Chapter 17.02
URBAN SERVICES LINE AND RURAL SERVICES LINE
Sections:
17.02.040 Establishment of the urban services line.
17.02.050 Establishment of the rural services line.
17.02.060 Provision of urban services.
17.02.070 Urban development standards.
17.02.080 Amendment of the urban services line and coincident portions of the rural services line.
17.02.081 Harkins Slough Road.
17.02.010 Purposes.
The County General Plan, the Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan and Chapter 17.01 SCCC (Growth Management) requires the County to preserve a distinction between urban and rural areas, to encourage the location of new development in urban areas, and to protect agricultural land and natural resources in rural areas. These policies are supported by the establishment of a rural services line (RSL) and an urban services line (USL) to define areas which are or have the potential to be urban and areas which are and should remain rural. The establishment of distinct urban boundaries serves the following purposes:
(A) To administer separate urban and rural growth rates and the allocation of residential building permits;
(B) To encourage residential development to locate in urban areas and to discourage division of land in rural areas;
(C) To develop and apply different policies governing urban and rural development;
(D) To provide a basis for a County capital improvements program;
(E) To coordinate planning for the public services among the County, cities, special districts, and the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO);
(F) To ensure that urban development proceeds at a pace consistent with the provision of urban public services;
(G) To limit the extension of urban services to those areas within the rural services line in the Coastal Zone. [Ord. 4416 § 27, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 27, 1996; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982; Ord. 2657, 1979].
17.02.015 Scope.
This chapter establishes an urban services line and a rural services line in the County of Santa Cruz consistent with the General Plan and Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan. It states where urban services may be provided and establishes minimum standards for those services for new development projects within the urban services line and the rural services line. Provisions are also made for amendment and interpretation of the urban services line. [Ord. 4416 § 28, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 28, 1996; Ord. 3449 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982].
17.02.020 Amendment.
Any revision to this chapter which applies to the Coastal Zone shall be reviewed by the Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission to determine whether it constitutes an amendment to the Local Coastal Program. When a chapter revision constitutes an amendment to the Local Coastal Program, such revision shall be processed pursuant to the hearing and notification provisions of Chapter 18.60 SCCC and shall be subject to approval by the California Coastal Commission. [Ord. 3449 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982].
17.02.030 Definitions.
Terms used in this chapter shall be as defined in the General Plan and Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan glossaries, except as noted below:
(A) “Coastal priority use” means land uses established by the Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan as priority uses and consisting of agriculture, coastal-dependent commerce and industry, recreation and visitor-serving facilities, neighborhood and community parks.
(B) “Community sewage disposal system” means a public or private sewage disposal system which accepts sanitary effluent and provides for common treatment and disposal utilizing a packaged or custom-designed treatment system serving a development meeting either of the following criteria:
(1) Development on more than one parcel; or
(2) Development on a single parcel involving more than five units, or at an average density greater than one dwelling unit per gross developable acre, excluding any rights-of-way for vehicular access.
This disposal system is also referred to as a packaged sewage treatment plant.
(C) “Individual sewage disposal system” means a private sewage disposal system consisting of a septic tank with the effluent discharging into a subsurface disposal drainfield, one or more seepage pits or seepage beds, or other approved means of sanitary disposal.
(D) “New development projects” means developments that create new lots, housing units, or commercial or industrial buildings requiring a development or parcel approval from Santa Cruz County, except permits which do not include major structural changes and permits for single-family dwellings on existing lots of record.
(E) “Public water system” means County water districts, municipal water services, or private or mutual water companies with more than 100 service connections.
(F) “Public sanitary sewer system” means a sewage disposal system controlled by public authority with trunk line collection of sewage and community-wide treatment facilities.
(G) “Urban services” means public services normally provided for residents in urban areas, including but not limited to public water, public sanitary sewer systems, fire protection, and transportation.
(H) “Urban services line (USL)” means a boundary, defined by the County General Plan, which distinguishes areas which are to remain rural from areas planned to accommodate urban densities of development the pattern of existing urban services and those projected to be established in the same planning period.
(I) “Rural services line (RSL)” means a boundary defined in the General Plan and Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan defining those areas located outside the urban services line which have recognized urban densities which may or may not have full urban services; specifically including, but not limited to, Davenport, La Selva Beach, Sand Dollar Beach/Canon del Sol, Sunset Beach, and Pajaro Dunes. [Ord. 4836 § 122, 2006; Ord. 4416 § 29, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 29, 1996; Ord. 4281 § 12, 1993; Ord. 3929 § 1, 1988; Ord. 3449 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982; Ord. 2657, 1979].
17.02.040 Establishment of the urban services line.
An urban services line shall be established within the County and the location of that boundary shall be as shown on the maps entitled General Plan land use and facilities maps and the urban services line and rural services line interpretive map on file in the Planning Department. [Ord. 4416 § 30, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 30, 1996; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982; Ord. 3031, 1980; Ord. 2657, 1979].
17.02.050 Establishment of the rural services line.
A rural services line shall be established in the County and the location of that boundary shall be as shown on the maps entitled General Plan land use maps and the urban services line and rural services line interpretive map on file in the Planning Department. [Ord. 4416 § 31, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 31, 1996; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982; Ord. 3031, 1980; Ord. 2657, 1979].
17.02.060 Provision of urban services.*
(A) Public water systems, sanitary sewer facilities and urban level fire protection service shall be provided consistent with County or special district capital improvement programs to service areas within the urban services line and may be provided to serve other areas within the rural services line.
(B) Public sanitary sewer facilities shall not be established or extended to serve new development projects outside the urban services line or the rural services line.
(C) Inside the Coastal Zone, public water systems shall not be established or extended to serve new development projects outside the urban services line or rural services line unless such services are necessary for water resource protection and enhancement.
(D) Inside the Coastal Zone, community sewage disposal systems shall not be established or extended to serve new development projects outside the rural services line. Within the rural services line, only such community sewage disposal systems as are approved by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the County Environmental Health Services Division of the Health Services Agency and the County Department of Public Works shall be permitted.
(E) Public water and sewer lines other than for agricultural use shall not be placed on Type 1A, 2A, 2B, 2D or 3 agricultural lands as designated in Chapter 16.50 SCCC, except where adequate safeguards are incorporated to ensure that such facilities will not result in the conversion of such agricultural lands to nonagricultural uses. Within the Coastal Zone, this exception shall only be allowed for sewer transmission lines to and from the sewage treatment plant of Watsonville and the untreated water lines from the North Coast water sources of Santa Cruz. For the purposes of this chapter, safeguards shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Prohibiting hookups to trunk lines through prime agricultural lands, except to provide sewage treatment service to Affordable Rental Farmworker Housing on agricultural land outside the Coastal Zone; and
(2) Prohibiting the levying of assessment fees against prime agricultural land for the construction of sewage transmission lines running through them. [Ord. 5321 § 8, 2019; Ord. 5320 § 3, 2019; Ord. 4416 §§ 32—35, 1996; Ord. 4406 §§ 32—35, 1996; Ord. 3603 § 1, 1984; Ord. 3449 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982].
* An exception to the limitations provided in SCCC 17.02.060(A) through (D) on establishing or extending public water systems, public sanitary sewer facilities, or community sewage disposal systems to serve new development projects outside the urban services line or rural services line may be allowed for Employee Housing Act (EHA) projects, including Streamlined EHA Projects, and Affordable Rental Farmworker Housing (ARFH) projects as provided in SCCC 13.10.631, subject to the approval of the required permit and applicable CEQA review. Provision by a district of water or sewage treatment service to a parcel outside the district boundary is subject to approval by the district and by LAFCO.
17.02.070 Urban development standards.
New development projects within the urban services line and the rural services line shall be supported by public services which meet the following minimum standards listed below. Within the Coastal Zone, public service availability shall be confirmed by the providing agency to be in addition to system capacity reserved for coastal priority uses.
(A) Water. All new development projects shall be served by fire hydrants with the following water flows measured in gallons per minute (gpm) at 20 pounds per square inch (psi). These rates are flow guidelines; the exact water flow requirements shall be determined by the County Fire Marshal and the fire protection agency with jurisdiction over the development:
(1) Urban low residential densities: 750 to 1,500 gpm for one hour.
(2) Urban medium and high residential densities: 1,500 to 3,000 gpm for two hours.
(3) Commercial and industrial development: 1,000 to 4,000 gpm, depending upon design factors, for one to four hours.
(B) Sanitation. New development projects at residential densities greater than one unit per acre shall connect to a public sanitation system having adequate capacity on site and downstream to provide for anticipated peak flows. Within the urban services line, such projects shall connect to public sanitary sewers consistent with the Santa Cruz County public works design criteria. Projects of 10 or more dwelling units may be required to provide downstream sanitary sewer improvements where the providing district finds that such improvements are required to have adequate capacity to carry proposed and existing sanitation flows. New development projects within the rural services line, but outside the urban services line, may be served by a community sewage disposal system subject to the approval of the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the County Environmental Health Service and the County Department of Public Works. Single-family dwellings and nonresidential projects on existing lots of record one acre or less may provide sewer service by means of an individual sewage disposal system in accordance with Chapter 11.76 SCCC (County sewage disposal requirements). These standards shall not preclude use of such other sewage disposal systems as may be authorized in the future by County individual sewage disposal regulations.
(C) Fire Protection. New development projects shall be within 10 minutes response time from a fire station; a five minutes response time is desired for urban medium and high density areas.
(D) Transportation—Roads. New development projects shall have access from a public or private street with the portion of the street fronting on the project constructed (or funded for construction) according to the street standards specified in the Santa Cruz County design criteria. Traffic generated by a new development project shall be within the existing reserve capacity of the road system serving the project at Level of Service C; Level of Service D will be used for major visitor-serving roads during periods of peak recreational traffic, such as weekends. [Ord. 4416 § 36, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 36, 1996; Ord. 3638 § 1, 1985; Ord. 3449 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982; Ord. 3031, 1980; Ord. 2657, 1979].
17.02.080 Amendment of the urban services line and coincident portions of the rural services line.
(A) Amendments to the urban services line shall be processed as a General Plan amendment pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 18.50 SCCC, and, in addition, in the Coastal Zone, as an amendment to the Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 18.60 SCCC. Amendment to the rural services line, where it is not coincident with the urban services line, shall not be permitted, pursuant to SCCC 18.60.110(A).
(B) The following findings shall be made for any parcel or area considered for a General Plan and/or Local Coastal Program amendment which proposes to include such parcel or area within the urban services line:
(1) That a development project is proposed for the subject parcel or area;
(2) That the parcel or area is included in the capital improvement plans of the appropriate special district or County service area and scheduled to have a public water system and public sanitation system available in time to serve the proposed project;
(3) That the parcel or area is within 10 minutes response time of a fire station or five minutes response time if urban medium or urban high density development is proposed;
(4) That the parcel or area does not contain any Type 1A, 2A, 2B, 2D or 3 agricultural lands as designated pursuant to Chapter 16.50 SCCC;
(5) That the parcel or area is concurrently designated on the General Plan or Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan map as urban or urban reserve land use through the appropriate amendment procedure;
(6) That the parcel or area does not contain significant topographical and/or resource constraints or development hazards, as shown on the General Plan or Local Coastal Program resources and constraints maps, that would preclude development at urban densities and/or render infeasible the provision of urban services;
(7) That the parcel or area will have access to a transportation network with reserve capacity adequate to accommodate the parcel’s potential traffic, at a traffic Level of Service C or Level of Service D for major visitor-serving roads during periods of peak recreational traffic. The formation of assessment districts or other mechanisms to provide traffic improvements may be found to be a satisfactory alternative under this paragraph; and
(8) In the Coastal Zone, that the parcel or area can be developed at urban densities consistent with urban development and agricultural conversion policies, as cited in the Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan and Chapter 16.50 SCCC. [Ord. 4416 § 37, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 37, 1996; Ord. 3638 § 2, 1985; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982; Ord. 3031, 1980; Ord. 2657, 1979].
17.02.081 Harkins Slough Road.
Harkins Slough Road (including any Highway One overpass/interchange improvements) shall be limited to the minimum width/capacity necessary to provide for roadway, bikeway and/or pedestrian access: (A) to serve permitted high school development on City of Watsonville Coastal Zone Area C, and/or (B) as needed to meet minimum County or Caltrans design standards. Any such road improvements shall be designed in tandem with the development to be served by the road improvements in such a way as to minimize the linear extent of any such road improvements; Harkins Slough Road improvements not necessary to serve the permitted development to be served are prohibited. Any such improvements made to Harkins Slough Road pursuant to this policy shall also be consistent with SCCC 16.32.090(C)(1)(k). Any amendments to this section, including revocation, require a super-majority vote of the Board of Supervisors. [Ord. 4750 § 2, 2003; Ord. 4656C § 2, 2002; Ord. 4609A § 2, 2001; Ord. 4609 § 2, 2001].
17.02.085 Annual review.
An annual review of the urban services line shall be held as part of the General Plan annual review pursuant to SCCC 18.50.120. The purpose of the review is to consider the need for possible inclusion or removal of particular parcels or areas. A public hearing shall be held before the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. [Ord. 3449 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982].
17.02.090 Interpretation.
(A) Parcel-based maps of the urban services line and the rural services line shall be maintained by the Planning Department.
(B) The urban services line and the rural services line shall normally be located along parcel lines; where the location is not coincident with a parcel line, the exact location of the boundary may be determined by the Planning Commission as an interpretation of the General Plan or Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan maps pursuant to Chapter 18.50 or 18.60 SCCC, respectively. [Ord. 4416 § 38, 1996; Ord. 4406 § 38, 1996; Ord. 3449 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3327 § 1, 1982].