TO: Airport Land Use Commission
FROM: Dana Morrison, ALUC Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Wendy Atkins, ALUC Staff Liaison
SUBJECT: Countywide Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan Consistency Determination for the City of American Canyon 2040 General Plan Update # P25-00114
RECOMMENDATION
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Countywide Airport Land Use Compatibility Review and Consistency Determination for City of American Canyon 2040 General Plan Update as required pursuant to the State Aeronautic Act, Public Utilities Code (PUC) Section 21676. The City of American Canyon has included necessary changes to ensure the updated General Plan is consistent with the recently adopted 2024 Napa County ALUCP.
Staff recommends that the Commission find the project consistent with the Countywide Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed project consists of an update to the City's General Plan which will serve as a long-term framework for future growth and development. The General Plan represents the community's view of its future and contains the goals and policies upon which the City Council, Planning Commission, staff, and the entire community will base land use and resource decisions. Major components of the American Canyon General Plan Update will include the following: Land Use, Circulation, Community Services, Open Space and Recreation, Conservation, Safety, Noise, and Housing.
The City of American Canyon has included the 2024 Napa County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan as a standalone document incorporated into the General Plan. The "project" currently before the ALUC is technically an evaluation of the entire Plan. The action before the ALUC is to determine whether the City’s General Plan is consistent with the newly adopted ALUCP. Given the large volume of material contained within this document, ALUC Staff have focused this report on only those areas that relate to airport compatibility, and most notably, the currently proposed set of general plan changes specifically targeted to address airport compatibility measures. ALUC Staff believe that the updated City general plan achieves consistency with the update ALUCP and recommends a finding of consistency
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The City of American Canyon prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that evaluated the General Plan Update Project at a program level of analysis (SCH #2022070038) and included required mitigation measures and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP). The proposed General Plan Update does not change the geographical area where ALUCP policies apply. The Notice of Completion was filed with the State Clearinghouse on September 18, 2024. The EIR provided an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed General Plan Update and recommended mitigation measures to reduce impacts to a less-than-significant level. With the implementation of the mitigation measures proposed in the EIR the following environmental impacts would be reduced to a less-than-significant level; Aesthetics (AES-1), Air Quality (AQ-1, AQ-2, AQ-3, AQ-4), Biological Resources (BIO-1, BIO-2, BIO-3, BIO-4, BIO-5, BIO-6, BIO-7, BIO-8, BIO-9), Cultural Resources (CUL-1, CUL-2, CUL-3, CUL-4), Noise (NOI-3), Paleontological Resources (PAL-1), Wildfire (WF-1, WF-2). However, implementation of the General Plan Update will result in significant and unavoidable environmental impacts to the following: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG-1, GHG-2), and Noise (NOI-1, NOI-2).
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
On December 4, 2024, the ALUC adopted the updated ALUCP for Angwin and Napa Airports. After adoption of an ALUCP revision, State law gives local jurisdictions 180 calendar days to amend their general plan, specific plans, zoning ordinances, and facilities master plans, as necessary, to be consistent with the amended ALUCP. Today’s requested action is for the ALUC to determine if the General Plan for the City of American Canyon is compatible with the Napa County Airport Land Use Commission’s recently adopted Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan. If found compatible, The City’s action will meet the 180 day statutory deadline. Once the general plan is revised and deemed consistent, then only certain more substantive land use actions must be submitted for review.
A general plan does not need to be identical with the ALUCP in order to be consistent with it. To meet the consistency test, a General Plan must do two things: it must specifically address compatibility planning issues, either directly or through reference to a zoning ordinance or other policy document; and it must avoid direct conflicts with compatibility planning criteria. The City of American can address compatibility planning issues by incorporating policies into existing General Plan elements.
The proposed general plan amendment does not change the geographical area where Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) policies apply. Though the City will still need to return for ALUC compatibility review of updates to their Zoning code at a future date. When both the General Plan and Zoning Code has been amended and deemed compatible, these actions facilitate transfer of authority for ALUCP compliance determination for general discretionary applications within the Airport Influence Area from the Napa County Airport Land Use Commission to the City of American Canyon. However, all General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Ordinance, Specific Plan and building regulation amendments that affect properties within Airport Compatibility zones will still require separate ALUC review and approval.
Airport Land Use Consistency Factors:
1. History - On May 5, 2010, the Airport Land Use Commission found the previous City of American Canyon General Plan Amendment consistent with the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan. The current amendment to the City’s General Plan is intended to incorporate the new ALUCP, adopted in December 2024.
2. Location - The City of American Canyon is located in southern Napa County. The City is bordered by Napa County Airport to the north, Sulphur Spring Mountains to the east, Solano County and the City of Vallejo to the south, and the Napa River to the west. These changes affect all parcels located in approximately the north half of the City that are located within Napa County Airport Influence Areas Zone D1 (Inner Traffic Patter Zone), D2 (Outer Traffic Pattern Zone), and Zone E, (Other Airport Environs). Zone D1 extends approximately 1.3 miles (7,000 feet) south of the centerline of Runway 6/24. Zone D2 extends an additional (2,975 feet) beyond the Zone D boundary. Typical overflights of the project area consist of aircraft on the downwind approach leg to Runway 6/24 and southbound departure traffic.
3. Land Use - On March 27, 2025, the American Canyon Planning Commission unanimously recommended to the City Council approve the 2040 General Plan Update.
ALUC Staff reviewed the proposal for consistency with ALUCP policies. Staff recommends that the ALUC determine the project is consistent with the ALUCP with all proposed General Plan policy changes and implementation measures.
4. Concentration of People - The 2040 General Plan Update has incorporated the ALUCP density restrictions. City Staff will evaluate concentrations of people on a case-by-case basis for each new use in accordance with the requirements of the ALUCP. Projects that conflict or potentially conflict with density limitation will be subject to ALUCP review. With the proposed changes, the City's regulations will be fully consistent with ALUCP density limitations.
5. Building Height - City regulations have long limited building height to 35 feet for occupied structures, which is fully consistent with ALUCP standards.
6. Lighting and Glare - No changes to City regulations concerning light and glare are necessary to achieve consistency. Over the last several years, City regulations have contained sufficient measures to ensure that developments do not result in light and glare impacts. The City's standard conditions for development prohibit uplighting and off-site light and glare slippage consistent with ALUCP policies.
7. Building Materials - No changes to City regulations concerning building materials are necessary to achieve consistency. All projects within the City are subject to design review, and the building design requirements prohibit reflective materials. The City's standard conditions of approval prohibit reflective roof materials and building skylights are now required under the International Building Code (IBC) to diffuse incoming light, which consequently diffuses nighttime uplighting.
8. Overflight Easement - The project incorporates the 2024 Napa Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan as a standalone document incorporated into the General Plan, which will require dedication of avigation or overflight easements and/or deed restrictions and real estate disclosure notifications when new development or subdivisions are permitted in airport influence areas. Avigation or overflight easements are required for all projects located within airport influence areas. No changes to this long-established requirement will occur as part of this proposed General Plan and Ordinance Amendment.
9. Caltrans Aeronautics - Caltrans Division of Aeronautics staff has been sent copies of attached background information. No comments have been received regarding the project.
10. Processing - ALUCP Policy Chapter 2.9 requires referral of a general plan to the ALUC prior to City of American Canyon City Council final action to allow the local decision maker to consider the ALUC’s finding prior to final action. A substantial hearing before the City of American Canyon Planning Commission took place to review the 2040 General Plan Update on March 27, 2025, in compliance with ALUC policy during which a 5/5 vote recommended approval of the update to the City Council. A City Council hearing has been tentatively scheduled for May 20, 2025.
In the event that the ALUC were to find the proposed General Plan and Ordinance Amendments inconsistent with the ALUCP, the proposal, with any further amendments, could be reconsidered by the City of American Canyon Planning Commission in lieu of the City Council pursuing an override. Any revised application package would then need to return to the ALUC for consistency determination before the City Council can take final action. If the ALUC were to determine the current proposal inconsistent with ALUCP policies, the City of American Canyon's City Council could overrule the ALUC determination by a two-thirds vote.
Based on the above, staff recommends that the ALUC find that the American Canyon General Plan is consistent with the ALUCP.
Attachments:
A. Application Submittal Materials
B. Draft Comprehensive American Canyon 2040 General Plan Update
C. CEQA California Environmental Quality Act Findings and Statement of Overriding Considerations
D. March 27, 2025, Planning Commission Staff Report
E. New Municipal Code Chapter 19.55 Airport Land Use Compatibility