Chapter 18.542 — SPECIFIC PLAN NO. 25

• A. Responsible development of the Northern Foothills of the city can be ensured through the adoption of a development control mechanism that reflects thorough and comprehensive land use planning. The most suitable development control mechanism is the specific plan, which when adopted, serves both a planning function and a regulatory function.

• B. The purpose of Specific Plan No. 25 is to provide for managing environmental values and future development within the northern foothills area in order to protect the area's natural environment and existing resources and to ensure that the design of future hillside developments preserves sensitive resources in place, considers the natural hillside topography and maximizes view opportunities to, as well as from, the developments. Overall, the strategy encourages fitting projects into their hillside setting rather than altering the hillside to fit the project. Thus, although individual property rights within the northern foothills area must be recognized, the priority between development and natural resource values should be balanced.

• C. Specific Plan No. 25 establishes the type, location, intensity and character of development to take place. It functions as a general blueprint of future development, focusing on the physical

characteristics of the site and integration of the same with surrounding uses.

• D. Development standards are proposed to achieve the following objectives:

  1. To minimize alterations to the natural terrain, not only to preserve natural environmental features, but also to protect residents' health and safety within nearby developed areas;

  2. To provide an enriched low density residential environment with aesthetic cohesiveness, harmonious massing of structures, and interfacing of open space through the utilization of superior land planning and design;

  3. To minimize the impact of new development into the surrounding viewshed, especially as seen from public intersection viewpoints in the city;

  4. To utilize current practices of good design, architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and hillside land planning to preserve, enhance and promote the existing and future appearance and resources of hillside areas;

  5. To protect public health and safety from the potential damaging effect of hillside alteration and to minimize conventional flat land development practices, except in clustered developments;

  6. To provide for the planning, design and development of single-family residences that provide ample safety with respect to fire hazards, exposure to geological and geotechnical hazards, drainage and erosion;

  7. To maximize preservation of the area's natural environment, recognize the opportunities and constraints that the land itself imposes, and accommodate such development as can be designed to minimize impacts on the natural environment and protect the public health and safety;

  8. To provide a safe means of ingress/egress for vehicular, equestrian and pedestrian traffic to and within the northern foothills with a minimum disturbance to the natural terrain;

9. To preserve natural landforms in order to recognize and live within the limits placed by natural environmental constraints;

   10. To facilitate development within the northern foothills which is rural in character and which contributes to the open space character of the area.

• (Ord. 1106 § 1, 1999; Ord. 1201 § 1, 2011)

The adoption of Specific Plan No. 25 by the city is authorized by the California Government Code Title 7, Divisional Chapter 3, Articles 8 and 9, Sections 65450 through 65507. (Ord. 1106 § 1, 1999)

Specific Plan No. 25 only applies to that property within the city indicated on Exhibit A attached to and located at the end of this chapter.

(Ord. 1106 § 1, 1999)

• A. Unless otherwise specified, all uses and development within Specific Plan No. 25 shall comply with the provisions of this code. Terms used in this chapter shall have the same meaning as defined in this code unless otherwise defined in this chapter.

• B. Any details or issues not specifically covered in the specific plan shall be subject to the regulations of this code.

• C. The approval of uses and development within the specific plan area shall be governed by Section 65450 et seq., of the Government Code.

• D. All construction within the boundaries of this specific plan area shall comply with all provisions of the building code and the various mechanical, electrical and plumbing codes adopted by the city.

• E. Minor modifications to the specific plan, which do not give rise to a conflict with the intent of the specific plan as approved, may be approved by the director of planning at his or her discretion.

• F. A program environmental impact report which analyzes the "worst case" scenario for possible build-out and public improvements and for the cumulative impacts, which may occur by subsequent implementation of the specific plan, has been certified by the city council and is referenced by this section. This environmental impact report will be utilized as a master CEQA clearance document for future focused studies, if determined necessary by the city, which will tier off of the program environmental impact report in accordance with Section 15152 of CEQA Guidelines, as amended.

• G. Any land use not specifically authorized by Specific Plan No. 25 shall not be permitted.

• H. If any regulation, condition, program or portion thereof of the specific plan is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct and independent provision and the invalidity of such section shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions thereof.

• (Ord. 1106 § 1, 1999)

"Average slope" means the average slope in a given geographical area as determined according to the following formula:

• S = 2.29 x 10-3 I L / A

S = Average slope percent

• A = Total acreage of the area being measured

L = Length of each of the contours, in feet (with appropriate scale), within the area being measured

I = Contour intervals, in feet

"Natural slope" means the vertical change in elevation over a given horizontal distance prior to grading or any alteration.

"Landform grading" means a contour grading method which creates artificial slopes with curves and varying slope ratios in the horizontal and vertical planes designed to simulate the appearance of surrounding natural terrain.

"Rural" means a way of life characterized by living in an area with few people; a natural, peaceful, quiet setting; allowance for a sense of solitude; and, unhindered views of stars in the night sky. Rural areas are unencumbered by typical urban/suburban facilities, including: curbs, gutters and sidewalks; street lighting except where needed for safety purposes; formal, manicured landscaping; and commercial facilities.

"Clustered lots" mean four or more lots, not less than one-half acre in size, sharing a common road or driveway access.

(Ord. 1106 § 1, 1999; Ord. 1201 § 1, 2011)