To: Board of Directors, Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Douglas Messenger 547-1952
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): First
Title:
Title
Conduct a Public Hearing on a Variance Request to District Sanitation Code for sewer service at 17433 Arnold Drive
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Conduct Public Hearing on Variance Request to District Sanitation Code for sewer service at 17433 Arnold Drive; and
B) Adopt Resolution granting the requested variances to Section 3.19 of the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District Sanitation Code
end
Executive Summary:
The Rural Residential parcel at 17433 Arnold Drive (APN 133-150-046) is within the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District (“District”), but is not currently served by District sewer, nor does it have sewer service available. The owner of the parcel has proposed an extension of a nearby sewer main to provide service to the parcel. The District Sanitation Code (“Code”) requires that such an extension terminate at the midpoint of the parcel frontage along the pubic roadway, but in this particular case, that public roadway is undeveloped and there are no plans for future development of that road. The area of undeveloped road has numerous large oak trees that might potentially be damaged or removed to comply with the provisions of Code. Due to the presence of those oak trees and uncertainty about what route any such sewer might take, the applicant has requested a variance from applicable Code provisions to allow the proposed extension to terminate approximately 125 feet short of the required location.
Discussion:
On May 16, 2019 District received a request for a variance to Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District Sanitation Code section 3.19 in regards to a proposed main sewer within Country Club Lane and Railroad Avenue to serve 17433 Arnold Drive (APN 133-150-046). This request is in response to provisions of the Code requiring that the property to be served is fronting an existing District-owned sewer main immediately contiguous to the parcel to be served. The main must continue to a point where an imaginary line projected at a right angle to the main extends to or beyond the centerline of the parcel’s frontage or the centerline of the structure, whichever is farther.
To comply with these provisions of the Code, the applicant would be required to extend the sewer main in an area of a potential future extension of Railroad Avenue. This area was dedicated to the County of Sonoma as part of a subdivision of a separate neighboring parcel, but was not required to be constructed as part of that subdivision, nor is of sufficient width to conform to County road standards without additional acquisition of land. This public roadway frontage on the easterly edge of the parcel is an undeveloped continuation of Railroad Ave within which is growing at least one heritage oak and other mature trees.
Sonoma County Water Agency Design and Construction Standards for Sanitation Facilities require that for situations where the main sewer will never be extended, the lateral sewer shall normally be shown at a point five (5) feet from the lower lot corner at the property line. For situations where the main sewer may be extended in the future, the lateral sewer shall normally be shown entering the lot at the center of the lot or the center of an existing or proposed building to be served, whichever extends the main sewer the farther distance. If adopted after conducting a public hearing, the proposed resolution would allow the parcel at 17433 Arnold Drive to be served in accordance with standards for mains that will never be extended.
At the present time there are no sewer development plans for the area along the parcel frontage to provide guidance for future sewer alignments to serve other unserved District parcels in the vicinity, nor are there plans to develop Railroad Avenue as part of the proposed project. Code provisions prohibit installation of sewer mainlines, manholes, laterals, or other facilities until such time that the roadways are completed to subgrade.
In consideration of the above Code provisions, site conditions, and uncertain future development, staff recommend the Board adopt the resolution granting this variance to allow the owner to terminate the sewer main extension approximately 125 feet short of the location that would otherwise be required and then connect the parcel to the collection system.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$5,000 |
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$5,000 |
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
$5,000 |
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$5,000 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Per District Sanitation Code, the administrative fee will be paid by the applicant for the Total Expenditures incurred by the District, estimated to be $5,000 for preparation of this variance, but will not exceed administrative costs.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Variance Request Letter