuant to this program. Other Projects and Programs. The Department expects to allocate staff resources towards a number of other projects and priorities including: Cal Ave streetscape construction; the historic preservation program; the CDBG program, incl. microenterprise assistance; CIP review; the Climate Action Plan update; traffic signalization optimization; and code changes related to sidewalk widths and parking exemptions. IV. ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT-WIDE GOALS FOR 2014: The following additional goals have been identified (with the staff member responsible) to support staff development and transparency ( good government ) in the coming year. Invest in staff development by bringing experts into the office, and by supporting staff attendance at nearby conferences and training sessions. (Aaron & Tim = internal training; Hillary & Sherry = budget support for external training) Page 5 of 6

Complete 100% of annual performance evaluations on time. (All managers and supervisors) Improve the application intake process, increasing the types of applications that can be received over the counter, and ensuring that appointments for the intake of other applications can be scheduled within 48 hours. (Amy & Jason) Establish targeted processing times for planning entitlements by application type, assuming that applicants will respond to requests for information in a timely fashion. (Aaron & Amy) Provide regular opportunities for staff to participate in public meetings and workshops outside of the office, including community meetings related to the Our Palo Alto initiative, the Comprehensive Plan update, the Housing Element update, bike plan implementation, and other 2014 planning efforts. (Steven & Jaime) Ensure that project conditions of approval are property labeled and attached in Acella following project approval so they can be immediately available to staff and the public. (Jason & Sherry) Work with ITS to enable the display of information via interactive maps on the City s website and a 21 st century approach to disseminating information about major projects and issues of interest on a regular basis (Steven & Roland) Please email Planning Director, Hillary Gitelman at hillary.gitelman@cityofpaloalto.org with questions about this draft work plan for calendar year 2014, including its contents and intended use. Page 6 of 6