HomeMy WebLinkAbout1673 - ORDINANCES - 10/19/2005 ORDINANCE NO. 1673
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTIONS 9.61.020, 9.61.030.
9.63.040. AND 9.63.060 OF THE PALM SPRINGS MUNICIPAL
CODE, RELATING TO MERGERS OF CONTIGUOUS
PARCELS OF LAND.
City Attorney's Summary
State law allows cities to adopt procedures for city initiated and
property owner initiated merger of contiguous parcels. The
current provisions of the Palm Springs Municipal Code provide
for City initiated merges; however, the Code does not provide
for property owner initiated mergers. This ordinance
establishes (1) a procedure for a property owner to apply for
the merger of contiguous parcels of land and (2) criteria to be
used for the review and approval of merger applications.
The City Council of the City of Palm Springs ordains:
Section 1. Section 9.61.020 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code is amended to read:
9.61.020 Advisory Agency.
(a) The Planning Commission shall be the advisory agency for all purposes concerning
maps.
(b) The Director of Planning Services shall be the advisory agency for all purposes
concerning lot line adjustments.
Section 2. Section 9.61.030 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code is amended to read to
read:
9.61.030 Mergers.
(a) Mergers Initiated by City
(1) Two or more contiguous parcels or units of land held by the same owner
which have been created under the provisions of any local ordinance enacted pursuant
thereto or were not subject to such provisions at the time of their creation, and if any one of
such contiguous parcels does not conform to standards for minimum parcel size and at
least one of such nonconforming contiguous parcels is not developed with a building for
which a permit has been issued, such parcels shall be merged for the purposes of this title.
(2) Subdivided lands may be merged and re-subdivided without reverting to
acreage by complying with all the applicable requirements for the subdivision of land as
provided by this title and the Subdivision Map Act.
Ordinance No. 1673
Page 2
(3) Two or more contiguous parcels or units of land may be merged for the '
purpose of lot consolidation to form one or more legal conforming lots by filing a parcel
map and meeting all requirements of this title for parcel maps and following the procedures
required herein.
(b) Procedures for lot merger Initiated by the City
(1) A lot consolidation application or merger may be initiated by the City
Engineer, Director of Planning, City Manager, Planning Commission, or City Council.
(2) Property owner(s) and owners of adjacent parcels shall be notified of the
proposed merger action at least one month before planning commission consideration.
(3) Lot mergers initiated by the City shall follow the procedure established for
planning commission and city council action on parcel maps.
(4) The Director of Planning Services, or the Director's designee, shall prepare
and submit a recommendation and report giving evidence why the parcels should or
should not be merged.
(5) The owner(s) of the subject parcels may agree to the merger by affixing their
signature on the application or submit evidence why the consolidations should not be
accomplished.
(6) In the event that such parcels are not merged in accordance with these
procedures, a building permit may not be issued for any of the parcels under consideration
if the parcels do not meet the applicable minimum development standards under the City's
Zoning Ordinance for such parcels. ,
(7) The decision of the City Council shall be final.
(c) Mergers Initiated by Application
(1) This subsection implements the procedures and prescribes the standards for
owner-initiated merger and un-merger of land as authorized by Government Code
Sections 66451.30 through 66451.302 and 66499.20 1/2 through 66400.20 1/4, as may be
amended from time to time.
(2) Subdivided lands may be merged and re-subdivided without reverting to
acreage by complying with the requirements for the subdivision of land as provided by the
Subdivision Map Act and this subsection.
(3) By application of all owners of record, filed with the City Engineer, contiguous
parcels under common ownership may be merged without reverting to acreage. To allow
the merger, the City Engineer, in consultation with the Director of Planning Services, must
find that:
a. All parcels to be merged are contiguous;
b. All parcels to be merged are under identical ownership; and
c. The resulting parcel is consistent with the city's general plan, any
applicable specific plan, and any other applicable provision of this Code.
(4) Upon approval of the merger, the City Engineer shall file with the county
recorder an instrument evidencing the merger.
(d) Appeal. '
A determination of the City Engineer under Paragraphs (c) and (d) of this
subsection may be appealed to the City Council in the manner provided in Section
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Page 3
9.63.090 by filing a written notice of appeal within ten (10) calendar days from the date of
the City Engineer's decision.
Section 3. Section 9.63.040 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code is amended to read:
9.63.040 Fees.
The subdivider, owner, or applicant shall pay all fees for the processing and
approval of tentative maps, parcel maps, final maps, lot line adjustments, mergers, and
any other entitlement provided under this Title. The fees shall be in the amounts as
established by the City Council by resolution.
Section 4. Section 9.63.060 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code is amended to read:
9.63.060 Filing of Applications.
Tentative maps, for all property divisions, shall be filed with the Director of Planning
Services, and lot line adjustments and mergers shall be filed with the City Engineer. All
applications shall be processed in accordance with the Subdivision Map Act and the
provisions of this Title. The Director of Planning Services or the City Engineer, as the case
may be, shall (1) prescribe the form of the applications for the entitlements provided under
this Title, (2) prepare and provide application forms, (3) prescribe the type of information to
be provided with the application by the subdivider, owner, or applicant, and (4) prescribe
the number of copies of any map that may be required.
Section 5. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall certify to the passage and
adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause the same, or the summary thereof, to be
published and posted pursuant to the provisions of law and this Ordinance shall take effect
thirty (30) days after passage.
ADOPTED this 191h day of October 2005.
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Ron Odlen, Mayor
ATTEST:
James Thompson, City Clerk
Ordinance No. 1673
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CERTIFICATION '
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss..
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS )
I, JAMES THOMPSON, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that
Ordinance No. 1673 is a full, true and correct copy, and was introduced at a regular
meeting of the Palm Springs City Council on October 5, 2005, and adopted at a regular
meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs on October 19, 2005, by the
following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Foat, Mills, Pougnet, Mayor Pro Tern McCulloch and Mayor
Oden
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
y
r1 mes Thompson, City Clerk
'City of Palm Springs, California
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