Planning Dept has plans to beef
up staff to handle all things land
May 15, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
The Planning Department has plans to beef up the understaffed group that handles all things land and what is put on it.
Planning Director Janna Minsk presented what she would like to see happen in her department during the presentation of the preliminary budget at the May 4 City Council meeting.
Minsk told the council that the department provides land use analysis, the General Plan update, Planning Commission reports and meetings, design review, permits, compliance review of applications and works with Public Works and Building and Safety on permits and compliance issues among other duties.
The Planning Department also oversaw the planned Limoneira East Area 1 and 2 development, working closely with company consultants on various stages of preparing the property for a myriad of approvals including annexing the 500+ acres into the city.
The Planning Department also is involved in regional planning as well as special projects such as coordinating the Cal Poly student visioning sessions for the downtown that took place several years ago and resulted in a report of recommendations to stimulate visitors to the Downtown.
“Current planning is where we spend most of our time,” she noted including business clearances for enterprises ranging from retail shops to restaurants.
The department also worked on updating city leases and greenbelt agreements.
Of the department’s $520,000 in revenues Minsk said the “lion’s share” pays for salaries and numerous expenses including legal notices and fees.
Specific projects reimburse fees to the department, which has operated with lean staffing.
Minsk told the council “We don’t have the hierarchy,” of most other planning departments.
She asked that a part-time secretary be elevated to a planner/technician and to convert a part-time planner to a full-time associate planner,
Such a move would free up “high value time” such as Minsk’s own for more complicated projects as well as provide valuable experience to others.
Minsk also noted that as fewer permits are processed without a public hearing the new accounting software should be capable of tracking invoices and permits now handled by planning staff.
The upcoming General Plan update—a state mandate—could take as long as 2? years to complete, a process Minsk estimated could cost as much as $500,000.
Later in the meeting the council approved Minsk’s request to elevate the vacant part-time Assistant Planner position to fulltime and change the position to Associate Planner.
The position would pay about $26,000 to more than $32,000 depending on experience, plus benefits.
Minsk also noted that a request for proposal was prepared and sent out to update the General Plan, initially adopted in 1998.
Minsk wrote in her report that the General Plan is “Considered the development constitution,” that guides the city’s “development on a planning horizon of 15 to 25 years.”
Other than the updated Housing Elements and allowed amendments, no major comprehensive review or updates of the plan have been undertaken since the plan was first adopted.
