City of Morgan Hill Fiscal Years 2020- 2022 Recommended Operating and CIP Budgets

Planning

206.5120

Division Description The Current Planning program is responsible for the realization of the City's land use goals and policies through the administration of regulatory and discretionary land use entitlements (e.g., Planning permits). The Current Planning Division includes two Senior Planners, two Associate Planners, one Planning Technician and one Municipal Services Assistant (MSA). The work of the current planning program is also supported by contract planners. Current Planning activities include reviewing proposed plans for compliance with the zoning section of the Municipal Code, Specific Plans, the General Plan, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and implementation of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan. Current Planning staff also provide public information (counter) service and perform process improvements to service delivery. The most common land use permit processes administered by this division include Zoning Amendments, Development Agreements, Subdivisions, Site and Architectural Review, Use Permits, Sign Permits, and Tree Removal permits. The current Planning Team works closely with the Building Division and Land Development Engineering to review Building Permit applications and the construction of projects for consistency with Planning permits. With the passage of recent legislation (SB 330) suspending the City’s Residential Growth Control System (RDCS), effective January 1, 2020, the Division has reconfigured the permitting process for housing applications to comply with new State law. FY 2018-19 and 2019-20 Accomplishments  Completed all preparation for implementation of SB330 prior to January 1, 2020. This included creating objective criteria based on the RDCS manual to ensure continued excellent design of housing projects regardless of new state law and creating new processing rules, applications and checklists that comply with the new state law  Instituted an online appointment system to assist with public counter activity  Completed the 2018 and 2019 RDCS Competition prior to SB330 adoption including further streamlining the application process and updating portions of the manual for 2018  Completed an education and enrichment program with the Planning Commission (PC) in coordination with the City Attorney’s office  Processed 194 planning applications in FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20 FY 2020-21 and 2021-22 Activity Goals  Continue to focus and refine efforts on community information regarding development projects and innovative methods of noticing (Community Engagement and Messaging)  Continue to improve and adapt functionality of TRAKiT for permit issuance, processing, and web-based access (Supporting our Youth, Seniors and Entire Community; Fostering a Positive Organizational Culture)  Continue to advance work to streamline the housing application process as required under SB330, AB1763, and other new housing laws (Advancing Regional Initiatives)

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES 241