Ordinance 2009-04
ORDINANCE NO. 2009-04
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GILROY
APPROVING Z 09-02, AMENDING ZONING ORDINANCE SECTION
51.32 "NOTICES" TO INCREASE THE AREA THAT IS INCLUDED IN
THE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICES, TO REQUIRE RENOTICING FOR
CERTAIN CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARINGS AND TO REQUIRE THAT
THE APPLICANT INSTALL A PUBLIC NOTICE SIGN ON THE
PROPERTY THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE PUBLIC HEARING OR
PROJECT DECISION
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that Gilroy Zoning Ordinance Section 51.32 meets all
State law requirements for advertising public hearings on land use applications; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to adopt public noticing requirements that more
fully inform the community of pending land use applications by increasing the area included
within the public noticing mailing requirements from 300 feet to 500 feet and requiring that the
property that is subject to the land use application is posted with a highly visible, public
notification sign; and
WHEREAS, Zoning Ordinance Section 52.10 states that the provisions of the Ordinance
may be amended whenever the public necessity, convenience and general welfare require it; and
WHEREAS, to greater serve the public convenience, the City of Gilroy submitted
application Z 09-02 to amend Section 51.32 to meet the above requirements; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 (CEQA), the
proposed text amendment is exempt from environmental review under CEQA Guideline Section
15061(b)(3). That Section states that an activity is exempt if the activity is covered by the
general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant
effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the
activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject
to CEQ.A, as is the case with the proposed text amendment; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on February 5,
2009 on the original draft of this ordinance, at which time the Planning Commission considered
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Ordinance No. 2009-04
the public testimony, the staff report dated February 5, 2009, and all other documentation related
to application Z 09-02, and recommended that the City Council approve said application; and
WHEREAS, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing on the original draft of
this ordinance on March 2, 2009 and requested a minor addition to include a requirement to re-
notice public hearings upon a third continuance and again if certain further continuances are
granted; and
WHEREAS, the City Council held a second duly noticed public hearing on August 3,
2009, at which time the City Council considered the public testimony, a supplemental staff report
dated August 3, 2009, and all other documentation related to application Z 09-02; and
WHEREAS, the location and custodian of the documents or other materials which
constitute the record of proceedings upon which this project approval is based is the Office of the
City Clerk.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GILROY DOES
HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I
Gilroy Zoning Ordinance Section 51.32 entitled "Notices" is hereby amended in its
entirety to read as follows:
"Section 51.32 Notices
Notice oftime and place of public hearing shall be given in the following manner:
(a)
Notice of any public hearing shall be given by at least one (1) publication
in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Gilroy not less than ten
(10) days before the date of said public hearing; and
(b)
A written notice (except for amending, supplementing, or changing the
text of the Zoning Ordinance) shall be mailed not less than ten (10) days
prior to the date of such hearing to the owners of the property within a
radius of five hundred (500) feet of the exterior boundaries of the
property, using for this purpose the last known name and address of such
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Ordinance No. 2009-04
owners as are shown in the County Assessor's books on file in the County
Assessor's office of the County of Santa Clara, State of California.
(c)
Any public hearings conducted pursuant to this Section that are continued
two or more times shall be re-noticed for the third public hearing. That
third public hearing may be continued if deemed necessary one more time
without re-noticing, but any subsequent continuance for the same project
application must be re-noticed in the same manner established herein, and
consistent with the standards established in subsections (a) and (b) above.
Notwithstanding the above process for re-noticing, the continuance
of public hearings and time for the decision-makers to act on a project is
subject to the time limits established by State law, including, but not
limited to, the Subdivision Map Act, the Permit Streamlining Act and the
California Environmental Quality Act.
(d)
In addition to the written notice in Subsections (a) and (b), at least ten (10)
days prior to the public hearing or project decision, the applicant shall
install a four (4) foot by eight (8) foot sign for major project applications,
or a two (2) foot by three (3) foot sign for minor applications on the
property that is subject to the public hearing or project decision. Minor
project applications include subdivisions of 4 or less lots, Architectural
and Site applications that do not involve the construction of new buildings
on the property, Conditional Use Permits and Variances. Major project
applications include subdivisions of 5 lots or more, Architectural and Site
applications that involve the construction of new buildings on the
property, Zone Text or Map Amendments that are not determined to be
City-wide text or map amendments, General Plan Amendments that are
not determined to be City-wide amendments and RDO applications
pursuant to the Residential Development Ordinance at Zoning Ordinance
Section 50.60. The sign shall be maintained and remain on the project
site until after the city renders a decision on the project and any appeal
period established in the Zoning Ordinance has expired. The sign shall be
removed within seven (7) days of the expiration of the appeal period. The
project applicant shall submit a signed affidavit that states the property
sign has been installed consistent with this Ordinance and the standards
established by the Community Development Department. The posted
notice shall contain a general description of the project, the file number of
the project, the applicant's name and a contact number for additional
information regarding the project. The sign shall be consistent with the
standards established by the Community Development Department."
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Ordinance No. 2009-04
SECTION II
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason
held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining
portions of this ordinance. The City Council of the City of Gilroy hereby declares that it would
have passed and adopted this Ordinance, and each section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase
hereof, irrespective of the fact that anyone or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or
phrases may be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION III
This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect thirty (30) days after the date of its
passage and adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GILROY
this 14th day of September, 2009, by the following vote:
ABSENT:
COUNCILMEMBERS: ARELLANO, DILLON,
GARTMAN, TUCKER, WOODWARD and PINHEIRO
COUNCILMEMBERS: NONE
COUNCILMEMBERS: BRACCO
AYES:
NOES:
APP~9Y1D/
./' c
//
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Ordinance No. 2009-04
I, SHA WNA FREELS, City Clerk of the City of Gilroy, do hereby certify that the
attached Ordinance No. 2009-04 is an original ordinance, or true and correct copy of a city
ordinance, duly adopted by the Council of the City of Gilroy at a regular meeting of said Council
held on the 14th day of September, 2009, at which meeting a quorum was present.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Official Seal of
the City of Gilroy this 17th day of September, 2009.
(Seal)