Revolutionizing Sacred Space at Mariners Church
By: Art Cueto With an average of 9,000 weekly attendees, Mariners Church in Irvine is Orange County’s second largest congregation. The church has occupied a portion of its current site since 1982, and purchased 16 adjoining acres in 2001 to bring the total campus to 40 acres. Mariners’ original architects considered a “corporate / tech office park” style to be the only appropriate solution for a 40-acre institutional campus. But in 2003, Visioneering Studios, an Irvine-based architecture and urban design firm, was engaged to “breathe life” into the master plan by initiating a threephased “placemaking” overlay on the site. Eschewing the previously planned formal plantings, hardscape patterns, and turf lawns, the new designers drew inspiration from “God’s architecture” – the nearby coastal sage scrub, beach, and urban transect zones. Continued on Page 7
UC Irvine PSO Wins National APA Award for Community Outreach
By: Matthew Gelbman The Planning Student Organization (PSO) at UC Irvine will be awarded a 2009 Outstanding PSO Award at the upcoming APA National Conference in Minneapolis. The award recognizes UC Irvine PSO’s contributions to different service projects in Orange County. The community outreach activities that PSO participates in are focused on partnership with existing organizations because students have limited time and competing priorities that can make it difficult to sustain long-term volunteer efforts. Nonetheless, community outreach is an integral part of the Planning Student Organization. Continued on Page 6
In This Issue
Director’s Message Article Competition Legislative Update AICP Exam 2009 Awards
Photo: Visioneering Studios
(P. 2) (P. 3) (P. 3-6) (P. 4) (P. 5) (P. 5) (P. 8-9) 1
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Orange County Planner - Spring 2009
Director’s Message
By: Kimberly Brandt, AICP Applications for Bob Goldin scholarships are now being accepted Each year our Section in conjunction with the Planning Directors Association of Orange County award scholarships to students who are studying urban planning and/or related fields. The scholarship fund was established in honor of Bob Goldin, a local planning professional who made significant contributions to the planning profession in Orange County. Applications are due by Monday, April 13th; more information and the application form are available on our web page – please help spread the word about these scholarships! Orange Section Board of Directors Appoints Executive Advisors On behalf of the Board, I am extremely pleased to announce the appointment of ten outstanding planning professionals to serve as Executive Advisors to the Board for 2009-2010: JOHN ANDERSON DIANE BATHGATE, AICP BOB DANNENBRINK, FAICP, AIA RICHARD DOUGLASS, AICP BARRY EATON, AICP STEVEN KELLENBERG DON LAMM, AICP CAROL MENTOR MC DERMOTT, AICP BOB RUSBY, AICP SHERI VANDER DUSSEN, AICP The purpose of this group is to serve in an advisory capacity to the Orange Section Board in respect to its policies and programs. They may also serve as mentors to students and young professionals; judges for our annual awards competition; speakers, moderators or resources for our professional development programs; and historians for past Orange Section activities. We are honored that these individuals are volunteering their time, experience, and expertise which we will believe will be a tremendous value to our entire membership.
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Cultural Awareness and Diversity Article Competition
By: Amy Thomas, AICP The Orange Section of California APA is awarding $100 for an article on cultural awareness and diversity! We are holding a competition for the best original article regarding cultural awareness and diversity in the planning profession. The best article will be chosen and published in the Orange County Planner Summer Newsletter and the winning writer will receive a $100 gift card from American Express. Cultural awareness and diversity in planning is an important part of the planning profession. According to our APA diversity initiative: The field of planning is deeply rooted in advocating for equity, reform, and justice in all communities. APA and its members carry that tradition on through innovative planning, programs, and research designed to reflect America’s diversity. If you would like to participate, write an original article about why cultural awareness and diversity are important to community planning or strategies for outreaching to communities of diverse cultural backgrounds for professional planners. Some suggested topics that the article may be about: • An individual who has represented our community or contributed to promoting cultural awareness and diversity of the planning profession • A specific project or planning program of significance that has contributed to creating cultural awareness and diversity in our community • A broad discussion of cultural awareness and diversity including: sexual orientation, disability, age, income or class, ethnicity, and/or gender Articles should be emailed no later than May 26, 2009 to Amy Thomas, AICP, Vice Director of Membership at athomas@tustinca.org. For more information on requirements for the article, reference the Orange Section website on Editorial Guidelines at http://www.oc-apa.org/news.php?default.0.6 .
APA California Legislative Update
By: Dana Privitt, AICP Orange County APA actively participates on the CCAPA Legislative Review Team which is comprised of planners from throughout California that have a wide range of planning experience. The Committee provides expertise and professional opinions regarding pending legislation in the California State Legislature and State agency regulations. The budget crisis did not reduce the number of planning bills introduced in 2009. Below is a partial list of over 100 key measures CCAPA will be reviewing. For a full list, go to the legislative link on the homepage of the APA California website at www. calapa.org. APA California has not yet taken any positions on measures. The Review Teams will be meeting later in March to set positions on these and other bills. AB 45 (Blakeslee) Local Ordinances Governing Small Wind Energy Systems. This bill will be the vehicle to address concerns with local ordinances governing the permitting and approval of small wind energy systems. AB 49 (Feuer) Water Use Reduction Goal. This will would require the State to achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use in California by December 31, 2020. (Similar to SB 460) AB 55 (Jeffries) Water Supply Planning. CEQA requires the preparation of a water supply assessment for specified projects. This bill would revise that definition of “project” for which type of projects a water supply assessment is required. AB 64 (Krekorian) Renewables Infrastructure Authority Land Use Oversight. This bill would establish the Renewables Infrastructure Authority, with the authority to designate an area as a renewable energy designation zone. AB 109 (Feuer) Moratorium on Digital Advertising Displays. This bill, until January 1, 2012, would prohibit an advertising display that is visible from a State, county or city highway from being constructed as, or converted, enhanced, improved, modified, modernized, or altered into, a digital advertising display. AB 210 (Hayashi) Local Green Building Standards. This bill would allow cities and counties to change or modify the State building standards including green building standards. Continued on Page 4 Orange County Planner - Spring 2009 3
May 2009 American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Exam
By: Claire Flynn, AICP The May 2009 AICP application and fee submission deadline is closed. The May 2009 testing window is between May 11 through May 25. Once an application has been approved, the applicant will be notified and receive information that will include exam preparation resources. Their name and contact information will be forwarded to Thomson Prometric. Thomson Prometric will, in turn, send you an Authorization to Test (ATT) with instructions to schedule an appointment to take the computertized AICP exam at one of more than 300 test centers in the United States and Canada. Test Centers in Orange County are located in Anaheim, Lake Forest, and Diamond Bar. Available on the National APA website, the AICP Exam Prep Package 2.0 will help people study for the AICP certification exam. This package includes an interactive CD-ROM and an easy-to-use manual. The AICP Exam Prep 2.0 manual is an annotated outline of the topics likely to be covered on the exam. Sections cover functional topics and planning processes. A list of references for each topic area is included. Information about the exam and eligibility can be found through the National APA website at: http://www.planning.org/aicp/index.htm E-mail: AICPexam@planning.org The National AICP office can be reached at (202) 872-0611.
Legislative Update [Cont.]
AB 300 – Caballero – Water Supply Assessments for Subdivisions. The Subdivision Map Act prohibits approval of a tentative map or a parcel map unless a finding can be made by the local agency that sufficient water supplies are/will be available prior to completion of the project. This bill would require, until January 1, 2020, a city/ county to approve/disapprove a subdivider’s water savings projections attributable to voluntary demand management measures after being reviewed by the retail water supplier and verified for accuracy by the public water system or the local agency if there is no public water system. AB 333 (Fuentes) Subdivision Map Expiration Date: 72 Months. This bill would extend the expiration date to 72 months for a vesting tentative map, in addition to a tentative map, that has not expired as of the effective date of the bill and that will expire before January 1, 2016. AB 338 (Ma) Infrastructure Financing for Transit Village Developments. This bill would increase the land within a transit village plan from ¼ to ½ mile from a transit station and would eliminate the requirement of voter approval for the formation of an infrastructure financing district, adoption of an infrastructure financing plan, and issuance of bonds for a transit facility. AB 408 (Saldana) Referral of General Plan to Local Regional Water Quality Control Board. This bill would require the planning agency to notify the local regional water quality control board servicing the area before adopting/amending the General Plan. The regional board would be required to provide the planning agency with information regarding implementation of low-impact development water management to increase local water supplies by increasing stormwater recharge and reuse. AB 479 (Chesbro) Solid Waste Diversion. Cities/ counties would be required to divert 60% of solid waste through source reduction, recycling, and composting activities after Jan. 1, 2015. AB 494 (Caballero) Farmworker Housing. This bill would authorize a landowner subject to a Williamson Act contract to subdivide not more than 10 acres (instead of the existing 5 acres) to be sold or leased to a nonprofit organization, a city, a county, housing authority or State agency and used for farmworker housing for at least 30 years.
Continued on Page 5 Orange County Planner - Spring 2009 4
2009 Awards Ceremony
By: Michelle McCready The 2009 OCAPA Awards Ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to highlight exemplary local projects and planners. This year we are celebrating the best of Orange County planning at the Muzeo in Downtown Anaheim on Wednesday, May 6th. The Muzeo is Orange County’s newest museum and showcases unique traveling exhibitions. The current exhibit, “How to Make a Monster: The Art & Technology of Animatronics,” reveals the creative and technical processes of developing active beasts for film and television. The Muzeo has invited OCAPA to enjoy a cocktail reception and heavy appetizers while exploring this special exhibit, starting at 5:30 PM. This is your chance to wine and dine with an abominable snowman, giant crocodile, and other fantastic creatures. The Awards Ceremony will begin at approximately 7 PM. Winners should be prepared to give acceptance speeches next to a unicorn. OCAPA is looking for sponsors to help support this fun and important event. In return, sponsors will have opportunities to showcase their organization or business. For more information on the event or becoming a sponsor please visit www.oc-apa. org or contact Awards Chair Michelle McCready at OCAPAawards@planningcenter.com.
Legislative Update [Cont.]
AB 499 (Hill) CEQA Disputes. This bill would require that a Notice of Determination or a Notice of Exemption identify the recipient of the agency’s approval. A petitioner or plaintiff in a CEQA lawsuit would also be required to identify the recipient of the agency’s approval. AB 566 (Nava) Mobile home Park Conversions. This bill would require that the survey of residents of the mobile home park for a proposed conversion to demonstrate support of a majority of the residents of the park. It would also allow a local agency to enact reasonable measures by ordinance to prevent sham conversions and to preserve affordable housing. AB 596 (Evans) Form-Based Ordinances. This bill would require OPR to develop an urban and rural model-home, form-based ordinance that a local agency can use as a planning tool. AB 666 (Jones) Fire Services for Map Approval. This bill would require a city/county to make findings regarding fire service availability and fire fighting access before approving a map in an area located in a State responsibility area or a very high fire hazard severity zone. AB 696 (Hagman) CEQA Arbitration. This bill would allow a project applicant to opt to resolve all disputes with the lead agency arising out of a subsequent EIR for that project before an arbitrator, in lieu of retaining the option to file an action before a court. AB 1084 (Adams) Development Fee Definition. This bill would revise the definition of development fee to mean a charge or other exaction from a local agency to the applicant in connection with the development project or as a condition of approval of a project for the purpose of defraying all/a portion of the cost of public facilities related to the project. AB 1284 (Huffman) Local Notice of Adult Recovery Maintenance Facilities. The Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs would be required to provide notice to a city/county if the approval of a license would result in the licensure of a facility that has the same owner or manager as an existing facility that is within 300 feet of the proposed facility. SB 104 (Oropeza) Addition of Other Greenhouse Gases under AB 32. This bill would add any anthropogenic gas to the list of greenhouse gases regulated under AB 32.
Thank You!
By: Jennifer Lilley, AICP OCAPA would like to extend our sincere THANKS to the City of Anaheim for partnering with us for our February lunch program. We were so honored to have you host us in the Anaheim Downtown Community Center. The room was just great and it made for a perfect setting for our panel. We would also like to thank Sheri Vander Dussen, AICP - Planning Director from the City of Anaheim for putting together our wonderful panel of experts who shared with us their perspective on managing in an economic downturn. Our members felt that hearing from Doug Williford, Community Development Director from the City of Irvine, Jennifer Lilley President of Lilley Planning Group and Chad Beckstrom Principal/Irvine Branch Leader for ICF Jones & Stokes provided diverse and unique perspectives in the industry and helpful solutions for a challenging time. Check the website and be looking for eblast for new programs coming to you soon.
Continued on Page 6 Orange County Planner - Spring 2009 5
PSO Awards [Cont.]
The Upper Newport Bay restoration and the Neighborhood Pride Day in Santa Ana are two activities in which the Planning Student Organization organized the opportunity to make improvements in our physical and natural environments and to learn about issues related to planning. These two events demonstrate PSO’s commitment to community outreach and the goal of partnership. Upper Newport Bay Restoration UC Irvine’s PSO has organized reoccurring opportunities for students to volunteer their time and hard work toward a local community-based initiative to restore the native wetlands of Upper Newport Bay in Orange County. Students were given a brief education about the impact of invasive species and then worked to identify and eradicate non-native plants, and to plant seedlings of native species. The continued involvement of UC Irvine planning students in this restoration process will contribute to the overall improvement of the environmental quality of the bay. These events (“ROOTS days”) are operated jointly between the Orange County Parks Department and the California Coastal Commission. This activity brings students together with governmental organizations and community members of all ages to participate in a long-term restoration of a critical wetland environment. The Upper Newport Bay is an important estuary in central Orange County. It provides natural filtration of pollutants to water running into the ocean, and a place for bikers, walkers, and families to enjoy the outdoors. Ongoing volunteer efforts have helped implement a multi-jurisdictional effort to restore the condition of coastal wetlands of Upper Newport Bay. Neighborhood Pride Day Volunteers participated in the third annual Santa Ana Neighborhood Pride Day in Santa Ana along with other community teams and local residents. Students worked to paint select houses, remove trash and old furniture, and replant yards with sod and flowers. These improvements make a tremendous difference in the neighborhood and help to restore the neighborhood’s pride. The nonprofit organization, Neighborhood Housing Services of Orange County, selects a block of Santa Ana to “make over.” The activities of the Santa Ana Neighborhood Pride Day represent small changes in these communities that help to improve the overall character and quality of these neighborhoods.
Legislative Update [Cont.]
SB 268 (Harmon) Treatment Facility Consistency with Local Zoning Ordinances. This bill would require alcoholism/drug abuse recovery/ treatment facilities to comply with local zoning ordinances. SB 326 (Strickland) Housing Element Assessment of Projected Foreclosures. Housing Elements would be required to include a quantification of the locality’s existing and projected foreclosure rate and its impact on housing needs and inventory. SB 476 (Correa) CEQA Noncompliance Allegations. This bill would allow an action to be brought based on alleged grounds of noncompliance with CEQA raised after the public comment period if the person can demonstrate that the alleged grounds were not know at the time the CEQA document was made available for public review. SB 505 (Kehoe) Local Planning for Fire Hazard Impacts. This bill will be used as a vehicle to address fire level of service, planning, and CEQA requirements related to projects and plans in State responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones. SB 518 (Lowenthal) Reduction of Parking Incentives. State funds would be prohibited from being used to subsidize the construction or operations of parking in California. SB 565 (Pavley) Recycled Water. Requires California to recycle 50% of the water that would otherwise be discharged to the ocean by wastewater facilities by 2030. SB 575 (Steinberg) SB 375. This bill will be used as the vehicle for SB 375 clean up measures, housing element and Regional Transportation Plan coordination, and possible expansion of its CEQA provisions to additional projects. SB 690 (Leno) Outdoor Advertising Act Reform. Proposes changes to lawful and illegal outdoor advertising displays. Includes authorization for advertising displays that are subsequently altered in violation of the terms of a building permit be removed without compensation.
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Sacred Space [Cont.]
Those environments, which had been “turfed” and paved over into homogenous suburban sprawl, were re-created. Visioneering President Mel McGowan explained. “Unfortunately, I think that the default solution by architects recently has been to simply ‘hide’ sacred space in a warehouse or to use it as an opportunity to convey ‘contemporary’ through gimmicky forms, which too often have little to nothing to do with the cultural and site context of either the church or the community. There was a time where churches anchored community gathering places – from the Greek agora, to European piazzas, to the New England village green. Many ‘modern’ churches built in the boomer era resulted from single-use functional zoning. That campus model means that the facility and site often sits underutilized – if not empty – 6.5 days a week. This just doesn’t seem like good stewardship. “Rather than creating a ‘black hole’ in the community, we sought to create a scenario where the church could recapture its place as the heart of the community – the soul of the city – by providing seven-daya-week education, arts, recreation, and relational opportunities.” At Mariners, that meant revisiting the spaces between the buildings (outdoor pathways have a wave pattern), and what McGowan calls “design intervention.” In addition to a nautical-themed children’s play area known as “Port Mariners Kidzone,” the campus now features a student center and a contemporary interpretation of a California coastal Arts & Crafts inspired chapel of glass, wood, and local stone. “For the first time in the history of the church,” McGowan says, “the community now has a ‘sacred space’ with a bell tower as a beacon. Even non-Christian neighbors have exclaimed that it’s about time the community – and the campus – had an iconic symbol.” Tom Greer, former CFO and senior associate pastor for Mariners Church, oversaw the development of the campus. He remembers how an important shift took place when the church decided that worship would take place on the campus in a series of smaller venues, rather than a single large one. Greer said, “We didn’t want to build a room that would be empty for most of the week.” As a result, the church now holds a total of four worship services on Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings – in the main auditorium, large meeting rooms, and the new chapel. For McGowan, the key for Mariners was whether the environment would be designed as an internallyfocused “members only” club, or whether it could truly feel like an organic gathering place for the community. “We wanted to synthesize the local
sense of place, rather than either a generic or an iconic architectural form that hides the community interaction going on inside,” he said. “It is our conviction that many church buildings create walls – separating the church from the community – and at Mariners, our job was to tear those walls down.”
Photo: Visioneering Studios
Photo: Visioneering Studios
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