Brian Mooney is the Project Director for the 2014 update to the County of Imperial General Plan Geothermal/Alternative Energy Transmission Element. This element is being updated to include significant changes created by proposals to produce and transmit energy from renewable energy sources including solar, wind and agricultural byproducts. Innovative concepts such as the coordination of energy transmission corridors as well as the concentration of energy intensive land uses adjacent to the energy producing sites. Special focus has been on incorporating the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan concepts. The program has included extensive public outreach and the development of a County wide Environmental Baseline Report. The proposed Element update will also include implementing Ordinances for the siting of renewable energy projects. In addition, the previously outdated mapping of the location and capacity of existing and proposed transmission corridors is being updated.
Category Archives: Planning Projects
Warner Springs Ranch Resort General plan Amendment, Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR), County of San Diego, CA
Project Director, Mr. Mooney is currently managing the preparation of a General Plan Amendment, Specific Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for this sustainable resort community on 2,450 acres in Northern San Diego County. The community includes a 350 hotel and casita resort, 695 second-home residential units, an equestrian center, a 27-hole championship golf course, an expanded rural village designed to reflect new urbanism values and an airport. Key issues include preservation and integration of significant prehistoric and historic cultural resources, historic architecture, endangered species and groundwater. The plan includes preservation of over 1900 acres and coordination with USFW, CFW, ACOE and numerous other agencies.
Downtown Specific Plan and Form-Based Code, City of Lemon Grove, San Diego County, California
Project Director. Mr. Mooney prepared an award-winning specific plan and form-based code for redeveloping the Downtown Special Treatment Area (STA), a four-quadrant area within the historic downtown. The Downtown STA includes an approximately 10-block portion of Lemon Grove that contains a San Diego Trolley station, City Hall and other municipal buildings, and the original business district, oriented around the intersection of Lemon Grove Avenue and Broadway. Working under the direction of a five-member subcommittee and city staff, the project team gathered input at two evening public workshops. Using this input and previous studies, the project team divided the STA into four districts and developed several alternative land use plans and development concepts for each district. The Specific Plan includes design guidelines, custom zoning and development standards for future improvements or redevelopment, and incentives to encourage property owners to implement their properties in conformance with the Specific Plan. A transit-oriented development program included densification of areas around the trolley station while preserving a walkable, revitalized commercial district.
Ocean Beach Community Plan Update Environmental Studies, City of San Diego, San Diego, CA
Project Director, Mr. Mooney served as the team lead for preparing a series of technical studies for the Ocean Beach Community Plan while serving as the Director of Planning and Community Development for the Chambers Group. The program included managing technical consultants and staff to prepare studies on Biology, Cultural Resources Geology and Soils, Noise, Air Quality and Green House Gas for the Program EIR. The task also included working with City staff to develop EIR CEQA conclusions and assist in evaluating cumulative impacts.
Salton Sea Authority Master Development Plan, Salton Sea Authority, Palm Desert, California.
Project Director for design of a conceptual master plan for the long-term development of the region surrounding the Salton Sea within the Salton Sea Authority (SSA) Boundary. The intent of the plan was to demonstrate the potential economic viability for the SSA’s goal of preserving a large portion of the surface area of the Salton Sea as a recreational amenity. Development of the plan involved a series of outreach meetings to gather input from property owners, SSA members and other stakeholders. Utilization of existing infrastructure and smart planning principles, property ownership, avoidance of hazardous materials and preservation of sensitive cultural, environmental and agricultural resources played important roles in shaping the plan. This plan received the San Diego Chapter of the APA Award for Outstanding Special Project of the Year.
City of Calipatria, Service Area Plan
Project Director for update of the City Service Area Plan as a result of new requirements at LAFCO the City of Calipatria was required to prepare a SAP. Brian Mooney acted as the Project Director and designed all developed all the analysis strategies to allow the City to comply with the LAFCO requirement.
Southeastern Economic Development Corporation Mixed-Use Zoning Program, City of San Diego, California
Project Director. Mr. Mooney directed the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation, a redevelopment agency within the City of San Diego, to prepare a Mixed-Use Zoning Program for a linear 2-mile corridor along Imperial Avenue and the Metropolitan Transit District’s eastern trolley line. He managed the program design to work within the City of San Diego’s Zoning Ordinance for the implementation of a revitalization plan for the corridor that included transit-oriented development around the trolley station and inclusion of new mixed-use residential opportunities. The Mixed-Use Zoning Program needed to incorporate both architectural and urban design concepts while responding to the cultural diversity of the area.
Cedros Crossing Transit Oriented Development Master Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR), City of Solana Beach, San Diego County, California
Project Director. Mr. Mooney managed the development of a Master EIR for a mixed-use transit-oriented development project in the City of Solana Beach. The project included the development of a specific plan on an existing surface parking lot adjacent to the Solana Beach train station and included 200,000 square feet of retail space, 125 residential dwelling units, a community theater, and a parking garage for 450 automobiles. He addressed key issues including land use, traffic circulation, parking, aesthetics, water quality, and cumulative impacts.
General Plan Stakeholder Involvement Program, City of Calexico, Imperial County, California
Project Director. As part of a team, Mr. Mooney managed a general plan stakeholder involvement program to utilize a multicultural approach to community charrettes, with the events being presented in both English and Spanish. The involvement program also included the inclusion of the local high school civics class to develop a youth-oriented plan.
General Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR), City of Lake Elsinore, Riverside County, California
Project Director. Mr. Mooney managed the revision and update of all elements of the City’s General Plan. In addition to the mandatory General Plan elements, the project included optional Economic Development and Lake Elements. The project required an extensive citywide public participation and visioning program to maximize citizen involvement in the update process. A master environmental document for the update was prepared and processed. This update included an entire rethinking of the presentation of the General Plan into a user-friendly format.