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Workshop Report


Following are notes taken on the proceedings of the Vision Morro Bay citizens group workshop on mansionization, held May 19, 2007.  The workshop was developed and presented after a group of residents became concerned that the City was making very little progress toward presenting its own workshops to address this important topic.  

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Objective:  The objective of the workshop was to define, for the City Council, problems related to mansionization of our City.  We did not attempt to develop solutions.   Every effort was made to obtain participant opinions and concerns without influencing them, so that the Council would receive the best quality input.

Attendance:  The event was attended by 52 residents, including two City Council members, one Planning Commissioner, and the City Attorney.  Attendees represented all areas of Morro Bay.

Process: The workshop included the following activities:

  • Brief presentation of history and background of the mansionization Issue
  • Solicitation of questions from the participants
  • Completion of individual questionnaires
  • Discussion, in small groups, of the issues identified in the questionnaires
  • Identification by small groups of their individual groups’ top issues
  • Reporting and recording of top issues, by group
  • Request for participants to Identify and take next steps (to be done after workshop)

Problem Statement:  From the input provided by the participants, we have developed the following summary of the problem:

Deficiencies in the zoning ordinance, failure to enforce existing zoning, and lack of City responsiveness to citizen complaints and requests, have resulted in significant negative impacts to Morro Bay residents. Structures that are too large for their lots and their neighborhoods have negatively impacted  community and neighborhood character, views, solar access, privacy, property values, and affordable housing.

Supporting Data:  Following is a summary of supporting data. Attachments to this report provide detail.     

          Input received from questionnaires:  Participants were asked to fill out individual questionnaires on bulk and scale issues before group work began.  73% of attendees turned in completed questionnaires.   It was noted that most responses fell into 9 general categories, which we identified as “common themes”.


Common theme

Percent of respondents reporting

 
  1. Need for new zoning; GP/LCP updates, including specific suggestions and recommendations

76%
  1. View blockage

53%
  1. Character, feel, ambiance, scale of neighborhoods 

45%
  1. Lack of provisions/ability for citizens to influence/stop what they consider unacceptable and inappropriate development 

42%
  1. Failure of Council, Planning Commission, planners to follow existing zoning/rules; excessive variances 

37%
  1. Concerns about agendas, impartiality, developer influence on City staff/government; competence of City government and/or staff

21%
  1. Light/solar access

21% 

  1. Privacy

18%
  1. Affordable housing

16%

Other issues:  Many other important issues/observations are contained in the questionnaires, including lack of attention to renter notification about projects, need for increased impact and other fees for development, importance of energy-efficient houses, need to preserve trees and shrubbery, out-of-town owners/weekenders, property value loss, parking problems, historical designation for some areas,  need to control building in commercial areas, and parking.
Top Issues:  Following the completion of the questionnaires, participants formed work groups of 6-8 persons.  They discussed their individual issues, and identified top issues by group.  Common themes also emerged in this exercise

Common theme

Percent of total issues reported

 
  1. Problems with enforcement of existing zoning, and need for new/strengthened zoning law

50%
  1. Problems with Scale, character

32%

 
  1. Problems with City staff, City direction 

25%
  1. Affordability

18%

Next Steps:  Participants were provided with a list of suggested next steps, which included the following actions:

  1. Send email messages and letters to the Mayor and City Council telling them what you want them to do. 
  2. Participate in City Council and Planning Commission meetings
  3. Learn more about mansionization.  .
  4. Encourage neighbors and friends to take action. 
  5. Sign up for future activities. 
  6. Send in your ideas for dealing with mansionization. 
  7. Recommend additional workshops like this one if you know others who would like to attend

Vision Morro Bay will give further workshops like the one presented May 19, if there is sufficient demand.  In addition, we are planning the next workshop in the series.  This one will build on the information gathered in the first.  Now that the problem has been defined, we will focus on working toward solutions.

We are pleased to report that 40% of the workshop participants signed up to do committee work to address the mansionization issue, and we look forward to working with them on this important task.

More Detail and Information on the Workshop is contained in the following documents:

Questionnaire Responses
Questionnaire Issues by Category
Top Issues
Data Summary





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