CITY ATTORNEY IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS
This is a citizens' initiative that proposes an ordinance to change the allowable uses for a portion of the existing Stoneridge Country Club, located on Espola Road between Valle Verde Road and Cloudcroft Drive, in the north Poway area, from a golf course to residential use for as many as 180 condominium units for persons over 55 years of age, along with ancillary uses for any such residential community. The proposed change would apply to, generally, the southern half of the existing 117 acres currently occupied by the Stoneridge Country Club.
In order to accomplish this change it is necessary to
- (1) amend the City of Poway General Plan (the "General Plan") in order to add a new Stoneridge Overlay (SO) designation, allowing up to 180 residential units over a maximum of 25 acres within the overlay area;
- (2) amend the General Plan to modify references to the "StoneRidge Country Club" in the "Private Sports Facilities" subsection of the Public Facilities Element of the General Plan by eliminating specific descriptions of the Stoneridge Country Club, including its total acreage and the availability of swim and tennis facilities;
- (3) amend the General Plan by modifying Table IV-2 (which provides a list of Private Recreational Facilities in Poway) by recognizing the potential reduction in acreage devoted to a golf course at the Stoneridge Country Club through the development of residential units; and
- (4) amend the Poway Zoning & General Plan Land Use Map, referenced in section 17.06.020 of the City's Zoning Code, to re-designate the southerly half of the Stoneridge Country Club from Open Space-Recreation (OS-R) to Residential Condominium (RC), and attaching the new Stoneridge Overlay (SO) over that portion of the golf course, as well as adding the "SO Stoneridge Overlay" to the Legend contained on the map.
Because this ordinance is presented as a citizen's initiative there is no requirement that making these changes must be analyzed for any potential environmental impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as "CEQA". However, any future development on the property requiring discretionary approval by the Poway City Council will still be subject to CEQA review and analysis.
In 1988 the voters in Poway adopted Proposition FF, which amended the City's General Plan to require, among other things, that any change to zoning designations of properties within the Open Space-Recreation (OS-R) zone, which increases the residential density on such property, must be approved by the City's voters.
This was submitted as an initiative proposed by voters and was placed on the ballot by the City Council of the City of Poway in compliance with Proposition FF.
