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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/28/2005 B A K E R S F I E L D Sue Benham, Chair David Couch Mike Maggard Staff: John W. Stinson SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMI'n'EE of the City Council - City of Bakersfield Monday, March 28, 2005 1:00 p.m. City Manager's Conference Room, Suite 201 Second Floor - City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, CA AGENDA 1. ROLL CALL 2. ADOPT JANUARY 31, 2005 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT 3. PUBLIC STATEMENTS 4. DEFERRED BUSINESS A. Discussion and Committee recommendation regarding downtown development incentives - Kunz B.Discussion and Committee recommendation regarding appeals of extension of vesting rights - Rojas 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion and Committee recommendation regarding Bakersfield growth indicators - Grady B.Discussion and Committee recommendation regarding railroad crossings and traffic control devices - Rojas C.Discussion and Committee recommendation regarding local control of group homes - Grady 6. COMMITTEE COMMENTS 7. ADJOURNMENT S:~JOHN\Council Committees\05Planning&Developm ent~05Mar28agen.doc DRAFT B A K E R S F I E L D ~'(~ ~-~ ~'-~ 'Sue Benham, Chair Sta~ff: dohn W. St-inson David Couch For: Alan Tandy, City Manager Mike Maggard AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT SPECIAL MEETING PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Monday, January 31,2005 -1:00 p.m. City 'Manager's Conference Room 1. ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. 'Present: Councilmembers Sue Benham, Chair; David Couch; and Mike Maggard 2. · ADOPT DECEMBER 6, 2004 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Adopted as submitted. ~.. 3. PUBLIC STATEMENTS 4. DEFERRED BUSINESS A. Discussion and Committee recommendation on Tree Manual Assistant City Manager Alan Christensen reported staff 'has reviewed the Tree Manual with Dana Karcher from the Tree Foundation. The manual includes an updated tree list. As this is an internal administrative procedure manual, it does not require Council action, only Committee approval. Committee Chair Benham requested staff to report back on the following: The appeals process: Check with Legal on including the appeals process in the manual, so the public does not have to search through the Municipal Code. Structural soils: Check with Public Works to see if there could be more specific information on soils. Standards for tree removal: Include standards for tree removal. Staff will report back to the Committee at the April 18th meeting. DRAFT AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, January 31, 2005 Page 2 Committee Chair Benham stated with the 'above recommendations the tree manual is approved and does not need to be put back on the Committee agenda. The Committee unanimously agreed. Committee Member Couch stated there are trees listed on the "Rio Vista" landscaPe plan that are not on the list included in the tree manual. This was brought to his attention by Park Way Committee members. Public Works Director Raul Rojas explained the park was designed two years ago and the consultant was directed to include a mixture of tree types and varieties. City Manager Alan Tandy explained trees not appropriate for medians could be appropriate for a 32-acre park. Staff will research thelandScape plan. Lorraine Unger, Sierra Club, spoke regarding eucalyptus trees not being appropriate trees to include on the list. Urban Forester Paul Graham responded he does not recommended eucalyptus varieties for right-of,ways or parking lots. Committee Member Maggard expressed some uses of eucalyptus trees, such as in a grove of trees, provide a very striking and beautiful effect. Committee Chair Benham expressed the need for education and training of employees in the following areas: · Public Works: Tree proteCtion during construction, root pruning and sidewalk replacement · Parks Division: Provide for better care of. trees during lawn mowing .and maintenance · Removal of trees consistent with standards: For example, trees that were 'planted using a previous grant were removed during construction of the Baker Street streetscape ° Development Services: Grant applications for streetscapes need to be consistent with the City's Tree Manual Staff will report back to the Committee at the April 18th meeting. B. Status report and recommendations regarding enforcement of parking lot shade tree ordinance City Attorney Ginny Gennaro reported staff had not been able to meet with Dana Karcher to obtain copies of ordinances from other cities to compare with Bakersfield's ordinance. The City Attorney provided an overview of suggestions. DRAFT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, January 31, 2005 Page 3 on Section H in the Minimum Landscaping Standards Ordinance; however, staff needs Committee input on what regulation language is reasonable and appropriate to include for commercial parking lots in' order to obtain a 40 percent shade canopy. Any language added to the ordinance needs to be very clear on what is required from the developers and the timeframes for achieving the canopy. Committee Chair Benham emphasized in addition to enforcement, there needs to be an educational effort to make-sure developers know what is expected on the front-end planning of a development and through the plan check process. Urban Forester Paul Graham explained proper management of-trees in parking lots including proper pruning will be necessary to reach the 40 percent shade canopy. He suggested 15 years as a benchmark for reaching the shade canopy. Dana Karcher, Tree Foundation, spoke'regarding inspection, education, and not allowing unlicensed contractors to trim trees. Committee Chair Benham requested staff to report back to the Committee in April on the following: · Does the City ordinance require an applicant to have a contractor's license to trim trees in right-of-ways? · Check on adjusting the tree list format to make it more user friendly by alphabetizing by botanical and common name. · Is it possible to have a computer program that Plan Check staff could use to easily verify the plan complies with the tree list? · There is a.perception that inappropriate trees are still being putin parking lots. (Staff explained if a project meets its shade requirement, sometimes crepe myrtles and other shrub types are included for color.) · Requested the BIA be contacted for any input on how we can provide them information earlier in the process. · Report back on the Urban Forester's input into the plan check process? Jim Eggert, Principal Planner, verified the project landscape architect currently provides the formula to achieve the 40 percent shade tree canopy at maturity. Development Services Director Stan Grady clarified he has approved a tree list from the Master Tree list to be used for commercial parking lot shade trees, as all trees on the Master list are not suitable for parking lots. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, January 31, 2005 Page 4 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion and Committee recommendation regarding downtown development incentives Committee Chair Benham reported she had met with the Downtown Business Association (DBA) and ideas were discussed on downtown revitalization. Some suggestions were the possibility of a specific plan for the downtown area, or if that is not recommended, how downtown development might be incentivized. When meeting with the DBA there were concerns expressed regarding the underutilization of key 'buildings and empty lots in the downtown area. Economic Development Director Donna. Kunz provided an overview of the memorandum included in the Committee packet, which included downtown revitalization efforts and accomplishments, such as the Greater Bakersfield Vision 2020, which included the Downtown vision and goals; development of a "River Street"; and the three-day Charrette conducted by the City Planning Department. Under the-guidance of Vision 2020 and more specifically taking the concepts from the Charrette, several City-sponsored redevelopment initiatives are either under way or have recently been completed. A list of completed public projects listed in the memorandum was reviewed, as well as several sizeable private activity projects currently under planning or actual construction. It was noted the City's zoning codes have been amended to facilitate desirable mixed use development in the downtown area. Economic Development Director Donna Kunz explained the limitations of a specific plan. It does not allow creativity by developers, as it lays out uses very stringently and is very difficult for older developed areas unless you are dealing with open land. City Manager Alan Tandy further explained development standards can be enforced for new development, but in the area of reuse of existing buildings, strict standards for beautification may discourage remodeling and use of old buildings, unless these efforts are subsidized. In 2002, the State Legislature enacted SB 975, requiring prevailing wage to be paid on any redevelopment project receiving financial assistance .except for affordable housing development financed.through the affordable housing fund. Although SB 975 has not cancelled the ability to provide incentives, it has significantly increased the cost to' developers using public funding for projects. Committee Member Couch suggested the City buy vacant land as it becomes available as an investment in future developments or to trade in order to have property available when development opportunities arise, which would be a long-term investment program. This would allow for developing of a financial district with large key buildings, which would attract retail and other outlets to the district. DRAFT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, January 31, 2005 Page 5 Economic Development Director-Donna Kunz explained there is a five-year limitation to hold .Redevelopment property before it is used for a project. Philip Bentley from the DBA spoke, regarding pockets of blighted buildings in the downtown and finding a plan for incentives to develop these properties. Economic Development Director Donna Kunz suggested as the downtown area is so large, it may be more productive to prioritize one area, as redevelopment and block grant funding is limited. Focusing on a project that adjoins existing efforts currently in progress or newly completed would provide better investment opportunities for funding. There are several key buildings along Chester Avenue held by individuals in family trusts or private investors who have shown no interest in developing their properties. However, if the DBA should pick one of these as their priority focus, staff could meet with the property owners to explore if there is any interest in improving their properties. At the Committee's request, Economic Development staff will meet with the DBA to get their top area of focus and .report back to the Committee at the March meeting. B. Review and Committee recommendations on current Planning and Development Committee items for future agendas The Committee reviewed the list and referred the following issues: March Committee Meetinq · Downtown Development Incentives · Bakersfield Growth Indicators · Hearings re. Tracts 6086, 6087 and'6104- Vesting Rights April Committee Meetinq · Landscape Ordinance Enforcement · Enforcement of Parking Lot Shade Tree Ordinance · Education and Employee Training on Tree Care and Maintenance - report back · Air Quality Mitigation Fees - check with Air 'Pollution Control Distric{ - Program EIR - Leaf Blowers - check with Air Pollution Control District May Committee Meetinq · Zoning Process--Big Box Centers; and Commercial Development--Overnight Parking and Camping in Lots · Establishment of Memorial Grove Committee Member Couch will meet with Assistant City Manager John Stinson on the status and prioritization of the following: · Minimum Park Size and Park Credits-for Gated Communities · Shellabarger Road * Additional review of issues related to the GPA/EIR including bus turnouts · Landscape Plans - Coordination between Parks and Public Works DRAFT PLANNING AND DI::VELOP~EN'I' COMMI'I-rEE MEETING Mondny, dnnunry 3'1, 2005 Page 6 Public Works · CNG Fleet Vehicles - check with Air Pollution Control District on new incentive program - does not need to be agendized. Report any good news. Referred to Joint City/County Meeting · Y2 Cent Sales Tax for Transportation C. Discussionand Committee adoption of 2005 meeting schedule The Committee unanimously adopted the meeting schedule. · 6. COMMITTEE COMMENTS Committee Member Couch inquired about the fines for littering in the Kern River. City Attorney Ginny Gennaro will research the ordinance. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 3:04 p.m. Attendance-staff: City Manager Alan Tandy; City Attorney Ginny Gennaro; Assistant City Manager John Stinson; Assistant City Manager Alan Christensen; Development Services Director Stan Grady; Public Works Director Raul Rojas; Planning Director Jim Movius; Principal Planner Jim Eggert; Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Allen Abe; and Urban Forester Paul Graham Attendance-others: Dana Karcher, Executive Director, The Tree Foundation of Kern; Lorraine Unger, Sierra Club; James Burger, reporter, The Bakersfield Californian; Philip Bentley and Cathy Butler, the Downtown Business and Property Owners Association cc: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers S:~JOHN\Council Committees\O5Planning&Development\OSJan31summanj.doc BAKERSFIELD Economic and Community Development Department MEMORANDUM February 24,2005 TO: Planning and Development Committee FROM: Donna L. Kurtz, Economic Development Director SUBJECT: Report on meeting with Downtown Business Association concerning high priority redevelopment opportunities in Downtown. As a follow-up to the last meeting in which downtown development incentives were identified, the DBA asked the Committee for more directed redevelopment efforts on key vacant buildings in Downtown. The Committee directed staff to meet with the DBA to obtain further information. Kathy Butler presented staff a map of several blocks within the downtown in which the DBA would like to see directed redevelopment efforts undertaken. The DBA requested that the Redevelopment Agency purchase identified parcels for future redevelopment opportunities and purchase buildings and sites for the future development of parking lots and parking garages. After a discussion concerning the present financial constraints of the Downtown Redevelopment Project, a commercial area around Chester Avenue was identified. The DBA requested that EDCD staff visit the building owners to determine their redevelopment interest and also market the area to private developers as a "targeted redevelopment location". The targeted location selected is several blocks that lie within the boundaries of Eye Street, 21s, Street, "K" Street and 19th Street. (Map Attached) It was recognized that several existing buildings in the targeted area are already successfully revitalized and that the focus should be on the buildings that are either vacant, underutilized or severely distressed. Redevelopment activities and objectives are determined by the Redevelopment Agency. Staff will present the DBA request to the Redevelopment Agency for consideration at the regularly scheduled meeting in April. S:\DEBBIE'S\Plan&Dev2.doc ~ ~ICK ~AM~Y TR~&' ~BEB &J~E TR ~ ~M VAN 4 ~BRI~ Z ~TZM~ ~ ~X T~TER L }. B~ ~ " &~A1 O Q ~MMU~ , G~IA~M~Y R~ 20T~ ~RNI~ ~O * ' L~TR / &~T~ERIF ~C 19TH ,, CHONI~O8 ~ ' ~ WALDO' (~AGAHDE~P K m ~ ~ E~HE.O. ~ ~ ~ INC' GROeS~RTfN WALL ~ ~ B A K E R S F I E L D CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE MEMORANDUM . February 25, 2005 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY~. A~NAGER FROM: JOHN Wi STINSON;', ASS'ISTANT CITY MANAGER SUBJECT: Pending Vesting Rights Appeals The issue of vesting rights appeals is currently being reviewed by the Planning and Development Committee. This issue has been under consideration for some time and a backlog of appeals is beginning to occur. Currently, there are five vesting rights appeals pending a recommendation from the Committee back to the City Council. I have attached a listing provided by the City Clerk of each of the pending appeals which includes the tract number and the names of the developers involved. PENDING - VESTING RIGHTS APPEALS MCINTOSH APPEAL ON BEHALF OF CENTEX HOMES TO PC DECISION REGARDING VESTING RIGHTS FOR TRACT 6104 PHASES 2, 4 & 6 MCINTOSH APPEAL ON BEHALF OF CENTEX HOMES TO PC DECISION REGARDING VESTING RIGHTS FOR TRACT 6104 PHASES 3, 7 & 8 MCINTOSH APPEAL ON BEHALF OF CASTLE & COOKE TO PC DECISION REGARDING VESTING RIGHTS FOR TRACT 6128 PHASES 1-6 MCINTOSH APPEAL ON BEHALF OF CASTLE & COOKE TO PC DECISION REGARDING VESTING RIGHTS FOR TRACT 6111 PHASES 1-3 MCINTOSH APPEAL ON BEHALF OF CASTLE & COOKE TO PC DECISION REGARDING VESTING RIGHTS FOR TRACT 6127 S:~IEARINGS\MISC~REALSCHEDULE.doc FEB 10, 2005 10:10A. M Smart' Growth Coalition Growth Indicators Study of Metropolitan Bakersfield May 2004 Marie Tapp, Managing Partner Denise Signs, Principal 616 Pacific Street []~-t,~[] Bakersfield, California 93305 · "Buckl'eySmith Telep.one 661.205.2794 mtapp@buckleysmithgroup.com Acknowledgements Page 1 []l, · " ... The Growth Indicators Study of Metropolitan Bakersfield is We appreciate the support of many individuals who either "' made possible by the financial support and leadership of the shared their expertise or assisted in the collection of key data Great Valley Center and the Smart Growth Coalition of Kern and pertinent information. County. The following individuals gave generously of their time. California State University, Bakersfield Bakersfield Vision2020 4° Sherry Core, Research Assistant 4° Sheryl Barbich, President "41 Mark Evans, Interim Dean, Extended University Abbas Grammy, Professor of Economics City of Shafter 4° Laura Hecht, Professor of Sociology ,:o John Guinn, City Manager CB Richard Ellis Kern Council of Governments 4° Wayne Kress, Vice President ' ~ .:. Ron Brummett, Executive Director ~ City of Bakersfield Kern County Farm Bureau 4° Jim Eggert, Principal Planner 4° Peter Belluomini, President 4° Donna Kunz, Economic Development Director Smart Growth Coalitioq of Kern County 4° Nelson Smith, Manager, Financial Services · :, Pauline Larwood, Executive Director Colliers Tingey 4° Phil Bentley 4° Steve Nations, Vice President, Retail Services Group 4, Stephan DeBranch 4° John Fallgatter, President County of Kern · :o Tony Ansolabehere, Assistant Assessor · :. Roger Funs~on 4. Eisa Martinez, Auditor · :. Roger Griess .'- Lorelei Oviatt, Planner 4. Holly Hart ' · :. David Milazzo Golden Empire Transit 4° Cathy Prout · :. Chester Molland, Chief Executive Officer · :. Philip Ryall, Secretary · :. Bill Slocumb, Vice President Kern Council of Governments · :. Pat Smith .:. Ron Ball, Senior Planner · :. Terrie Stoller .:. Raquel Carabajal, Regional Planner 4. Jim Weins, Chief Financial Offi~:er .:. Peter Smith, Senior Planner Kern Economic Development Corporation Special thanks goes to Phil Bentley and AB Dick for the printing .:- Danielle McKinney of this report. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District · .'. Brian Clerico, Air Quality Engineer 4. Heather Ellison, Air Quality Planner 4. Janelle Schneider, Public Education ' [ann Table of Contents Page 2 Ill ' " Pa.qe Executive Summary 3 Introduction 7 Urban Growth Trends .+ Metropolitan Bakersfield 10 · :, Demographic Changes 11 4, Economic Environment 12 4° Housing Development 13 · :, Hot Spots Map 14 4° Redevelopment and Blight 15 Transportation "The mission of the Smarf Growth Coalition 4° Road System 16 is to inform the public about future impacts · :, Congestion 17 of growth and land use decisions, and to 4, Commuting 18 advocate policies that build a quality community and healthy economy." Air Quality 4, Links with Land Use 19 Fiscal Impacts 20 Conclusion 21 Data Sources 22 Bibliography- 23 ,.,[]"" Executive Summary page 3 ' Shaping the Future. What makes a great community? Its people. 'Its built environment· Its economic vitality. Its natural resources and beauty. Its sense of place. More importantly, hew does a community protect its values and simultaneously shape its fdture in light of unpreceden'ted growth? ' . Certainly cities across Kern County are wrestling with this challenge. Communities are engaging in public dialogue through visioning processes and charrettes in hopes to define .what a livable community really is. At the center of many urban planning debates are the ,'- intertwined issues of land use, transportation, air quality and social cOnditions. By defining and measuring critical indicators of growth, stakeholders become better equipped to make informed choices; informed choices lead to improved results. In its quest to bring to our communities a deeper understanding of land use and urban growth issues, the Smart Growth Coalition received financial support from the Great Valley "The underutilized and increasing .cost of Center to conduct a Growth Indicators study, infrastructure alone should be driving Three of the chief concerns to the residents of metrol~olitan Bakersfield -.air qua ity, infill development. There is an added transportation and urban sprawl - each have interdependent elements. This study bonus to creating revitalized, safe. examines some of the quantitative relationships between these elements, walkable and economically sound neighborhoods. We must learn to grow Understanding growth patterns of the urban area is particularly important in land use with new and innovative solutions." planning because, like the concept of time, land is a "fixed" resource. The earth is not .. expanding, and therefore, like time, its value as a resource is derived from what we do David Y. Milazzo with it. Early in the planning of this study, the notion of "limited resources .with alternative uses" Was a concept highlighted by the City Manager'of Shafter, John Guinn. Principal Architect, Milazzo & Associates Cultivating Community Awareness. This project is a first step. It is a step toward building an inclusive, broad-based and credible process for informed decision-mak!ng about land use and urban planning. Citizens and public officials of metropolitan Bakersfield will find that many of the growth indicators of this study, support their intuitive knowledge. 'For instance, residents have a growing concern about congestion and traffic management. What they may not have realized until recently is the growing gap between the costs of congestion incurred by motorists (both lost time and wasted fuel) and the amount of public resources spent on road and street maintenance. We attempt to link certain attributes of urban .growth with the positive and negative impacts felt by the community. Growth Indicators then become an important measuring tool in urban planning. We found that rather than answer all questions, this study leaves us with many more questions and areas to further explore. ' a.. ExecutiVe Summary -Page 4 liB , , ' Key Findings. Here are some of the. highlights of the urban growth trends for metropolitan Bakersfield: Economic well-being has improved. Dudng the decade, 1990 - 2000: . · Estimated total personal income increased 55% from $5.3 billion to $8.2 billion. · As a percentage of the total, the number of households with incomes less than $50,000 ExcerPt from per year decreased by 12%. Suburban Nation m The number of households with incomes greater than $100,000 grew by three-fold. The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of · However, 36,000 households are still struggling with incomes less than $20,000 per the American Dream year. .Population has steadily grown. "Today's suburban reality finds its n During the past decade, metropolitan Bakersfield experienced annual average growth origins in the pastoral dream of the of about 3%, adding approximately 100,000 people'.~ autonomous homestead in the ~ An estimated 422,000 lived in the metro area last year compared to 307,000 in 1990. countryside. Articulated throughout U.S. hislory, from Jefferson through Diversity s greater, yet polarized. Limbaugh, this vision has been equated ~ The "minority" population nearly doubled in size in the last decade, and now comprises with a democratic economy, in which more than half of the population, homeownership equals participation. ~ Hispanics represented more than 37% of the population in 2000. However, this equation' seems to have ~ The concentrated poverty rate increased 41% in two decades (from 7% to 48%), more its limits, as only a small number of than any other of the 100 largest US cities, people can achieve that dream without Density has dropped significantly, compromising it for all involved. As the ~ During a 20 year period, the incremental growth consumed more than twice as much middle class rushes to build its land per person as the existing population in 1982. countryside cottages, at the same time · The Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan sets the stage for an all time Iow in density, on the same land, the resulting Using current projections, by 2020, the density level could decline to 1,275 persons per environment is inevitably unsatisfying, square mile - nearly half of what it is today, its objective self. contradictory: isolation an masse." More drivers, more miles, more congestion, more unfunded transportation costs. . Annual vehicle miles traveled (2.4 billion in 2001) on the Bakersfield road system has Andres Duany outstripped population growth (123% to 78%) during a 20 year period. Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk ,, Average commute time one-way to work in 2002 was almost half an hour, and for Jeff Speck 6,700 workers (9%), more than an hour. North Point Press, 2000 · More workers have longer commute times: in 1990, for every five workers with a short commute less than 15 minutes, one had more than a 45 minute commute. By 2002, the ratio had dropped to 3 to 1. ,, Congestion costs increased 1000% over 15 years - to $33 million in 2001 - more than five times what the City of Bakersfield spent on street maintenance that year. By 2001, the City also had an estimated $80 million backlog in street maintenance. Executiv'e Summary Page 5 Air quality is now an "extreme" matter with strong links to more drivers and more miles. · · · For the past decade, ozone levels in the metro Bakersfield area have been consistently 15% - 25% higher than the National 8-hour standard set by the US EPA. · An estimated'60% of the ozone problem is attributed to vehicles. · Air quality gains made by improved passenger vehicle technology have been partially offset by more people driving more miles and 'the popularity of driving SUVs, "Urban development is going to occur, minivans and pick-up trucks (which until recently were not subject to the same State this is a fact. The problems arise when and Federal emissions standards as passenger cars), the development is encouraged to Public resources are strained, citizens pay more, and land is underutilized, follow the path of/east resistance with 'I'~ · For every $1 spent by the .City of Bakersfield and County of Kern on public works little or no protection for the fights of .. (maintaining roads, sewers, parks, etc.) in metropolitan Bakersfield, approximately those who get caught in this path, bUt ti! $7 wasspent on public protection and safety and public assistance, have the desire to maintain and . · Public spending by the City and County on general governmental expenditures conduct their chosen business. increased an average of about 10% and 8% per year, resPectively. In 2003, the combined per capita expenditures for metropolitan Bakersfield are estimated to be To simply draw an arbitrary 'not to ,~ ' cross'line in the sand serves neither $1,800.. [] During the past decade, the average increase in the assessed value of property party well, rather economically based located within the City of Bakersfield rose 3.7'%. In 2003, the average assessed requirements and incentives are the value per.acre was $151,912 (which is equal to $3.49 per square foot), best rudder to steer growth. The · Each year the total sales tax revenues for the City of Bakersfield continue to cornerstone of any development policy increase; in 2003, the city Collected $46.2 million. Sales tax revenues for the City should be Infrastructure First. By have a s[rong correlation to the total personal income of metropolitan Bakersfield requiring complete infrastructure pre. and ale I~ss dependent upon the location of the retail activity, development rather than post, the right · Analysis of'the property within the City of Bakersfi.eld that is primarily attributed to to develop is maintained while the pace retail activity and therefore generates 'sales tax revenues (e.g. stores, restaurants, and scope will not exceed what is truly auto mall's, etc.) iridicates an underutilization of that lahd. Between 2000 and 2003, economical for the community as a ~tota 'sales tax revenue increased about 21% overall, while the average sales tax whole." revenue Per acre only increased 7% - this was primarily due to an additional 148 acres reZoned for commercial uSe and attributed to retail-type activity. Peter Belluomini President of the Tracking Key Growth Indicatom. If anything, this study is an eye-opener about the shape Kern County Farm Bureau urban growth has taken in the past decade or two. The hope of the Smart Growth Coalition is that the information gained in this study will foster a deeper understanding about land use planning and urban growth. As this study reveals,.there are both positive arid negative impacts on the Community as i. metropolitan Bakersfield continues to grow. On the bright side, the growth, and particularly - '~i;. the expansion of the economic base, has provided public resources to create new community amenities. Also on a positive note, we found that the community is becoming · more culturally diverse. Page 6 Executive Summary Growth brings challenges as well. The growing traffic in metropolitan Bakersfield, along with fiscal constraints of local government, have strained the public transportation infrastructure system - to such a point that a large unfunded shortfall in the maintenance of City streets and County roads exists. Add to this the continuous challenge of gaining control over air quality. One of the most important indiCators identified in this study was the downward t~end in 10 Smart Growth Principles density. Greater denslty is an important ingredient in spreading the cost of infrastructure· of ihe Smart Growth Network over a tax base. It also plays a role in the attraction of viable commercial activity, the cost effectiveness of public transit, and encourages a wider range of housing options. 1. Create a range of housing opportunities and choiceS. Of the many aspects of urban growth, there are three that define a call to action: sprawl, air 2. Create walkable neighborhoods. quality and transportation. Each aspect has interdependent elements that can be 3. Encourage community and- measured in a number of ways. stakeholder collaboration. As a starting point, the Smart Growth Coalition has identified three Growth Indicators that 4. Foster distinct, attractive places. will give the community a way to evaluate its progress in relationship to the goals it has 5. Make development decision embraced. To measure the effectiveness of solutions designed to address sprawl, air predictable, fair and cost effective. quality and transportation, look for: 6. Mix land uses, ',. spraW! - An upward trend in density. 7. Preserve open space, farmland, ',- Air Quality - A reduction in the ozone levels, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas. ~. Transportation - A reduction in the backlog of road maintenance. 8. Provide a variety of Measuring is important. It is the difference between wishful thinking and planning. The transportation choices. Bakersfield Vision2020 process was in essence a plan to create a sustainable community: 9. Strengthen and direct one that is economically vibrant with an exceptional quality of life for its residents. What development towards existing . changes in urban planning must occur to further the goals of the community? communities. 10. Take advantage of compact building design. Smart Growth Network www. smartgrowth, org Introduction Page 7 ' .~:~ [nil , , "~4~-: Urban Planning. The Smart Growth Coalition'has recognized the significant value in ::Ii'iii;! developing and tracking community-based indicators as a planning tool. By defining and measuring critical indicators of growth, stakeholders become better equipped to make il.~ informed choices; informed choices lead to improved results. In its quest to bring to our communities a deeper understanding of land use and urban growth issues, the Smart Growth Coalition received financial support from the Great t~! Valley Center to,conduct a Growth Indicators study. While the scope of this project J~ focuses on metropolitan BakerSfield, the concept of growth indicators applies equally well to all growing cities. The Great Valley Center, based in Modesto, was formed in 1997 to promote the "economic, social and environmental well-be!ng of California's Great Central Valley." Vision & Policy Special thanks goes to the Center for providing the leadership and funding necessary to assimilate and evaluate key data about the urbanization of metropolitan Bakersfield. The Smart Growth Coalition believes the Growth Indicators project will be a success if it engages citizens, public officials, developers and community organizations in an on-going dialogue about urban planning. A little over a year ago the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan was jointly updated and ' adopted 'by the Bakersfield City Council and the Kern County Board of Supervisors. While the General Plan is intended to provide long-term guidance, the land use planning process Measurement & Growth & is flexible and allows for amendments, to the General Plan four times each year. It is the Feedback Development aim of the Smart Growth Coalition that an outcome of this project is greater awareness of Activity the significance of existing land use policiesand their importance as a means of evaluating the impact of proposed changes to the General Plan. Project,Methodology, A primary objective of this project is to establish a base,line of information to track on a going-forward basis. We identified sources of available and' relevant data, analyzed quantitative relationships; and drew conclusions about the data as it related to urban growth patterns. The scope of the project was limited to metropolitan Bakersfield, which included both the incorporated City of Bakersfield and unincorporated C~)unty portion of the urban area. Where possible, data was analyzed and evaluated at the metro level. However, data pertaining to Kern County was not always available on a detailed "urban area" basis and, therefore, we limited certain evaluations solely to the City of Bakersfield. The data used in this study came from local, state and national sources. Our goal was to use the most reliable and relevant sources; that is, those entities that regularly collect and report on at least an annual basis. ,,,, IntrodUction " .Page liB , , ' community Voices. More than 13,000 residents shared their ideas about the future of metropolitan Bakersfield by participating in the Vision2020 process. The collective vision forthe future can be captured as: "Greater Bakersfield is a great place to-live and wOrk - boasting a big city appeal with small town charm." . Early on in the pre-millennium planning process, participants were asked what they saw as "strengths and weaknesses" of metropolitan Bakersfield. · Excerpts from By and large, residents identified the most treasured assets as: the people of Bakersfield The Death and Life of (dedicated and caring); the City's geograPhic location (surrounded by mountains and rolling farmland .and close to the ocean); and the small town atmosphere with big city amenities. Great American Cities As residents talked about challenges of urban growth, what seemed to matter most were . i."1 doubt.that there is any legal issues of air quality, transportation and impacts of sprawl, economic use (and few illegal ones) The Outcomes of the initial forums planted the seeds for what would become strategic which can harm'a city district as much action plans supporting the community's top priorities, as a lack of abundant diversity harms it. No special form of city blight is nearly Growth Indicators. How, then, does the community evaluate its progress in relationship so devastating as the Great .Blight of to the goals it has embraced2 One method of measuring results is to select key Dullness." performance indicators that can give us a greater understanding about how our choices shape urban growth. "The key link in a perpetual slum is that Three of the chief concerns.to the community - air quality, transportation and urban sprawl too many people move out of it too fast - each have interdependent elements. This study examines some of the quantitative - and in the meantime dream of relationships between these elements, moving out: This is the link that has to Understanding growth patterns of the urban area is particularly important in land use be broken if any other efforts et planning because, like the concept of time, land is a "fixed" resource. The earth is not overcoming slums or slum life are to be expanding, and therefore, like time, its value as a resource is dedved from what we do with of the least avail." it. Oneof the greatest concerns to public officials may be the ever increasing unfunded Jane Jacobs transportation infrastructure costs associated with a sprawling growth pattern. New York, Random House, 196~ What is "sprawl?" Its meaning conjures emotional debate. Its causes are blamed on someOne else - the public official, the planning commissioner, the developer, the retail giant, the homebuyer: the newcomer. Its effects, however, are borne by everyone. Sprawl means different things to different people.- Certainly the participants of the Vision2020 forums had an idea o[ what'was~meant by sprawl in Bakersfield. ~ Some of the catch phrases associated with sprawl were: "uncontrolled, leapfrog and hopscotch development, loss of 'agricultural land, strip malls, urban decay, inadequate growth planning, lack of utilization of vacant buildings, rings of new growth at the expense of 'decay, Pockets of blight and abandoned houSes." ~ ~ "" Introduction Page 9 Measuring Sprawl, By looking at various perspectives, sprawl can be defined and measured in different ways. SpraWl impacts the natural environment, the built environment, the social environment and the economic environment. Throughout this study we attempt to link attributes of metropolitan Bakersfield's growth patterns to these four environments. li According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, "sprawl may be said to occur when the rate at which land is converted to non-agricultural or non-natural uses exceeds the rate of population growth." This definition speaks most clearly to the loss of agricultural land Excerpt front ! surrounding Bakersfield. ~ Tl~e 2003 Annual Urban Mobility Report I ' ~ Sprawl als° shapes b°th the built and s°cial envir°nments' It °ften iends t° separate pe°ple and places. To illustrate, existing land use policies (developed on the conventional suburban · "The facl is, transportation system model) separate people from where they live, work, play and shop. One of the outcomes demand and land use patterns are creates an auto-dependent nation. And at a community level (by site plan or projectapproval, linked and influence each other. There " · is a vadety of strategies that can be some of which are Subsidized by public funds)systemic segregation may occur that separates and isolates people based directly on income and indirectly by ethnic background, stage in life implemented to either change the way · . lhat travelers affect the system or the cycle, or educational attainment, approaches used to plan and design Perhaps one of the most objectives ways to define sprawl is. through the eyes of an eConomiSt, the shops, offices, homes, schools, Professor. Robert Wassmer of California State University at Sacramento, describes sprawl as .. medical facilities and other land uses. "excessive suburbanization." According to Wassmer and other economists, the negative consequences of urban sprawl can be measured in a cost-benefit analysis. The impact of Relatively few neighborhoods, office sprawl is greatest when the total "private and social costs" exceed the benefits of metropolitan parks, etc. will be developed for auto- decentralization., However, as Wassmer notes it is very difficult to capture all of'the costs and free characteristics - that is not the benefits in this measurement, goal of most of these treatments. The idea is that some characteristics can be Importance of Density, Density is a quantitative measurement (either in terms of people or incorporated into new developments so housing units occupying a given parcel of land) that tells community and land use planners ,. that new economic development does about the level and degree of sprawl, not generale the same amount of traffic It is the downward trend in density that is of most concern. Greater density is an important volume as existing developments." ingredient in spreading the cost of infrastructure over a tax base. It also plays a role in the attraction of viable commemial activity, the cost effectiveness of public transit, and encourages David Schrank and TimLomax a wider range of housing options. Researchers Texas Transportation Institute Density is sometimes criticized as exemplifying slums and crime. This is unfounded; rather, other social and economic factors are more closely linked to crime. From a different perspective, others welcome density. A resurgence of urban living is occurring in many US cities. The trend of downtown lofts is just one example of an alternative housing option that generates greate? density and, therefore, an improved utilization of the ~. land and property. .. · "" Urban Growth Trends- Metropo. litan Bakersfield Page 10, BBB , , ' Histo~J. Over the past century, generations of families have called Bakersfield home. At the ' turn of the 20th century, 6,300 residents lived in Bakersfield and the small settlements surrounding it. Now into the new millennium, metropolitan Bakersfield's population has Population of Metropolitan Bakersfield expanded 70-fold to an estimated 430,000 today, encompassing more than 185 square miles. 450 In Thousands 2004 Est. During the first half of the century, the footprint of the City of Bakersfield virtually remained 400 unchanged at seven square miles. As pOpulation grew, the densityOf the City steadily rose to 35o .its peak of 5,800 residents per square mile in 1951. 3oo Impetus of Suburbanization. In the decade following World War II dramatic changes in 25o public policy and urban planning swept the nation. While Bakersfield could be considered, at 2oo ' the time, a small, town.rather than a metropolis, the urban area was nonetheless influenced by 1so new federal programs. ' ~ ~oo -Like many US cities, Bakersfield's impetus of suburbanization Was rooted in a massive 5o highway transportation' initiative and the newly created federal home loan programs. Add the o catastrophic earthquake that destroyed much of Bakersfield in 1952 and. changes were bound 19o0 1920 1940 1960 'lgao 2000 to happen. Beginning in the 1950% metropolitan decentralization was reshaPing the ' ' ' Source: Cily of Bakersfield Planning Department landscape of Bakersfield. Fast forward to the present. How has the urban area grown? Is sprawl really occurring now? Urban Growth. While many definitions' exist, perhaps one of the most straightforward methods of measuring sprawl is the US EPA equation..If "sprawl may be said to occur when the 'rate at which land is converted to non-agricultural.or non-natural uses exceeds the rate of Density of Metropolitan Bakersfield populatiOn growth," then metropolitan Bakersfield has sprawled. Persons Per Square Mile 4,000 Using data from the City of Bakersfield's Planning Department and the Texas Transportation Institute we determined that the rate of land conversion for metropolitan Bakersfield during the . 3,500 period 1982 to 2001 was 164% (70 to 185 square miles), while the increase in population · 3,ooo growth was 71% (240,000 to 411,500 people). 2,500 Another way of looking at urban growth is to measure how much land was converted for the 2,000 incremental increase in population. Spanning 20 years, the incremental growth consumed i;5oo ................................................ more than twice as much land per person compared to the existing population in 1982. 1,000 Future plans appear to point in the same direction. Last year, the City and County updated the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan. Based on a planning area of 408 square miles and 500 growth projections of 520,500 by 2020, the General Plan sets the stage for what could be an o all' time Iow in. densitY - 1,275 persons per square mile - half of what it is today. 1982 1985 1988 . 1991 1994 1997. 2000 Source: City of. Bakersfield Planning Department, TTI' Bakersfield is one of the'least dense cities in California. Knowing that density plays a role in 2003 Annual Urban Mobility Report creating vibrant cities, what mUst Bakersfield o~ercome to achieve greater density? Urban Growth Trends - Demographic Changes P,.age 11 , Planning for GroWth. Urb,an growth, at the pace metro Bakersfield has experienced recently, brings opportunities as well as challenges. To meet the changing needs of the community, Ethnic Composition of planning must be approached as a dynamic on-going process. Understanding the Metropolitan Bakersfield demographics in whiCh we live helps the community plan for and make choices about the built environment. Here's a look at the shifts in demographics as the metro area grew. Net MigratiOn. During the past three years, the City of Bakersfield has ranked among the top 2o0o growth cities in Califo[nia - 8th in terms of new residents and, of those, 3rd in terms of percentage growth (only trailing ChulaVista and Irvine). Certainly not all of the growth is internally generated, so where are the people coming from? . · White = Hispanic · Black · Other According to a recent Kern Council of Governments (KernCOG) newsletter, if the metro area reflects the broader net migration patterns of Kern County, then it would be fair to say that the 199o favorite place to move to and from is Los Angeles County. Metropolitan Bakersfield grew by an additional 33,000 people from. 1995 to 2000. Not knowing exactly where the new residents I ................................................ chose to live when moving from Los Angeles County to Kern, if they all made their way to Bakersfield, this would mean one in four (of the new growth) came from: the LA area. o mo,ooo 2oo,ooo 3oo,000 4o0,0o0 Source: us Census Bureau data for the Bakersfield Ethnic composition, Bakersfield has a diverse population; more so than ever before. The Urban Area ethnic and cultural shift in the past decade Was dramatic. If we describe groups of people with common ethnic or racial backgrounds as "minority" populations, then the total minority population of metropolitan Bakersfield in 1990 has now become the majority. The Hispanic population grew most significantly by doubling in size in 10 years. Following in close second was the Asian population which, small in absolute numbers, grew by 66%. The Change in Age Segments Per 100 Persons white population, :;while remaining stagnant in terms of total numbers, diminished in relative in Metropolitan Bakersfield size from 65% to 150% of the'poPulatiOn by 2000. And it appears this trend for the urban area Segment 1990 2000 Change is continuing based on a recent American Community Survey of the City of Bakersfield Under 10 19 18 - (conducted by the US Census Bureau) .................... While the community of metropolitan Bakersfield is quite diVerse, maps of the 2000 census ~0 - 19 15 18 + 3 depict distinct spatial separation in terms of where each unique ethnic population 2o - 34 26 21 - 5 predominantly resides in the urban area. - .... 35 -' 54 23 27 + 4 Age Composition. The oVerall metro population expanded by about'30% in one decade. _ While nearly every age segment of the population grew in absolute numbers, there was a 55 & Over 17 16 - 1 definite shift in the composition by age. ~00 ~00 The most significant changewas a decline in the percentage 'of young people in their twenties and early thirties. Perhaps linked to this was a slight decline in the percentage of children Note: Median age in 2000 was 29.7 years Source: US Census Bureau data for the Bake~:sfield under the age Of five. In 1990, one in every four persons in the metro ama-Was between the Urban Area ages of 20 and 34; by 2000, this declined to one in five. Urban Growth Trends - Economic Environment Page 12 'Economic Indicators. Job creation, median income, unemployment, and inflation are just a Estimated Total Personal Income of few examples of the types of economic'activity that are measured by standard indicators. On Metropolitan Bakersfield a local level, Dr. Abbas Grammy and other economists of California State University, (Amounts in Billions) Bakersfield, collect and report on various economic indicators of Kern County and its principal $8 cities. $7 Measuring economic activity of metropolitan Bakersfield is hamstrung by the way data is captared. Oftell irldicatOrs are reported at a MSA level (MetropOlitan Statistical Area)' The Bakersfield MSA, is in essence, all of Kern County. Evaluating the whole of Bakersfield's urban area from a quantitative perspective becomes more of an art than a Science. $4 . · $3 Early on in the planning of this Growth Indicators study, a concept surfaced: the desire to ' determine if the urban growth of Bakersfield was attributed to a balance between job creation $2 . and housing development. Or conversely, are residents moving to Bakersfield because of $~ · housing affordability and choosing to work elsewhere? This concept and other important $0 economic questions deserve deeper analysis. 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 Note: Amounts reported in current dollars, unadjusled for Total Personal Income. One measurement of the overall economic activity of an.urban area inflation. Source: us Bureau of Economic Analysis is to determine the trend in total income of its residents. Al'though the data lags a couple of years behind, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), publishes annual data on Total Personal Income of an MSA. Change in Income segments Per 100 Households Because the Bakersfield MSA includes all of Kern County, we consulted with Dr. Grammy to in Metropolitan Bakersfield establish a reasonable basis for the allocation of Total Personal Income to the Bakersfield segmen! 1990 2000 Change urban area. We estimate that about 60% of the of the total economic activity of Kern County is - - attributed to metropolitan Bakersfield. In our analysis we fine-tuned the estimate to coincide. ................ To $25K 43 35 - 8 with supporting evidence of the 1990 and 2000 census data. $25K - $50K 34 30 - 4 Overall, the estimated Total Personal Income of metropolitan Bakersfield grew at an annual $50K - $75K 14 17 +.3 average rate of 5.7% during the 1990's. This outpaced inflation, which during that same time period, averaged 3.4% per year. By 2001, Estimated Total Personal income was $8.6 billion. .......... $75K - $100K 5 9 * 4 Household Income. Median Household Income is often used as an economic indicator; Over $100K 4 _.9 + 5 however, it does not tell the whole story. While Median Household Income did rise between .... 1990 and 2000 .(from $29,444 to $36,156), its percentage inc"ease was not as great as the .' ~oo ~o0 increase in Total Personal Income. H(~useholds 1,05K 130K One of the most interesting findings of our research was the significant gain made in the Median Income $29.444 $36,156 number of households with incomes greater than $100,000 per year - which grew by three- fold between 1990 and 2000 (3,800 to 11,400).' By 2000, as a percentage, the number of AreaS°urce: US Census Bureau data for the Bakersfield Urban households with income levels below $50,000 per year dropped 12% and, conversely, those above $50,000 increased 'by 12%. Urban Growth Trends - H'ousi'ng"L)evelopm nt Page 1 3 Where Residents Live. Often we hear of discussions about the "City" in comparison to the Change in Size Per 100 Households unincorporated "County islands" of the metropOlitan Bakersfield area. It is helpful to know from of Metropolitan Bakersfield a planning perspective that over the.course of the past 20 years there has been a gradual, but ........................ 'steady, Shift in the proportion of the population who live Within the City of Bakersfield Segment 1990 2000 Change boundaries. In 1984, the enti~e populat, ion of metropolitan Bakersfield was equally divided between the City ~ person 22 21 - 1 and County;.that is, a ratio of one to one. And now, with this gradual shift, for each person that _ 2 persons 30 28 - 2 3 persons 18 17 - 1 lives in the unincorporated County of the metro area, nearly two people live within the City boundaries. -- Household Characteristics..It is important to understand the trend in household size When 4 persons 16 16 0 planning for a range of'housing options that meets the community's needs. Bakersfield has 5+ persons 14 18 + 4 long been thought of as a family-oriented community and, indeed, during'the past decade the average family size increased from 3.32 to 3.49. While there was a trend of more large ..... ~0o ~00 households, still 'about half ofall households continued to .be small with one or two persons. Households 105K 130K H°meownership also increased slightly during the 1990's, from 57% to 61%. Source: us Census Bureau data for the Bakersfield Urban Housing Stock· An additional 25,000 housing units were built in metropolitan Bakersfield Area during the 1990's. In 1990 there were 105,000 units; that increased to 130,000 'units in 2000. As more people either moved into or Were annexed into areas within the City limits, there was Housing Units Located also an increase (from 59% to 68%) in the nu.mber of housing units: in the Ci.!y of Bakersfield In our research, some of the housing data was more readily available through the City of Year Built Number of Units Bakersfield and, therefore pertains only to the City and not metro-wide. However, some trends of the City may be just as relevant to the. urban area. For instance, of the 22,000 housing units 200~ - 2003 7,438 built during the 1990's within the City, 89% were single family houses. This also may be the 1990 - 2000 22,087 case for the CoUnty. ' ......... 1980 - 1989 22.767 Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan. The City and County jointly adopted an updated General Plan for the metro area in February 2003. The plan described two planning principles 197o - 1979 17,108 for new urban development: the "centers" and "resources" concept. According to the General Plan, "the 'centers' concept provides for a land use pattern' consisting of several concentrated ................ 1960 - 1969 9,679 mixed'use commercial and high density residential centers surrounded by medium density ~ 950- 1959 9.081 'residential' uses." This is an attempt to bring residents in closer proximity to where they work. The "resources" concept encourages new development to take advantage of Bakersfield's Prior to 1950 7,840 . . _ environmental setting. Total 96,000 On the following page is a map depicting the current projected residential development in the Source: Bakersfield Housing Element and City of City of Bakersfield. Overlaid on .the .,map are icons designating the planned location of the new Bakersfield Planning Department mixed-use and intensified activity centers. Page 14 Urban Growth Trends Hot' Spots Map ' ' ' Planned New Housing Starts 19.97 - 2002 Located in the City of Bakersfield -' I ' ":.-..:.~::'-.,~:NE,..;..,.'..,..:,,~ .. - C#y of Bakersfidd. Dons#y of N~w Housing Starts 1997-2002 and Vacant/Tentative Lots ---- ~ '" .... ~ New Housing Starts: ' 11,272 New Mixed-Use Centers: 5 Planned concentration of urban growth identified Intensified Activity Centers: 7 in the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan Urban G'Fowth Trends- RedeveloPment and Blight Page 15 ' []mm Iii-. WhatcaliforniaiS Blight?Redevelopmentln short, Associationit is a w theringdescribesaway OfblightVitalitYasin certain areas of a city, The .' "the physical and economic , Property Tax Assessment Values for the conditions within an area that cause a reduction of or lack of proper utilization of that area." City of Bakersfield - 2002 Fiscal Year ' Certainly Bakersfield residents have a concern about the patterns of urban growth as they see Assessment Assessed Value Acres Avg what is left behind. Area Value/Ac Redevelopment Areas. To address the problem of blight, in 1967,-the City of Bakersfield Downtown $147,193,410 225 $654,193 formed the first Redevelopmer~t Area in Downtown and, subsequently, enlarged it twice in the ..... 19708..Again in 1'999,. the City established two additional Redevelopment Areas: Old Town _Old Town $374,396,289 .... 1,971 $189,952 Kern/Pioneer in east Bakersfield and the Southeast Redevelopment Area. California Southeast $400,754,694 4,619 $86,762 .Redevelopment law allows for the use of tax increment financing and other mechanisms to ....................................................... Redev Areas $922,344,393 6,815 $135,340 help spark reinvestment in blighted areas ................................. While the vast majority of new housing development in Bakersfield is planned for the west side Remaining __$9'669'802'607 __66'875 $144,595 of Highway 99 and the northeast quadrant of the city, some activity is underway in the core areas. One measure of the success of the redevelopment efforts,in the City of Bakersfield is Total City $10,592,147,000 73,690 $143,739 to evaluate the improvement in property values, Source: City of Bakersfield Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and Annual Redevelopmenl Report for Ihe The table in the upper right corner presents an interesting pictureof the assessed va!ue of the 2002 fiscal year. Redevelopment Areas in comparison to the City as a whole. The data was derived from the City's Annual Redevelopment Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002 filed with the Changes in the Concentration of Poverty California State Controller's Office and the property tax assessment values reported in the In High-Poverty Census Tracts City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)' for the same pe[iod ...... , .... The Single largest project of the Downtown Redeve opment Area was the expansion of theI.i~City 1980 1990 2000 19908 , Change Convention Center. During the past 30 years, the Incremental Assessed Valuation of the Downtown Redevelopment Area has more than tripled. The Redevelopment Areas of Old Albuquerque' 20% 29% 20% - 9% Town Kern and Southeast are.relatively new and, consequently, have only shown 13% and Bakersfield 7% 30% 48% + 18% 8% gains respectively. During the 2002 fiscal year, 96,000 square feet of new construction occurred in the Redevelopment Areas - this is roughly estimated at 1 - 2% of the Total E~ Paso 42% 65% 55% - 10% Construction Value that year for the City of Bakersfield. Fresno 12% 50% 50% 0% Concentration of Poverty. Closely associated with blight is the concentration of poverty. - ................. Research conducted by the urban Institute found that "poverty became notably less ' S~n Antonio 43% .49% 25% - 24% concentrated in the 19908" in US cities - a reversal .of the previous decade's trend. Of Stockton 18% 33% 41% + 8% greatest importance is the link between the red.uction in concentrated poverty and the ..... improvement in economic and social conditions of the area. Tucson 21% 39% 34% - 5% Unfortunately, metropolitan Bakersfield was an exception to the positive trend. Concentration Note: Presented are selected cities with similar ethnic composition and household income levels. of poverty escalated 41% 'between 1980 and 2000 - an increase greater than any of the other Source: The Urban Institute, Concentrated Poverty: A 100 largest US cities. What can be 'learned from other cities that successfully reversed the c/?~.g~ in Course by G. Thomas Kingsley and Kathryn L.S. trend of concentrated poverty? Pettit, May 2003 · TranspoAatio. n,' Road System"'=" " , Page'. 16. Texas Transportation Institute ('ri'l). 'rTl is a research arm of Texas A&M University that Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled (in thous.) studies transportation systems. In its most recent study, the 2003 Annual Urban Mobility on Metropolitan Bakersfield Report, TTI compares the congestion Patterns of 75 major US metropolitan areas over the - Freeways and Principal Arterial Streets course of 20 Years (1982 to 2001): Researchers found that while congestion is worse today 7,000 than a decade ago and that congestion costs are rising across the board, the positive note was that the road systems were handling more trips. And the good news for Bakersfield is that it is 6,000 ~ 200~ ~ ~ 7 M one of the least congested of the 75 cities, ranking at ¢f.4. Not surprisingly, Los Angeles is the 5,000 most congested. 4,00o Vehicle Miles Traveled, Similar to the {rends of other uS cities, as Bakersfield's population 3.ooo grewso did the total number of miles traveled on its roads. Yet the increase in vehicle travel for'Bakersfield outpaced population growth; a fact that exacerbate.r; Congestion. In 1982, the 2,000 Lane Miles 2001 = 775 metropolitan Bakersfield road system handled about one billion miles. By 2001, the vehicle ~.ooo miles traveled increased by 123% to 2.4 billion. , Not only were more drivers on the road, but over the course of time, motorists were driving 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 more and more miles each year. The average Daily Vehicles Miles Traveled per person Sou,ce: TTI. The 2003 Annual Urban Mobility Report increased from 13 miles in 1982 to 16 miles in 2001. This appears insignificant except when compounded by traffic congestion and the absolute number of more drivers on the road. TransPOrtation Infrastructure, One data element of the TTI research is roadway system Transportation Infrastructure Expenditures lane miles which includes both freeway and principal arterial streets. Using this data, we · for the City of Bakersfield found that the miles traveled on metropolitan Bakersfield freeways and principal arterial streets for the fiscal ~ears 2000, 2001 and 2002 has increasedfive times the rate of new lane miles added to the system. Type I ' 2000 2001 2002 The funding, construction and maintenance of the entire metropolitan Bakersfield road system Dollar Amounts in Thousands is extremely complex. Funding for transportation infrastructure comes from federal, state' and New Streets $7,023 0 0 local public resources and, to a certain extent, private development dollars. Jurisdiction of the construction and maintenance usually rests at the state or local level (city or county). In the Reconstruction $1,646 $4,394 $7,871 case of metropolitan Bakersfield, much of the transportation activity is coordinated by Kern Signals, etc ·$1,359 $1,639 $4,815 Council of Governments (KernCOG). Ped& Bike Paths $136 $475 $327 City of Bakersfield Streets. We evaluated the transportation infrastructure of the City of ... Bakersfield. Each year the City files with the California State Controller's Office a "Streets and ROW Acquisition 0 $186 $1 Roads" report that identifies the public resources spent on construction and maintenance of ................................. the transportation system. The chart to the right summarizes amounts spent by the City of Total $10,164 $6,694 $13,014 Bakersfield on transportation infrastructure. Street Miles 886 909 942 One of the principles of smart growth incorporated into the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Source: California State Controller, Annual Streets and Roa~s Plan is compact urban development - a concept that supports a more pedestrian-friendly ~.~o,~ and the City of Bakersfield Comprehensive Annual environment. Without a movement away from the conventional suburban development pattern Financial Report for the Fiscal Years 2000, 2001, and 2002 and an improvement in density, the idea of pedestrian friendly streets is ill-fated. BBB ' - "'..p rtation - Congestion ,, Page 17 nnn Trans.o , .... -: Trends. The TTI research focused on congestion. It quantified Congestion costs in terms of ~i the lost time and'wasted fuel that resulted from the lack of "free flow" traffic. As evident by the ,:~ chart to the right,.congestion costs for all sizes of metropolitan areas have risen significantly in Annual Congestion Costs of ;~:: the past 20 years. US Metropolitan Cities in Comparison to ,~: Bakersfield Amounts in Millions) 'i? One conclusion drawn by the TTI researchers was that as each decade passes, the level of ........................................ '~: congestion of the small cities (Bakersfield is one) rises to that of the medium-sized cities today City 19a2 200~ I.i (.Fresno is one)i To determine the relevance here, we compared transportation indicators of ................................................................. Bakersfield, Fresno and Sacramento and found thatthe trend fines of population' growth and Bakersfield $2 $33 -' vehicle miles traveled were very similar among the three cities. Small $4 $37 Bakemfieid Congestion, One of the attractive features of Bakersfield for those choosing to Medium $15 $208 relocate to the metro area is the moderate level of traffic congestion in comparison to other US major cities. And yet, a growing concern among metropolitan Bakersfield residents is the Large $57 $762 upward trend in the cost of conge.stion, challenges of traffic management and an ever very Large $592 $4,183 increasing backlog of road maintenance. -- ........ The congestion costs quantified by TTI researchers are only those borne by [he motorists Source: TTI. The 2003 Annual. Urban Mobility Report themselves and do not include public costs of road maintenance or impacts on air quality. Certainly the magnitude alone of the congestion, costs is daunting. In fact, cost Of congestion for Bakersfield motorists have risen more than 1000% in 20 years. TTI evaluated the mitigating factors that reduce congestion; namely, traffic management Congestion Costs for Metropolitan Bakersfield Motorists Compared to Street controls, like HOV lanes and freeway ramp metering, and public transit ridership. We noted Maintenance by the City of Bakersfield that reseamhers cOmputing the congestion cost for Bakersfield did not include any traffic (Amounts in Millions) demand management mechanisms. Traffic management mechanisms are cost effective ways Congestion Cost to address congestion. $30 Adding capacity.in the form of lane miles by either widening or building new roads is only part of the congestion solution. Cities that use capacity building as the primary means to address $25 congestion often :find a greater problem: neighborhoods isolated by a network of expressways. $20 Maint. Exp. · The TTI researchers point out that because "transportation system demand and land use patterns are linked and influence each other" the congestions solutions must be varied. $15 Road Maintenance. In 2001, Ke[nCOG released a report, Roads To Ruin, which described $~o the "dire straights" of the transportation system of Kern County and its principal cities. $5 According to the report, both Kern County and the City of Bakersfield have significant shortfalls (by a margin of 2 to 1) in funding for transportation capital projects, and rehabilitation and $' 1999 2000 2001 maintenance costs of the road system. ' Source: California State Controller's Office, Annual The City of Bakemfield 'backlog of road maintenance is quickly mounting. In 2001, it was Streets and Roads Reports and TTI, The 2003 estimated to be $80 'million. During that same. fiscal year, the City spent only a fraction, $5.8 . Annual Urban Mobility Report million on street maintenance. =...Transportation, .... Commuting., Page 18. Where We Live and Wofl(. Commuting to and from work is a significant Part of the total vehicle miles traveled on the Bakersfield road system. Where we live and where we work, . One-way Commute Times to Work then, becomes, important factors in urban planning. The concept of compact urban 5o,ooo ......... fof_B_a__k~e.r_s_fi~.!d__W_ prkers development brings people in closer proximity to jobs, shopping and recreation. 45,0oo Earlier this year, the Economic and community Development Department of the City of 4o.ooo Bakersfield released a report about the strategy to revitalize east Bakersfield. The report,. 35,000 titled Baker Street, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, presents interesting 30.0oo information about where people work and live in Bakersfield. According to the report, most 25.ooo workers live west of Highway 99, while most of the job~; are east of Highway 99 - by a factor of 2o,ooo 2 to 1. ~5.000 Commute Time. The US Census Bureau collects information about commuting times and 10.000 mode of travel to work. In the past, this information was gathered every 10 years with the 5,000 .decennial census. However, in an effort to bring more census data current, the Bureau' has included information about "getting to work" in its annual American Community Survey. 0~5 15-30 30-45 45-60 >60 Minutes We found by examining the data of the 1990 census and 2002 American Community Survey, that the commute times for Bakersfield workers had lengthened over the course of a decade Source: us Census Bureau, American Community by about 17%. More importantly, particularly ih light of compact urban development, is that the Survey, 2002 ratio of wor~ers with a short commute had dropped significantly. In 1990, for every five Travel Mode to Work - workers With a short commute of less than a 15 minute to work, one worker had a commute Per 1,000 Bakersfield Workers greater than 45 minutes. By 2002, that ratio had declined to three to one. Travel Mode Of 1,000 Workers What we also found interesting was that over 1,000 workers who live in Bakersfield have commutes times in excess of 90 minutes - almost enough time to drive to Los Angeles or Work at Home 17 Fresno. Drive Alone 755 Mode of Travel. While the length of time it takes to get to work affects quality of life, how We Share a Ride, Taxi 205 get to work impacts not only the transportation system but air quali_ty as well. By and large, most metropolitan Bakersfield workers drive alone to get to work, by a ratio of 3 to 4. And very Ride the Bus 20 few, as a percentage of the total, either have the option or the desire to walk, bicycle, or take . - .......... Ride a Bicycle 2 the bus to work ......... ' ................... According to the TTI reseamhers, reliance on publiC transit alone as a means to eliminate Walk _ 1 congestion would require a doubling of bus ridership for the small cities like Bakersfield. This 1,000 is unlikely. Based on our research, the typical public transit system is highly dependent on the ............... cost of operations (which is' negatively impacted by sprawl) and the competitive forces of Tolal Workers 107,125 private automobile use. Furthermore, the choice of public transit as a transportation - Source: us Census Bureau. American alternative may be influenced more by'the availability of inexpensive parking rather than {he . community Survey, 2002 · private cost of ownership or. operation of an auto. Air Quality- Links with Land u§e Page 1 The Greatest Concern. Clearly, air quality was ranked the greatest concern of metropolitan Bakersfield residents in the Vision2020 planning process. The concern is probably rooted in Ozone Levels MeasUred at the - California Avenue Monitoring Station health issues mo're so than being able to see the mountains on a summer afternoon. Ironically, two things residents appreciate most about Bakersfield, its locatiOn (surrounded by mountains) and moderate climate (plentiful sunshine), are both contributing factors to the I_~ ,, ,,, air quality problem. Improving air quality is complex. Two of the most.harmful contributors to ai.r.pollution are ..... , .... ~ ................. fine. particulate matter (measured by PM10 and PM2.5) and ozone. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution 'Control District (SJVAPCD) and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) monitor air quality of metropolitan Bakersfield and formulate corrective action. Both organizations work in concert With the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) to combat air pollution. An "Extreme" Issue. In the Past three years, the US EPA has reclassified the San Joaquin ......... Valley Air Basin to "severe" and recently to "extreme" for failing to meet the Federal one- ho'ur standard related to ozone levels. According to the SJVAPCD, approximately 60% of ,, the Bakersfield ozone problem is attributed to vehicles. This is because reactive organic Source: California Air ResOurces Board gases (ROGs) emitted by vehicles are a precursor to the formation of ozone. While new vehicle technology is improving year after year and auto makers are producing cleaners cars, we are driving more and more. And some of the gains made in controlling air Ozone Levels Measured at the pollution have been offset by the popularity of driving SUVs, minivans and pick-up trucks Edison Monitoring Station (considered light-duty vehicles) which, until recently, have not been subject to the same level of State and Federal em ssion standards as those of passenger cars. In fact, according t° ihe,ARB Emission Inventory Data, the category of mobile source emissions °'" with the highest level of ROGs is "light-duty passenger vehicles." There is another important 0 link between driving and air quality in the southern San Joanquin Valley: the ARB category with the highest "levels of PM10 and PM2.5 is "paved rOad dust." o.- The ARB has several monitoring sites throughout the San Joaquin Air Basin. Of the four sites located in or near Bakersfield, we found that the ozone levels monitored were consistently higher than the US EPA National 8-hour standard. The range averaged 15% to 25% greater than the standard. °-°' ' Linking Air Quality with Land Use Decisions. The ARB has studied the link between air 0 quality and land use and has recently (February 2004) authored the Air Quality and Land Use Handbook that identifies key issues that land use agencies should consider to help reduce air pollution. According to the ARB, "while mobile sources are the predominant Source: California Air Resources Board contributor to regional as well as community-level health risk from air pollution, the impacts of project location and the concentration of facilities emitting air pollution need to be considered in the land use decision making process." Fiscal Impacts 'Page 20. Allocation of Public Resources. Public resources, generated from federal, stateand local' ' General Government Revenues & Expenditures sources, flow through and are expended by the City of Bakersfield and County Of Kern. for Metropolitan Bakersfield To address an inherent challenge in fully understanding the financial picture of metropolitan For Fiscal Year 2003, (in Millions) Bakersfield we have allocated and consolidated pertinent financial information of the City and Function 2003 Per Capila County. We based our allocation on one attribute: population of metropolitan Bakersfield as a ........................................ Revenues $805.5 $1,910 percentage of the population of Kern County. While this is a very "high-level" allocation and Expenditures: deserving of deeper analysis, it is a step in gaining a better understanding of the resources spent at a metropolitan-level. General Govt $70.6 $167 · Trends. Both the City and County experienced a steady rise in general govemmental Safety/Protection $258.4 $613 revenues during the past decade, averaging about 8% - 9% annual growth. Tax revenues, Assistance $213.4 $506 however, increased at a slower pace. Expenditures for the maintenance of public Public Works $67.5 $160 infrastructure (typically included in public works) varied from the City to the County. The public works budget of the County has been stagnant during the past decade, and represents a very Health/Sanitation $96.9 $230 small percentage of total general governmental expenditures. Libraries/Museums $6.2 $15 Development Fees. In metropolitan Bakersfield, both the City and County charge C~pital Outlay $42.6 $101 development fees to cove~ the cost of both "old and new" infrastructure. A concern has been Debt Service $22.8 $54 voiced that development fees may be insufficient and that existing businesses and residents subsidize new urban growth. In 1999, the California Department of Housing and Community Total Expenditures $778.4 $1,846 Development conducted a study ("Pay To Play") that evaluated the degree and level of Source: City o~ Bakersfield and County of Kern Comprehensive development fees charged by 89 cities and counties. According to the study, Bakersfield, Annual Financial Reports for the 2003 fiscal year. along with other Central Valley cities, assessed some of the lowest development fees in the State. This may still be true, although since 1999, the City has uPdated some of its fees. Sales Tax and Land Use Analysis for the City of Bakersfield Fiscalization of Land Use, Much has been debated at a local level about the fiscalization of For Fiscal Years 2000 & 2003 land use. Developing a strong retail base in a city is important because of the sales tax 2000 2003 Change revenue it- generates to the local government. We found a strong' positive correlation between the trend in sales tax revenue generated by the City of Bakersfield and the Total Personal Acres for "Retail" 1,140 1,28S + 148 Income of metropolitan Bakersfield. sales Tax Revenue $38.4M $46.3M + 21% We further analyzed the land used within the City for commercial activity that pr:edominantly Avg Rev per acre $33,676 $35,936 + 7% generates sales tax and found that between 2000 and 2003, the incremental (or additional) Land use utilization based on an estimated annual land used in retail-type .activity is underutilized by about 81%. In the City of Bakersfield, total economic expansion of 6% for metro Bakersfield: sales tax revenue increased about 21% during those three years, while the average sales tax ~ '- revenue per acre only increased 7%. Revenue per original 1.140 ac $39.618 + 18% Revenue per additional 148 ac $7,641 - 77% Research conducted by.Professor Wassmer- (CSU-Sacramento) and reported in his white paper titled "Influences of the 'Fiscalization of Land Use' and Urban Growth Boundaries" ' Utilization of incremental acres 19% - 81% (2001) draws a connection between retail sales tax dollars moving farther out to the.urban Source: City of Bakersfield Comprehensive Annual Financial fringe and the corresponding decay of the central city. Report for the 2003 fiscal year and Kern County As§essor's · - ~ records for 2000 and 2003. Conclusion Page 21 A Planning Tool, If anything, this study is an eye-opener about how growth has shaped metropolitan Bakersfield. The hope of the Smart Growth Coalition is that this study becomes a pianning tool to foster a deeper understanding about land use and to engage the public in dialogue about urban planning. The Four Environments. Well Planned urban growth results in a balance among the economic environment, the social environment, the built environment, and the natural environment. The Growth Indicators study of.metropolitan Bakersfield revealed both positive and negative impacts to each of the four environments. Economic Environment. On the bright side, the growth, and particularly the expansion of the economic base, has provided public resources to create new community amenities. Social Environment. We found that the community is becoming more culturally diverse and yet there appears to be greater spatial separation and economic isolation. "As we grow, the success and Built Environment. The growing traffic i.n metropolitan Bakersfield, along with fiscal health of our community is constraints Of local government, have strained the transportation infrastructure system - to dependent upon good planning - today and good planning today is such a point that a large unfunded shortfall exists in the maintenance of City streets, dependent upon the constructive Natural Environment. While stringent regulation and new technologies have had a positive input of all our stakeholders.., from impact in addressing the air. quality problem, additional urban growth (people, vehicles and the individual voice to the voice of industry) have offset the gains, the most powerful group." Call to Action. Of the many aspects of urban growth, there are three that define a call to John Fallgatter action: sprawl, air' quality and transportation. Each aspect has interdependent elements President of the Smart Growth that can be measured in a number of ways. Coa/ition of Kern County ' As a starting point, the Smart Growth Coalition has identified three Growth Indicators that will give the community a way to evaluate its progress in relationship to the goals it has embraced. To measure the effectiveness of solutions designed to address sprawl, air quality and transportation, look for: ~- Sprawl - An upward trend in density. ~. Air Quality - A reduction in the ozone levels. ~. Transportation - A reduction in the backlog of road maintenance. Next Step. Measuring is important. It is the difference between wishful thinking and planning. The Bakersfield Vision2020 process was in essence a plan to create a sustainable community: one that is economically vibrant with an exceptional quality 'of life for its residents, what changes in urban planning must occur to further the goals of the community? : Page 22 []w- Data Sources , ·. , California Air Resources Board - Historic air quality trends fo~' the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin, 1994 - 2003, ht_~://www.arb.cag_.o.v California Department of Finance £ Demographic Research Unit, 4/2000 - 1/2003 City Population Numedc Change Rankings, http://wvw.dof.ca.qov California Department of Housing and Community Development - Pay to Play - Residential Development Fees in Califomia Cities and Counties, 1999, California State Controller's Office - Local Government Annual Financial Reports: Redevelopment Agencies Annual Report and Streets and Roads Annual Report for the Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2002, 2001, 2000, I_~t_tp_//www.sco.ca.qo__v City of Bakersfield - Financial Services: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2003; Planning Department: Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan, effective February 2003; Housing Element of the General Plan, certified February 2003; Planned New Housing Starts 1997- 2000, Bakersfield Population and Area, Impact and Other Development Fees; Economic and Community Development: Baker Street: Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, January 2004 b_t~p__/./~_w.__w .__c.i....b.p ~_e r__s.f i.._e I-d .__c. ~a .__u_s. County of Kern - Auditor's Office: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the Fis~cal Year Ended June 30, 2003, h_tt_p:llwww.co.kem.ca.us/auditor; Tax Assessor's Office: Extract files for 2000 and 2003 for selected types of property within the City of Bakersfield, ]3t_t_p.:/_.Z/assessor.co. kern. ca. us Kern Council of Governments - Raquel Carabajal and Robert Phipps, Roads to Ruin, January 2002; KemCOG Quarterly, Winter 2004, page 3, http://www.kerncocl.or_g San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District - Valley Air News, Winter 2004, t ~ t.L~_P..://www, vallevair, or__g Texas Transportation Institute (Texas A&M University System) - David Schrank and Tim Lomax, The 2003 Annual Urban Mobility Report, http//m.o_b_ilj~._t.amu.'edu Urban Institute - G Thomas Kingsley and Kathryn LS Pettit, Concentrated Poverty: A Change in Course, May 2003, ht__[tp:l/___w_w_w...~[r_b.~n._.or__ql_nn~plncualseries.html US Bureau of Economic.Analysis - Personal income summary estimates for Bakersfield MSA, 1990 - 2001, http:l/www.bea.qovlbealre.qionallreisl US Census Bureau - Socioeconomic data for the Bakersfield Urban Area, decennial census data, 1990 and 2000, data of the American Community Survey, 2002, ht_~:llfactfinder.census.qov Bibliography Page 23 ' ' ~ Air Quality and Land use Handbook: A Community Health ~ The Land Use - Air Quality Linkage: How Land Use and Perspective (Draft), California Environmental Protection Agency, Transportation Affect Air Quality. California Environmental Air Resources Board, 2004. Protection Agency, Air Resources Board, 1997. Duany, Andres, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck - The WALDLEY-DONOVAN GROUP, A Grubb & Ellis Suburban Nation - The Rise of Sprawl*and the Decline of the Company - Labor Market Assessment of Kern County. A American Dream. New York: North Point Press, 2000. report prepared for the Kern Economic Development Corporation and Goodwill Industries of Southern California, · Fact Sheet: Reducing Emissions from California Vehicles. 2003. California Environmental Protection Agency, Air Resources Board, 2003. Thompson, Edward, Jr. - "The Role of Counties in Saving California Farmland." California County, January/February GeWertz, Ken -"What makes a city thrive? People, lots of 'em, 2004. really, really close." Harvard University Gazette, February 05, 2004. Wassmer, Robert W. - An Economist's Perspective on Urban Sprawl, Part h Defining Excessive Urbanization in California and Heavenrich, Robert M. and Karl H. Hellman - Light-Duty Other Western States. California Senate Office of Research, Automotive Technology and F,uel Economy Trends: 1975 2001 Through 2000. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000. WasSmer, Robert W. - An Economist's Perspective on Urban Jacobs,.Jane - The Death and Life of Great Amedcan Cities. Sprawl, Part I1: Influences of the 'Fiscalization of Land Use'and New York: Random House, 1961. Urban-Growth Boundaries. California Senate Office of Kackar, Adhir and liana Preuss - Creating Gmat Research, 2001 Neighborhoods: Density in Your Community. Local Government Wassmer, Robert W.- Urban Sprawl in a U.S. 'Metropolitan Commission in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Area: Ways to Measure. and a Comparison of the Sacramento Protection Agency, 2003. Area to Similar Metropolitan Areas in California and the U.S. ~ Kern Economic Journal, 2003 Third Quarte~', 2003 Forth California Senate Office of Research, 2000. Quarter, March 2004 Special Edition. California State University, Bakersfield. Kunstler, James Howard - The Geography of Nowhere. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. Micklethwait, John - "In need of a makeover; A survey of California;" "Stuff of Dreams: The charm of the never-ending suburb." The Economist, May 1, 2004. Public Sector Consultants, Inc. - Defining Sprawl and Smart Growth. A report prepared for the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council, 2003. The following documents pertain to the: PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT COMM. meeting of Monday, March 28, 2005 at 1:00 PM. B A K E R $ F I E ED RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES STATE LAW: State law preempts local zoning controls over licensed residential care facilities. If a licensed facility serves six or fewer persons (this does not count the caregivers), the law states this is a residential use and therefore, cannot be treated any differently than a typical family living situation. This means that the city cannot require any special permits, business license, home occupation permit, fire code restrictions, building codes, etc. unless such is required of any other family dwelling. Occupancy (number of people) is limited by the Uniform Housing Code, which applies to all residences, and is based on the size of each bedroom. The areas under state law cover a number of different types of residential care homes. These preemptions are found as follows: Health facilities (care for developmentally disabled and skilled nursing care) California Health and Safety Code Sections 1267. 8, 1267. 9 Community care facilities (covers all other types of care not already noted for adults and children) California Health and Safety Code Sections 1566.3, 1567.1 Residential care facilities for the elderly California Health and Safety Code Sections 1568.083, 1568.0831, 1569.85 Alcoholism recovery and drug abuse facilities California Health and Safety Code Sections 11834.02 - 11834.30 Family day care homes (day care for children) California Health and Safety Code Sections 1596.70 - 1596. 795; 1597.40 - 1597.47, 1597.65 Homes or facilities for mentally disordered, handicapped, or dependent and neglected children California Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 5115 - 5120 State law requires that a residential facility have a valid license to operate (Section 1568.5 of the Health and Safety Code). Therefore, if a facility is licensed by the state, the city must recognize the zoning preemption. Without a state license, the zoning preemption is not effective. Two agencies license these facilities. The State Department of Social Services licenses all day care, mental care, group, and elderly care homes. The State Department of Alcohol and Drugs licenses only alcohol and drug rehabilitation homes. Both agencies conduct annual inspections of these homes and will respond to complaints regarding their operation. There is no distinction made for secular verses non-secular providers. Over concentration of certain care homes in a neighborhood is also regulated by the state for licensed facilities. Licenses issued by the Department of Social Services (except for foster homes and elderly care) must be a minimum of 300 feet away from any other licensed home (as measured from the outside walls of the house - Section 1520.5 of the CA Health and Safety Code). If a home is less than the 300 feet, an exemption must be granted by the city, otherwise the license is denied. (To date, the City of Bakersfield has not granted any exemptions, nor would they be supported). This 300-foot separation restriction does not apply to licenses issued by the State Department of Alcohol and Drugs for rehabilitation homes. Listings of licensed facilities may be obtained from both agencies either through the internet at www.calcarenet.ca.qov or by phone. ? State Department of Social Services: Monterey Park - (323) 981-3300 (group homes only; operational complaints) ? State Department of Social Services: Fresno - (559) 243-8080 (elderly, disabled and day care homes; operational complaints) ? State Department-of Alcohol and Drugs: Sacramento - (916) 445-0834 (alcohol and drug rehabilitation only; operational complaints) February, 2005 B A K E R $ F I E L1~ RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES CITY OF BAKERSFIELD REGULATIONS: Residential care facilities must be licensed through the state to receive the zoning preemption for six or fewer persons. If a facility serves more than six people, city regulations require a conditional use permit in a residential zone (except in the R-4 zone for people with disabilities). Residential facilities are permitted by right in most commercial and some industrial zones subject to the city's site plan review process. A business license is required for homes for over six clients. Those homes that are not licensed and have more than two persons are considered a roominghouse (BMC 17.04.510). The zoning ordinance permits anyone to rent no more than two rooms (one to a person) by right in any residential district. Once that number is exceeded, the Use of the home is considered a roominghouse that requires a conditional use permit. The conditional use process for the larger residential facilities (over 6) and a roominghouse is discretionary and conditions can be imposed to regulate the home. These conditions can include occupancy limits, fire sprinklers, alarm systems, and vehicular prohibitions. Because the permit is discretionary, it can also be found incompatible in a neighborhood and denied. Since the neighborhood is noticed of this permit (300' surrounding the site), the public may comment on the proposal. In many instances, establishment of these types of homes under the conditional use permit process are unpopular and controversial so it is advised to seek neighborhood support before submitting an application to the city. There are homes that become established with six clients without any state license. These include group homes operated by religious institutions, sober living homes, drug/alcohol free environments, etc.). Many are discovered soon after opening through complaints from the neighborhood. However, in these instances, regardless if the home's occupants are referred by a court, other state or local agencies, are non-secular in nature, or are private programs, they do not receive the zoning preemption for six or fewer persons unless they hold a valid license to operate from the State. Otherwise, city ordinance defines them as a roominghouse and they would be subject to the roominghouse limitations. Questions regarding zoning, the use definition, zoning preemption, and conditional use permits, should be directed to the Planning Department before opening any residential care to determine what regulations will apply. Other than licensed facilities that are preempted from zoning, all other similar homes may also be subject to additional requirements from the City's Building and Fire Departments concerning fire safety, sprinkler and alarm systems, occupancy limitations, handicapped access, etc. It is strongly advised that these two departments be contacted as early in the process as posSible since some of these requirements could affect the feasibility and economics of the project. ? Planning Department: (661) 326-3733 (zoning, definition of use, general use questions, conditional use permits,) ? Building Department: (661) 326-3720 (building permits, building code and occupancy requirements, handicapped accessibility, complaints - Code Enforcement) ? Fire Department (Prevention Services): (661) 326-3979 (fire safety requirements, fire alarm and sprinkler systems) ? Business Licenses: (661) 326-3733 Februa~/, 2005 B A K E R S F I £ L O RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES- SUMMARY RESIDENTIAL FACILITY: "Residential facility" means any group care or similar facility, licensed by the State of California, for 24 hour nonmedical care of persons in need of personal services, supervision, or assistance essential for sustaining the activities of daily living or for the protection of the individual as provided in Section 1502 of the California Health and Safety Code. (Zoning Ordinance definition) ? Residential Facility serves 6 or fewer people (count does not include live-in owners or help):' - is permitted by right in all residential zones (considered by state law a residential use) - no city business license or home occupation permit is required - the operator must have a valid license to operate from the State of California - is not subject to standards or regulations differently from any other typical home ? Residential Facility serves 7 or more people (count does not include live-in owners or help): -a conditional use permit is required in all residential zones (except R-4 for people with disabilities) - a city business license is required (however, no home occupation is needed) - the operator must have a license from the State of California - additional building and fire safety items may be required (ie. handicapped access, alarm/fire sprinklers, etc.) ROOMINGHOUSE: "Roominghouse" means a building containing 3 or more guestrooms, used, designed, or intended to be used, let or hired, to be occupied or which are occupied by 3 or more individuals with or without meals, for compensation, as permanent guests pursuant to a previous arrangement for compensation for definite periods, by the month or greater term, and in which rooms are not occupied by, nor meals served, to transients. (Zoning Ordinance definition) ? is any building containing 3 or more guestrooms rented for compensation ? may provide some personal oversight (ie. curfew, limited restrictions), but does not qualify for State licensing ? requires a conditional use permit in any residential zone (except R-4) ? requires a city business license ? may require additional building and fire safety items In any residential zone, a person can legally rent up to 2 rooms (1 person in each room) as a permitted use. Once they rent 3 or more rooms and/or have 3 or more renters, a conditional use permit is required. If the homeowner states that they are running a group care home for 6 or fewer persons believing this to be a permitted use but they have no state license for such a facility, then they are not a residential facility but a roominghouse. They must either obtain approval of a conditional use permit or reduce the number of people and rooms being rented to 2 so as to remain a legal use without a conditional use permit. FAMILY: "A family is defined as an individual or group of individuals, related, or unrelated, living together as a single housekeeping unit, including necessary servants. A family does not include a residential facility, group care, rest home, dormitory, roominghouse, motel, or similar uses." (Zoning Ordinance definition) There is no maximum number of people that can live in a home by definition since the city cannot discriminate between related and unrelated persons as ruled by the Supreme Court. Occupancy limits are a health and safety issue enforced by the Uniform Housing Cede as it is based on a person per room or minimum square footage requirement that can be applied equally to all persons regard/ess of relationship. A single housekeeping unit means that the occupants have common use and access to all living and eating areas, bathrooms, and foodpreparation and service areas. In addition, court cases have recognized that a family represents an intentionally structured relationship between the occupants implying a permanent, long-term relationship as opposed to one that is short-term or transient. The latter includes roominghouse, halfway and sober/drug-free living homes where the person is at the home for a defined perfod and then is required to move to more permanent living arrangements once they have satisfied their prescribed recovery period. Februan/, 2005