AgdaPkt 2003-08-25 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ll� ATTACHMENT 6 city council C" MO&9 city Attorney , JUN 1 1 2 , O I City Clerk undy Dev. ^ITY OF REDWoW �" IATEO COUNTY HILD CARE PARTNERSHIP COUN(i DBPL CITY CLERK San Mateo County Office of n • 101 Twin -` _F.._ ._._.�^ R!W -1064 AM 59 PL a VE public Woks Dept— CRY MANAGERS OFFICE homey Res. DepL__ Library D ^pi. June 3, 2003 Parks & Rec Dept 1�vv U 1 2003 Port °d 2 ° `P'' 1 I of RW%; The Honorable Richard Claire 1 `�1 Plenn!na�_ City of Redwood City I^y „eWll��J 1 OF D CRY 1017 Middlefield Road Redwood City, CA 94063 C y Re: Reaulations for Lar¢e Familv Child Care Homes in RedwooRa Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council: Pursuant to the stated purpose of Local Child Care Planning Councils in Section 8499 of the California Education Code, the San Mateo Child Care Partnership Council is charged to prepare a comprehensive countywide child care plan for San Mateo County. Local land use policies can encourage or hinder the development of adequate child care capacity to meet the needs of children and working families, and are an important element of our county's Child Care Strategic Plan. Accordingly, one specific recommendation of the Plan states: "Cities (and the County) will review and mods zoning, building codes, regulations, and permitting requirements in order to support the development of child care and early education. ” It states further that, "Capacity is expanded through the removal ofregulatory obstacles. " In addition, San Mateo County Children's Report Initiative's Child Care Action Campaign identified changes in local governments' planning and land use policies as one of four key strategies to increase licensed child care supply. Focus areas include city and county general plans, zoning and permitting. This Campaign has seventy -four endorsers including Redwood City, five other cities and the county, the Peninsula Partnership for Children. Youth and Families, and many diverse organizations, businesses, and community leaders. In furtherance of these goals, members of the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, at their meeting of May 19, 2003, voted to send this letter to request that Redwood City: a) Explore the option of allowing large family child care homes by right (no permit) -- the most lenient of three available under California Health and Safety Code §15947.46- - for the following reasons: 1) many cities locally and across the state use this option, and find that it works; (Examples include Menlo Park, San Carlos, San Mateo, Burlingame, Pacifica, East Palo Alto, San Jose, San Francisco and San Diego.) 2) it saves city staff time (and costs) involved with processing permits. b 1 As a next -best alternative, maintain the city's non - discretionary permit, with only 'prescribed reasonable standards' as allowed under Code. This allows the city to address neighborhood impact issues through standards applied equitably to all large family child care homes. Yet it avoids the contentious public hearings and ill will