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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 31-2010RESOLUTION NO. ~' 1-2010 CITY COUNCIL, CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA A RESOLUTION MAKING FINDINGS AND ADOPTING THE SOUTH EL CAMINO REAL GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT (GPA08-0001) AND RELATED DE$IG]!V GUIDELINES TO ALLOW AND ESTABLISH REGULATIONS FOR MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH. F;L CAMINO REAL CORRIDOR WHEREAS, the City of South San Francisco ("City")Planning Division staff and the City's consultant, Dyett and Bhatia, have prepared an amendment to tl:~e South San Francisco 1999 General Plan, which includes design guidelines intended to facilitate and promote mixed-use development in the "Study Area," defined to include the southern corridor ~of El Camino Real, between Chestnut Boulevard and Noor Avenue ("Amendment" or "Project"); anal, WHEREAS, the City has prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in accordance with the provision of the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code, §§ 21000, et seq., "CEQA") and CEQA Guidelines, which analyzes t'he potential environmental impacts of the General Plan Amendment and related rezoning, zoning ordinance amendment, and design guidelines; and, WHEREAS, a revised and recirculated Draft E1R ("DEl[R")was prepared and circulated for a 45-day public/agency review period from November 25, 20091:hrough January 11, 2010, and a Final F,IR ("FEIR") was prepared, which includes written respon.;es to comments received on the DEIR (collectively, "E1R"); and, WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing during the review period on December 3, 2009 to take public comment on the rc;vised and recirculated DEIR; and, WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on February 4, 2010, to consider the EIR and the proposed Amendment end takke public testimony, at the conclusion of which, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council certify the EIR and adopt the Amendment; and, WHEREAS, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing on March 24, 2010, to consider the EIR and the proposed Amendment and take public testimony; and, WHEREAS, as required by State law and the South San Francisco Municipal Code, the City Council has independently reviewed the Amendment and thc; F;IR, and makes the findings contained herein in support of the Amendment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that based on the entirety of the record before it, which includes without limitation, the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code 21000, et seq. ("CEQA") and the CEQA Guidelines, 14 Califi~rnia Code of Regulations § 15000, et seq.; the South San Francisco General Plan and General Plan EIR; the South San Francisco Municipal Code; the South El Camino Real General Plan Amendment, including related rezoning, zoning text amendment, and design guidelines, and the Dtaft and Final EIR prepared for the South El Camino Real General Plan Amendment and all appendices thereto; all reports, minutes, and public testimony submitted as part of the Planning Commission's study sessions on October 2, 2008, and June 4, 2009; all reports, minutes, and public testimiony submitted as part of the Planning Commission's duly notice public hearings on December ~, 2009, and February 4, 2010; all reports, minutes, and public testimony submitted as part of the City Council's duly noticed public hearing on March 24, 2010; and any other evidence (within the meanin€; of Public Resources Code §21080(e) and §21082.2), the City Council of the City of South San Francisco hereby finds as follows: I. General Findings The foregoing recitals are true and correct and made a part of this Resolution. The Exhibits attached to this Resolution, including the proposed General Plan Amendment (Exhibit A) and the proposed Design Guidelines (Ex:hibit B), are each incorporated by reference as part of this Resolution, as if each Exhibit were set forth fully herein. The documents and other material constituting the rec;oY•d for these proceedings are located at the Planning Division for the City of South San Francisco, 315 Maple Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and in the custody of Chief Planner, Susy Kalkin. II. General Plan Amendment 1. As described in more detail in Exhibit A, the Amendment proposes replacing the Study Area's General Plan designation of "Community Commercial" with a new "El Camino Real Mixed- Use" designation, intended to accommodate high-intensity active uses and mixed-use development in the South El Camino Real corridor. The Amendment affects t:he, General Plan Land Use Map, as well as four chapters of the General Plan, including: Land Use (Chapter 2), Planning Sub-Areas (Chapter 3), Parks, Public Facilities and Services (Chapter 5), and Noise (Chapter 9). By creating a new land use designation, the proposed Amendment facilitates in~crease;d residential densities (60 units per acre, and up to 80 units with incentives and bonuses) for projects meeting specified criteria, establishes a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 2.5, with. allowable increases up to 3.5, and establishes a minimum FAR of 0.6 for sites larger than 2,0,000 square feet to ensure that the Study Area is redeveloped in more intense form than the current development :pattern. Further, the Amendment protects existing neighborhoods by including an exception to the maximum allowable density (limited to 40 units per acre) for parcels on the east side of El Camino Real, between First Street and West Orange Avenue. 2. As required under State law, the South San Francisco General Plan, and the South San Francisco Municipal Code, in support of the General Plan Amendment (GPA08-0001), the City Council finds that the proposed General Plan Amendment, creating a new land use designation and establishing a new maximum FAR for the South El Camino Real Corridor, is otherwise consistent with the South San Francisco General Plan, and furthers a number of important Guiding and Implementing Policies currently in the General Plan, including: Guiding Policy 2-G-1: "Preserve the scale and character of established neighborhoods, and protect residents from changes in non-residential areas." Guiding Policy 2-G-2: "Maintain a balanced land qse program that provides opportunities for continued economic growth, and building inten~itie;s that reflect South San Francisco's prominent inner bay location and excellent regional access." Guiding Policy 2-G-3: "Provide land use designations that maximize benefits of increased accessibility that will result from BART extension to the city and adjacent locations." Guiding Policy 2-G-6: "Maximize opportunities for presidential development, including through infill and redevelopment, without impa~tin;g existing neighborhoods or creating conflict with industrial operations." Guiding Policy 2-G-7: "Encourage mixed-use residential, retail, and office development in centers where they would support transit, in locations where they would provide increased access to neighborhoods that currently lack such facilities, and in corridors where such developments can help foster identify and vitality." Guiding Policy 2-G-8: "Provide incentives to maximize community orientation of new development, and promote alternative transportation modes." Guiding Policy 3.4-G-2: "Encourage development of a mix of uses, with pockets of concentrated activity that provide focii and identify to the different parts of El Camino Real." Implementing Policy 3.4-1-1: "Develop, and in coordination with CalTrans, implement a streetscape plan for El Camino Real for its entire stretch. through South San Francisco which includes: • Sidewalks, street lights and other pedestrian amenities in designated areas of pedestrian activity; • Consistent double row of median trees and gees on either side of the street for the six- lane stretch of El Camino Real (generally Kaiser Hospital area and south); and • Consistent double row of trees for the two~lane :northern stretch (Kaiser Hospital to Colma)." Implementing Policy 3.4-1-2: "Prepare and impletinent an El Camino Real overlay district in the City's Zoning Ordinance that provides development standards that further El Camino's development as a mixed-use use boulevard, accommodating the need for both auto-oriented uses as well as designated pedestrian-oriented enters. Regulations should include: • Consistent maximum height of 50 feet ~`egardless of the underlying use, with a maximum height of 80 feet in two areas: the BART station area, and the Chestnut/El Camino Real area (see Figure 2-3); • No minimum front setback requirements, provided active uses are located adjacent to streets, and performance-oriented building transparency and other standards specified in the Zoning Ordinance are maintained; • Requirements for awnings, shade, building transparency for designated pedestrian areas; and • Landscape requirements." The new mixed-use land use designation in this area will facilitate and encourage mixed-use development in an area well supported by transit, as contemplated in Policy 2-G-7. The Amendment, including the zoning regulations and design guidelines will encourage development of a variety of concentrated uses, providing an identity for the South El Camino Real corridor. Further, specific design criteria is included to promote the types of elements contemplated in Policies 3.4-1-1 and 3.4- 1-2. Because the proposed Amendment furthers a number c-f General Plan Polices and does not impede achievement of others, the Amendment is consisteent with the City's 1999 General Plan (as proposed for amendment). III. Design Guidelines 1. The Amendment also includes specific Design Guidelines for the South El Camino Real corridor, intended to assist implementation of the General Plan land use policies and zoning regulations for the area. The Design Guidelines summarize the standards to provide clear and concise visual examples of various standards, as well as "desirable" and "undesirable" examples of project details. The Design Guidelines support the General Plan and t:he; applicable zoning and will be a key tool for decision-makers, staff, applicants, and the community to understand the design expectations that will be applied during design review and for granting FAF:, density, and height bonuses. 2. The proposed Design Guidelines operate to implement t:he mixed-use land use polices of the General Plan (as proposed for amendment) and the prooposed zoning changes for the South El Camino Real corridor. The Design Guidelines are consistent with the other elements of the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance, and are internally consistent with the proposed Amendment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOL~JED ghat based on the entirety of the record as described above, and for the reasons set forth in this Resc-lution, the City Council of the City of South San Francisco hereby adopts the General Plan Atnendrnent attached as Exhibit A, and the Design Guidelines, attached as Exhibit B. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and adoption. I hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution way regularly introduced. and adopted by the City Council of the City of South San Francisco at a regular meeting held on the 24th day of March, 2G 10 by the following vote: AYES: Councilmembers Pedro Gonzalez, Richard A„ Garbarino, and Karyl Matsumoto, Vice Mayor Kevin Mullin and Mayor Mask Addiego NOES: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: None Exhibit A To avoid duplication, Exhibit A General Plan Amen~imE;nt: - is included as Attachment IV, Section 1 to the Staff Report for this Resolution, and incl>ded in this Resolution by reference, as if set forth fully herein. Exhibit B To avoid duplication, Exhibit B -Design Guidelines -its included as Attachment IV, Section 3 to the Staff Report for this Resolution, and included in this Reesolution by reference, as if set forth fully herein.