Staff Report and WELO Ordinance - StopWaste.Org

IN THE PLANNING COMMISSIONOF THE CITY OF LIVERMORESTATE OF CALIFORNIAA RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING ADOPTIONOf an amended Municipal Code Chapter 13.25, the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance,to be consistent with the updated 2009 State Model Water Efficient Landscape OrdinanceWHEREAS, the City initiated an application for Municipal Code Amendment 09-005;WHEREAS, a Public Hearing Notice was published in a newspaper of localcirculation; andWHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on October 19, 2010,considered the staff recommendation for recommending adoption, heard public testimony,and adopted the following findings:The proposed ordinance is consistent with the General Plan. The proposedordinance is consistent with Climate Change Element (CLI) policies, specifically toreview and update the water efficient landscape ordinance (Policy CLI-1.4-P3). Asthe Climate Change Element states, "Water is an important and scarce resource andthe importation of water to the City requires energy, which produces GHG(Greenhouse Gas) emissions. As a result, water conservation and efficiency bothhelp to reduce GHGs." Additionally the proposed ordinance is consistent with theInfrastructure and Public Services Element (INF) which requires compliance with themandatory state model ordinance (Policy INF-1.3-P4).2. The proposed ordinance is consistent with the Development Code. DevelopmentCode Chapter 4.05 (Landscape Standards) references compliance with the WaterEfficient Landscape Ordinance. The proposed ordinance is consistent with thisprovision and other provisions of the Development Code.3. The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per theGeneral Rule in Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, because it can beseen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have asignificant effect on the environment. The proposed ordinance will not decrease, andin some cases, will increase measures to promote water efficiency in landscaping ascompared to the 1992 City water efficient landscaping ordinance and it is at least aseffective as the 2009 State model ordinance in promoting landscape water efficiency.BE IT RESOLVED by the Livermore Planning Commission that, based on the abovefindings, Municipal Code Amendment 09-005 is recommended to the City Council foradoption.Resolution No.17