Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Planning Commission Draft
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PREPARED BY: THE LAKE COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ADOPTED: MONTH/DAY/YEAR Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Planning Commission Draft Acknowledgements Lake County Board of Supervisors Jim Comstock District I Jeff Smith District II Denise Rushing Chair, District III Anthony Farrington Vice Chair, District IV Rob Brown District V Planning Commission Michael van der Boon District I Gary Briggs Chair, District II Clelia Bauer Vice Chair, District III Cliff Swetnam District IV Gil Schoux District V Lake County Community Development Department Richard Coel Community Development Director Kevin M. Ingram Senior Planner/Project Coordinator Brian Horn Assistant Planner II Alan Flora Assistant Planner II Ted Elliot Assistant Resource Planner Michalyn DelValle Assistant Planner II With the Assistance of the Shoreline Communities Area Planning Advisory Committee: Judy Barnes Travis Lipscomb Donna Christopher Wanda Quitiquit Holly Harris Clay Shannon Diana Hershey William Tett Iris Hudson John Tomkins Graphic Credits: Graphics and maps produced by Lon Sharp, GIS Specialist & Alan Flora, Assistant Planner II. Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Public Draft SHORELINE COMMUNITIES AREA PLAN Table of Contents 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1-1 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 The Planning Process 2-1 The Function of an Area Plan 2-1 Purpose 2-1 Methodology 2-5 Plan Preparation 2-5 Citizen Participation 2-6 Process 2-6 Relationship to Other Plans 2-6 2.2 Orientation to the Shoreline Communities 2-11 Climate 2-11 County Geography 2-12 Planning Area Geography 2-12 2.3 History and Development 2-13 Prehistoric 2-13 Historic 2-13 Present 2-14 Future 2-15 Assumptions 2-16 Major Planning Issues 2-17 3.0 NATURAL RESOURCES 3.1 Land 3-1 Planning Area Geology and Soils 3-1 3.2 Water 3-8 Surface Water 3-8 Ground Water 3-10 Water Quality 3-11 Water Reclamation 3-12 3.3 Vegetation and Wildlife 3-15 Vegetation 3-15 Plant Communities 3-17 Riparian Vegetation 3-19 Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants 3-20 Wildlife 3-24 Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species 3-25 3.4 Resources 3-30 Development 3-30 Table of Contents i July 2009 Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Public Draft Agriculture 3-30 High Valley Viticultural Area 3-31 Buffer Zones 3-32 Mineral and Aggregate Resources 3-36 Sulphur Bank Mine 3-41 Geothermal Resources 3-42 Conservation 3-45 Cultural and Historical Resources 3-45 Rattle Snake Island 3-46 Borax Lake 3-46 Patwin Village Site 3-46 Scenic Corridors 3-47 Critical Resources 3-55 4.0 PUBLIC SAFETY 4-1 4.1 Land 4-1 Paper Lots 4-1 Slope Instability 4-4 Expansive Soils 4-7 Seismic Hazards 4-7 Liquefaction 4-7 Volcanism 4-8 4.2 Water 4-10 Drainage 4-10 Flooding 4-11 Dam Inundation 4-12 Septic Tanks 4-13 Underground Fuel Storage 4-13 4.3 Wildfire 4-18 4.4 Air Quality 4-27 Air Quality 4-27 Noise 4-31 5.0 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 5-1 5.1 Economy 5-1 Shoreline Development 5-2 Commercial 5-3 Agriculture 5-3 Code Enforcement Issues 5-4 Additional Economic Opportunities 5-5 5.2 Housing 5-11 5.3 Networks 5-17 Streets and Highways 5-17 Functional Classification 5-17 Arterials 5-18 Collectors 5-18 Table of Contents ii July 2009 Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Public Draft Volumes 5-19 Flood Conditions 5-19 Level of Service 5-19 Future Growth 5-19 State Highway System 5-20 County Road System 5-21 Traffic Calming & Aesthetic Improvements 5-22 Transit 5-26 Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities 5-28 5.4 Services 5-31 Utilities 5-32 Water 5-32 Wastewater Disposal 5-34 Wastewater Recycling System 5-36 Alternative Wastewater Reuse 5-37 Storm Water 5-41 Solid Waste 5-43 Communications and Energy Systems 5-45 Telephone, Television and Internet 5-45 Energy Systems 5-46 Parks and Recreational Facilities 5-47 Schools 5-50 Library 5-51 Miscellaneous Services 5-51 5.5 Land Use and Zoning Plans 5-52 Commercial 5-54 Residential 5-55 Agriculture and Rural Areas 5-63 Open Space 5-64 Special Zoning Recommendations 5-64 6.0 SPECIAL STUDY AREAS 6-1 6.1 “The Promenade” Lucerne 6-1 6.2 “The Strand” Lucerne 6-5 6.3 “The Plaza” Clearlake Oaks 6-9 6.4 “East Clearlake Oaks Commercial District” 6-14 7.0 DESIGN GUIDELINES 7-1 7.1 Commercial Development 7-1 7.2 Lucerne Community Area 7-2 7.3 Clearlake Oaks Community Area 7-7 7.4 Lakefront Residential Development 7-13 Table of Contents iii July 2009 Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Public Draft List of Figures Figure 2-1 Shoreline Communities Area 2-3 Figure 2-2 Community Areas 2-7 Figure 2-5 Population and Housing Unit Projections 2-16 Figure 3-1 Serpentine Soils 3-5 Figure 3-2 Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants Potentially Occurring within the Planning Area 3-21 Figure 3-3 Rare, Threatened and Endangered Animals Potentially Occurring within the Planning Area 3-26 Figure 3-4 Important Farmland in the Planning Area 3-33 Figure 3-5 Existing & Potential Quarry Sites 3-39 Figure 3-6 Geothermal Setback in the Planning Area 3-43 Figure 3-7 Potential Scenic Routes 3-51 Figure 3-8 Critical Resource Areas 3-57 Figure 4-1 Slope Map 4-5 Figure 4-2 Flood Hazard Map 4-15 Figure 4-3 Fire Hazard Map 4-21 Figure 4-4 Fire District Boundaries 4-23 Figure 5-1 Planning Area Employment Characteristics 5-1 Figure 5-2 Population and Housing Characteristics 5-13 Figure 5-3 Functional Road Classification 5-17 Figure 5-4 Summary by Land Use 5-53 Figure 5-5 Lucerne Community Area 5-59 Figure 5-6 Clearlake Oaks Community Area 5-61 Figure 5-7 B5 Combining District 5-66 Figure 6-1 Special Study Area No. 1—“The Promenade” Lucerne 6-4 Figure 6-2 Special Study Area No. 2—“The Strand” Lucerne 6-8 Figure 6-3 Special Study Area No. 3—“The Plaza” Clearlake Oaks 6-11 Figure 6-4 Special Study Area No. 4—“Short Street Clearlake Oaks 6-14 Figure 6-5 Special Study Area No. 5—“East Clearlake Oaks Commercial District 6-17 Table of Contents iv July 2009 ROCK WALL ALONG THE CLEAR LAKE SHORELINE Source: Eric Seely/Alan Flora EXECUTIVEEXECUTIVE SUMMARYSUMMARY SHORELINE COMMUNITIES AREA PLAN Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Planning Commission Draft 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Shoreline Communities Area Plan is a guide for long-term growth and development in the planning area and is a complement to the Lake County General Plan. It is a planning tool that will facilitate refined planning decisions based on community values and priorities of the residents of the planning area. The relationship between the General Plan and an Area Plan must be mutually complementary and consistent. Policies in the Area Plan should supplement general plan policies, yet more precisely reflect the characteristics found in the planning area. The higher level of policy accountability for this plan ensures the residents of the future that the vision of the citizens in 2009 is carried out as adopted. County landowners and residents seek assurances that the use of a neighbor’s property will be compatible with the health, safety, welfare and preservation of property values, the economy and the County’s rural character. Therefore, facilitating land development and land use must balance a property owner’s right of reasonable use and the impact of that use on neighboring property owners. A long-range plan should provide adequate land use allocations to meet the community’s needs while also protecting vital natural resources. This plan includes five special study areas (The Promenade in Lucerne, The Strand in Lucerne, The Plaza in Clearlake Oaks, Short Street in Clearlake Oaks and the East Clearlake Oaks Commercial District). Land use designations have been amended where necessary to reduce potential land use impacts. Environmental concerns have been identified and policies developed to protect the unique natural features of the area. Several of the benefits of this plan are as follows: Plan policies and guidelines include fire protection measures. Plan policies and guidelines include measures aimed at providing an adequate framework for the development of town centers in the community areas. This plan establishes general design guidelines for lakefront residential development aimed at preserving the unique scenic qualities of Clear Lake. Plan policies and guidelines require utilization of buffer areas between incompatible uses. Plan policies and guidelines provide opportunities for the protection and use of existing resort and recreational opportunities along the shoreline of Clear Lake. This plan recognizes that agriculture is an important aspect of the rural and economic character of the area. Properties in areas with safety and environmental constraints, including identified fault zones, landslide areas, steep slopes and areas of high erosion potential have been designated “RR”, Rural Residential or “RL”, Rural Lands to limit development to lower densities in these potentially hazardous areas. The inclusion of the “SOS”, Substandard Older Subdivision standards to existing paper subdivision lots located outside of the community area boundaries are included as a means to ensure proper infrastructure is put in place prior to the development of these substandard legal nonconforming lots. Future development will be directed away from areas of known environmental concern, including wetlands, through the use of low land use densities, and through conservation districts. Community areas have been developed within which additional development may be appropriate, dependent upon environmental constraints, health and safety concerns and the Executive Summary 1-1 July 2009 Shoreline Communities Area Plan—Planning Commission Draft need for additional housing.