Planning Group, Mussey Grade Alliance Oppose Suggested Changes in Local Planning Input

Ramona's input in the local development approval process could take a hit if recommendations by a task force are approved by the county Board of Supervisors.

The Red Tape Reduction Task Force has recommended that the Board consider eliminating the groups from under the County's 'umbrella' or changing the role of planning groups in the county. The task force was established in April to review the land development permitting process and look for ways to make it more efficient.

There are many recommendations concerning a variety of procedures in the report to the Board. They include two options regarding the advisory, elected planning groups. The first is to remove the planning and sponsor groups from the County's umbrella and require applicants for discretionary projects to prepare a public participation plan to inform residents of the proposed project.

The second option would leave planning groups under the County’s ‘umbrella’ with the following changes:

o   Limit the scope of their review to the preparation and amendment of the General Plan and Community Plan and the public participation plan

o   Staff each planning group meeting with a senior level planner and County counsel (attorney for the County).

o   Institute term limits on planning group members to a maximum of two, two-year terms, in a 10-year period.

o   Limit the number of planning group members for each group to seven.

Supervisor Dianne Jacob's office has had "a considerable response from a number of planning groups and other interested community groups," Jacob's chief of staff Jeff Collins told Patch. "They have been vocal about the value of planning groups and have requested our engagement to keep them intact. Dianne announced at the meeting on Wednesday that she is going to sit down with all of the planning group chairs in her district."

Collins said Jacob intends to gather all the chairs of the groups together for a meeting.

Another recommendation in the task force report is to combine the Department of Public Works Land Development with the Department of Planning and Land Use to create a new department.

To see the full recommendations of the task force, click here and choose the Dec. 7 meeting minutes and then the Board Letter from Item 3.

Ramona Community Planning Group and Mussey Grade Alliance have registered their disapproval by sending letters to the Board.

The planning group letter states that community planning groups "know and understand the neighborhoods in their communities and offer beneficial feedback on developers' plans with recommendations for how to best fit a project into the community. ... Please do not compromise the opportunity for community input."

Mussey Grade Alliance stated in their letter, "We believe, contrary to the recommendation that customer service must be a top priority in the land development permitting process, that representation of the population of San Diego county, taken as a whole, must be the top priority of the government of San Diego county."

The full letters of these organizations are attached to this article.

The recommendations regarding planning groups and other items are due to be discussed by the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 29.