Planning Board May Up the Pace to Match Growth

Under an onslaught of permit requests for new homes and commercial buildings, Riverside County’s Planning Commission can no longer operate like a small, rural agency, county officials say.

The Board of Supervisors will soon consider having the five planning commissioners meet more often than twice a month, the panel’s current schedule, because they often must hold marathon sessions that start in the morning and last well past nightfall. In exchange, commissioners could see an increase in their $250 stipend per meeting.

“Some people could be there many hours before their case is heard,” said Bob Johnson, the county’s planning director. “It is difficult for applicants, and it’s difficult for commission members also.”

Johnson plans to present the proposals to the board within a few weeks.

Except for minor projects such as a home addition, the commission rules on every development proposal on unincorporated land in the county, which stretches from the Colorado River to within 14 miles of the Pacific Ocean bordering Orange and Los Angeles counties.

With the development boom in Riverside County, the commission’s workload has grown considerably in recent years. When Johnson took the job in summer 2003, the board would typically consider 20 proposals per meeting. Now, it handles twice that number.

Each commissioner is appointed by a county supervisor, and some have expertise in planning and engineering.

In meetings, commissioners review the details of development proposals, such as density levels and drainage plans. To prepare, commissioners review thousands of pages of staff reports, environmental documents, tract maps and other documents, and visit project sites in their districts. Once a project passes muster with the commission, it sometimes goes before the Board of Supervisors, which rarely goes against the commission’s recommendations.

“There’s so much going on, and this Planning Commission does a very thorough job researching and reading up on projects they get,” said Supervisor John Tavaglione. “That takes a lot of time. It’s very difficult and it’s very demanding.”

At a recent meeting, commissioners pondered the merits of more than three dozen proposals, including senior housing in Sun City, a motocross training center near Banning and hundreds of homes. They started at 9 a.m. and adjourned 11 hours later.

“We go through every little detail,” said Commissioner Jim Porras.

John Canty waited all morning for the board to hear his application to subdivide 22.4 acres near Lake Elsinore into 33 half-acre residential lots and open space. He said it was a frustrating wait.

“It takes awhile,” he said. “These are volunteers. I think we need to resolve most of the issues before we get here.”

Supervisor John Tavaglione noted that the commissioners hold regular jobs and said he does not want to lose commissioners by asking too much of them.

The proposal to increase meeting frequency may be a problem for some members, including Porras, a high school teacher in Indio. Porras uses his sick-days allotment to attend the daytime meetings, and once he runs out, he must pay for a substitute teacher in addition to not getting paid for the day.

Supervisor Jim Venable wondered whether an interim solution would ease the logjam.

“I definitely think they ought to meet weekly,” Venable said, “at least until we get over the tidal wave we have right now.”