At the next meeting of Sonoma’s Planning Commission on October 15, consideration will be given to extending permit deadlines. Currently permits may be extended for one year; these new proposals will allow permits to be extended for as long as three years.
Sonoma Municipal Code sections 16.04.150 and 19.56.040 establish the limits and procedures for extending the time within which tentative maps may be completed and approved permits may be exercised before they expire and become void. Currently, entitled projects expire after two years with one one-year time extension allowed for a total of three years. Staff have been made aware that there are current outside factors preventing applicants from exercising their approval within the existing time limits on larger entitled projects.
To assist projects to be constructed, staff researched time limits in surrounding communities and presented these to the General Plan/Zoning Code Update Ad Hoc. Based on their review, the recommended amendments to the Municipal code include:
- Require request for extension from 10 days to 30 days prior to expiration.
- Added detail on good faith efforts.
- Allows two one-year extensions approved by the city planner, with a notice of pending decision.
- Allows one additional year to be approved by the original approval body.
- Amends Title 16 for tentative map approvals to be consistent with Title 19. These amendments will allow applicants a total of 5 years to complete a project.
One project that will benefit from this amendment is the Sebastiani Theatre Restoration and Expansion Project. The approved entitlement is scheduled to expire on November 30, 2026, and prevailing conditions have prevented the applicant from exercising their approval within the existing time limits. Staff is proposing to bring the ordinance as an urgency ordinance and a regular ordinance to City Council in order to allow for the applicant to submit a request for an additional extension.
Environmental Review ( Not Applicable to this Project):
City Planning Staff has determined that the adoption and implementation of these Ordinances are exempt from further environmental review under the general rule in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) that CEQA only applies to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Furthermore, this ordinance will not cause a direct or indirect physical change to the environment and is therefore not a project under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378. The proposed ordinances are therefore exempt CEQA because it does not involve a commitment to any specific project that may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.
Recommendation:
Adopt a Resolution recommending City Council adopt an urgency ordinance and an ordinance Amending Section
16.04.150 of Title 16 and Section 19.56.040 of Title 19 of The City of Sonoma Municipal Code and finding the Ordinance exempt from the California Environmental Act (CEQA) Pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) – General Rule- of the CEQA Guidelines.
Be First to Comment