San Ramon Golf Courses - Summary 4/19/06

Questions to the City Staff and Planning Commissioners – Still Unanswered

1. How did the Golf Courses get changed from Parks to Commercial Recreation (CR) in the General Plan?

Answer: City staff: "The General Plan Review Commissioners implemented CR with increased building intensity to .35 FAR for the golf courses."

2. Three General Plan Review Commissioners stated they never even discussed CR for the golf courses. They are not even familiar with the Commercial Recreation designation. "Where did it come from?"

Answer: The Planning Commission requested the "Minutes of the Land Use Committee" (part of the General Plan Review Commission) and, there was NO discussion of the golf courses being changed to Commercial Recreation.

Question to San Ramon Planning Staff: Then, as a result of the above, when did the golf courses get changed to Commercial Recreation .35 FAR in the General Plan?

Answer: City staff: "It happened in 1995 when Club sport was changed to Commercial Recreation."

3. When in 1995 did the golf courses get changed in the General Plan to Commercial Recreation? And, who changed them? Why were the surrounding homeowners not notified?

Answer: The City ignored these questions, and refused to give answers:

As a result, some citizens filled out a "Request for a Public Record" form at the City Clerk's office, and were charged $29.30 for the following documents that were delayed beyond the normal ten days. The law allows for an additional 14 days under unusual circumstances (Gov. Code 6253 (c). The City of San Ramon then delayed an additional 15 days to April 6, 2006 (which extended it beyond the date the Planning Commission took their final vote to approve the Golf Course Overlay on April 4, 2006). The Planning Commission was urged to wait for these answers before taking a final vote. They ignored these requests and proceeded to approve what the City staff has recommended as RZ18 – Commercial Recreation (.35 FAR)-Golf Course Overlay (.10 FAR) for the San Ramon Golf Course and parts of the Canyon Lakes Golf Course.

Documents Requested on 3/14/06 to City Clerk/Planning Dept.: The 1995 General Plan Update is: "Resolution No. 95-114 – Documents per this resolution. GPA 95-003, all documents relating to the change from Parks (P) to Commercial Recreation (CR) for the Royal Vista Golf Course and Canyon Lakes Golf Course."

Answer: In the Planning Commission Staff Report dated September 19, 1995 a General Plan Amendment GPA 95-003 was recommended for approval. Page 8 of 28 reads as follows:

"Economics of Land Use" is an entirely new section, and is included in recognition of the increasingly important relationship between the local economy and land use decisions.

4. The creation of a new Commercial Recreation (CR) land use

Designation, to be applied to the two golf courses in the City

(Canyon Lakes and Royal Vista), and the Club Sport facility

and its adjoining tennis courts at the current terminus of

Bollinger Canyon Road in Canyon Lakes.


Why wasn't there a Public Hearing Notice mailed to the surrounding homeowners? Why wasn't the Public Hearing Notice (1/8 page ad placed in the paper) no earlier than ten days prior to the Public Hearing Date? Why were the affected citizens left out of this process? Did the City Planning Staff have to notice three public hearings for the Planning Commission and three for the Council?

Question to Planning Staff: Where is the copy of the (1/8 page Newspaper Ad) placed for the Public Hearing Notice? Where is the list of who the Public Hearing Notice was mailed to? And, when were these notices mailed or placed in the paper?

Answer from Planning Staff: "You didn’t specifically ask for the list of who the Public Hearing Notice was mailed to." "You need to fill out another Public Record Request Form to specifically ask for that." 4/13/06

Our request above stated, "all documents relating to the change from Parks to Commercial Recreation." Why were these not provided by the City? Another delay tactic?

We believe the City did not properly notify the surrounding homeowners of the two golf courses, and/or notice the Public Hearings properly in the newspaper with an 1/8 page ad. The citizens were cut out of this process back in 1995 with that General Plan Update. This was done in error. And, as a result, the City implemented Commercial Recreation in the General Plan in 1995 without the knowledge or notification of the citizens who lived on, and around the golf courses who are the affected property owners.

Now, the City states, "we must make the Proposed Zoning Ordinance consistent with the voter approved General Plan 2020." This change to (Commercial Recreation .35 FAR) from (Parks .10 FAR) for the golf courses was never proposed by the citizens of the General Plan Review Committee. It was proposed "under the radar" and implemented by the urging of City staff without proper Public Hearing Notification to the Citizens.

In addition, the City states that the reason they are changing the golf courses to Commercial Recreation is because they don’t want the golf course acreage to be counted towards their Parkland numbers. And, as a result, they anticipate acquiring more parkland from developers. This makes no sense, because the General Plan 2020 (approved by the Voters) already states that the golf courses cannot be counted towards required Parkland as shown below:

The current General Plan 2020 reads as follows:

Section 6.5I-1 Establish and maintain a standard of 6.5 acres of

Public parks per 1,000 residents, and public

Facilities to be within one-half mile of all homes

With only usable acreage considered in meeting

This standard.

It is the City's intent to meet this criterion with

Functional acreage only. Private recreation

Facilities (such as golf courses and homeowners'

Association amenities including mini parks, tot-lots,

And picnic areas) shall NOT BE SUBSTITUTED

FOR REQUIRED PARKLAND.

Now is the time for our San Ramon elected City Officials to recognize their errors and, to stand up and do the right thing! Otherwise, it is time for a Recall.