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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 37-1989RESOLUTION NO. 37-89 CITYiCOUNCIL, CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA A RESOLUTION APPROVING A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO CONSOLIDATE AND UPDATE POLICIES CONCERNING DOWNTOWN WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 92-84 the City Council adopted the Land Use, CirculatiOn and Transportation Elements of the General Plan, and by Resolution No. 156-86 it adopted a General Plan Amendment revising certain policies;~and WHEREAS, the Land Use Element warrants further revision in order to update the policies concerning Planning Area No. 2 and to combine the provisions of Planning Area No. 2 with those of the Downtown Business District Special Study Area; WHEREAS, on February 9, 1989 the Planning Commission held a duly advertised public hearing on General Plan Amendment GP-89-35, and subsequently recommended adoption Of the amendment to the City Council; and WHEREAS, March 8, 1989 at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room, Municipal Services Building, 33 Arroyo Drive, South San Francisco, CA. was fixed as the date,!time, and place to hold a public hearing for which notice was publishedlin the manner required by law and pursuant to which a hearing was held; andl WHEREAS, Negative Declaration No. 654 has been proposed and processed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act, as amended; and WHEREAS, the City Council has received and considered all material presentediand concurs in the findings and determinations made by the Planning Commission; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of South San Francisco that it hereby approves as an amendment to the General Plan the deletion from the Land Use Element of the current Planning Area No. 2 and the Downtown Business District Special Study Area in their entirety, and the incorporation of the new Planning Area No. 2 as contained in GP-89-55, attached as Exhibit "A". BE ITiFURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council adopts the amendment based upon the following findings: 1. The General Plan Amendment has been prepared in accordance with State policy and zoning laws. 2. The amendment is necessary to consolidate and update various mandate and policies pertaining to Planning Area No. 2 of the Land Use Element of the General Plan. 3. The amendment is consistent with other portions of the Land Use Element a~d other elements of the General Plan. 4. The amendment will not be adverse to the public health, safety or general welfare of the community. I hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was regularly introduced and adopted by the City Council of the City of South San Francisco at a regularl meeting held on the 8th day of March , 1989, by the followingivote: AYES: NOES: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Councilmembers Jack Drago, Richard A. Haffey, Gus Nicolopulos, and Mayor Roberta Cerri Teglia Councilmember Mark N. Addiego None None .~7.~ATTEST: ~ ~~ -2- EXHIBIT A TO RESOLUTION NO. 37-89 PLANNING AREA DOWNTOWN 2 FIGURE NO, 15 EXHIBIT A TO RESOLUTION NO. 37-89 [ * Existing General Plan Policy · * from Downtown Revitalization strategy] PLANNINGi AREA NO. 2 - DOWNTOWN GOAL Revitali!zation of the entire Downtown into a Commercial, Financial1, Residential, Civic, Cultural and Historic Center of the Cityi through direct efforts which enhance and promote it as a I . highly dieslrable place to shop, live and work. This study area contains the original subdivision of the City, South Sain Francisco Plat No. 1, along with later subdivisions including South San Francisco Plat No. 2, Peck's, South City Village i(Village Way) and Hillside Terrace. The southerly half of the ~rea contains approximately 260 acres and is bounded by Airport iBoulevard on the east, Railroad Avenue on the south, Chestnut Avenue on the west and Tamarack Lane on the north. The northerliy half contains approximately 140 acres and is bounded by Airport Boulevard on the east, Tamarack Lane on the south, Maple Avenue and North Spruce Avenue on the west and Randolph Avenue on the north. The area has a variety of uses and a wide range of building conditions. Although the Downtown Business District is considered the "heart" of Study Area 2, there are various other adjacen~ commercial areas and surrounding neighborhoods that have quite different types of land use issues and solutions. Therefore, for planning and discussion purposes this study area has been broken down into smaller subareas or street corridors. Existinq Uses Over nearly two decades, the mix of land uses and the amount of floor area has remained relatively constant. Residential continues to remain the largest land use in the planning area while commercial activities remain the second largest use. Although many of the specific commercial uses have changed with the times, the actual amount of residential, commercial and open space uses have remained approximately the same acreage. Many of ithe buildings in the area are continuing to deteriorate. Approximately 50 percent of the buildings are in need of either minor rehabilitation or major rehabilitation and about 4 per cent are in need of extensive reconstruction or demolition. Crime statistics for 1986 and 1987 indicate that a disproportionate number of citywide crimes occur in the downtown area. In 1987, 42 percent of the City's alcohol beverage violations, 38 percent of the disorderly conduct incidents and 19 percent!of narcotic violation occurred in the area. Also, there are increasing numbers of transients and panhandlers particularly in the business district. 1 About 65 percent of the dwelling units in the proposed Downtown/Central Redevelopment Project are renter-occupied. This compares with a citywide standard of about 36 percent renter- occupied. The 1988 estimate for median household income in the area is about $2i8,732, as compared $35,621 citywide and $38,070 countywide. As of 1988, approximately 22 percent of households in the airea are very low income (50 percent or less of the County median income); 38 percent fall within the low income (80 percent iof the County median income); and 20 percent are within the modelrate income category (120 percent of County median income). A majority of the lots have less than the standard 50 feet of frontage or less than 5000 square feet of lot area. About one- third of all lots conform to these lot size standards. Less than 10% of all lots exceed these standards. Downtown Business District The Downtown Business District is generally bounded by Tamarack Lane on !the north, Airport Boulevard on the east, Second Lane on the sou~h and Spruce Avenue on the east. This area contains the City's ~raditional downtown business district, the civic Center and many of the historically significant buildings. The City has provided public improvements in this area including the reconstruction of Grand Avenue by installing decorative paving, ireconstructing the traditional light standards, planting street trees and constructing new street furniture, utilities and other related improvements. Overhead utility lines are being placed Underground along Airport Boulevard. The Parking Place Commission continues to upgrade the public parking lots. During ~ugust 1986 the Planning Division conducted a survey of merchants in the wider downtown area. An attempt was made to obtain ~esponses from all types of businesses (i.e., restaurants, professional offices, retail, automotive and industrial) located along ail of the major downtown commercial streets (i.e., Grand, Baden, Miller, Linden Avenues and Airport Boulevard). The major findings of this survey included: Most of the customers come from neighborhoods immediately adjacent to downtown or from outside of South San Francisco. A majority of the respondents indicated that business has improved during the previous five years. A majority of the respondents felt that the Grand Avenue street improvements have benefitted their business and agreed that such improvements should be extended to adjoining streets. Nearly half said that they had made some exterior improvements to their storefronts and more than half responded that additional storefront remodeling was needed to attract more customers. A majority stated that a redevelopment project should be created for the area. There was substantial support for creating new retail, office and residential uses in the area. - i There was interest in creating programs for more ~ parking, open space, rehabilitation and a shuttle bus. Development Trends During ~he past decade there has been a moderate amount of new construction and rehabilitation in this area. About 25-30 commercial buildings have undergone minor to major improvements. Most of ithese remodelings have occurred along the 300 and 400 blocks Of Grand Avenue and the 200 block of Linden Avenue. Since 19!80 there have been three commercial structures built: a three s~ory office/retail use on the southwest corner of Linden and Grand Avenue; a liquor/deli store on the northwest corner of Spruce and Baden Avenue; and a multi-tenant retail building on the northwest corner of Grand and Spruce Avenue. Planning Issues Major issues in the Downtown Business District include inadequate off-street parking, traffic congestion, lack of loading and delivery zones, some adverse uses, a limited selection of stores and products, facade and structural deterioration, excessive numbers !of signs and a poor overall image. Future Uses The Downtown Business District is designated "Planned Commercial." This designation is intended to attract additional commercial uses with a goal of upgrading and improving the quality of uses in this area. It is expected that many of the existing commercial structures will be rehabilitated, and certain "spot" demolition and reconstruction will ta~e place. OBJECTIVE To expand Downtown,s commercial center. ** Policy 2-1 economic base into a viable community Retail uses should expanded throughout the Downtown. Policy 2-2 Pollicv 2-3 Pollicy 2-4 Pollicv 2-5 Policy 2-6 The Downtown should become the most diversified, functional, attractive and unique shopping district in the entire City. incentives to encourage larger development sites shall be created in portions of the area to attract a wider range of commercial uses. Additional retail sales establishments, restaurants, social halls and personal services shall be established. Uses which adversely affect revitalization such as bars, cardrooms, pool halls, adult entertainment, second hand stores, stores selling seconds, video amusement arcades, manufacturing and warehousing shall be prohibited. Any existing non-conforming adverse uses shall not expand or intensify unless they are being converted or changed into a conforming use such as a bar being incorporated into a restaurant. Community-oriented uses such as financial institutions, cultural centers, specialty shops, motels and restaurants should be located primarily along arterials such as Grand Avenue and Airport Boulevard. Neighborhood-oriented uses should be located primarily on minor cross streets such as Cypress and Maple Avenues. OBJECTIVE To cont'!nue% to support various cultural and civic uses as the major anchors!of Downtown. ** Policy 2-7 The Civic Center complex shall be maintained as the major focus of City governmental, cultural and social activities of the community. ** Policy 2-8 New and improved libraries, museums, parks, recreational facilities, exhibition halls, murals, fountains, plazas and other cultural, entertainment and open space facilities should be provided throughout the area. ** Policy 2-9 Special events such as festivals, parades and fairs should be sponsored on a regular basis. OBJECTIVE To promote the area as a major financial hub of the community. Policy 2-10 Poliicy 2-11 Efforts should be made to encourage existing financial institutions to remain and expand. New banks, savings and loans, credit unions, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, stock brokers, accountants and similar financial institutions should be encouraged in the area. OBJECTIVE To eliminate blight and remove obstacles to revitalilzation. successful Poliicy 2-12 ** Poliic¥ 2-13 A redevelopment project should be established to upgrade blighted downtown areas. The City should assist developers in the assembly of smaller deteriorated properties into larger, more readily redevelopable sites in order to attract specific quality uses. ** Poliicy 2-14 The City should develop a concentrated code enforcement program for this area in order to abate the major violations of zoning, building and housing codes. OBJECTIWE To improve the infrastructure, traffic, parking, transportation and services to accommodate future projected uses. ** Policy 2-15 The public streets and lanes located adjacent to Grand Avenue (i.e., Miller, Cypress, Baden, Tamarack, Second and Third) shall continue to be upgraded to improve their visual, safety, and functional aspects, including loading and delivery zones. ** Policy 2-16 Storm drainage, sewer lines, street lighting, and other utilities shall be upgraded as needed to accommodate new developments. ** Policy 2-17 City services including police, fire and public works should be increased or improved in the area as needed to address projected needs. * Policy 2-18 Additional public and private parking should be provided to accommodate projected increased demand. Public parking structures should initially be constructed in the 100/200 blocks of Grand Avenue or Cypress Avenue, the 300 blocks of Baden and Miller Avenue, the 400 5 Policy 2-19 Policy 2-20 Pollicy 2-21 Pollicy 2-22 block of Grand Avenue and eventually along the Airport Boulevard and Linden Avenue corridors. Additional public transportation should be made available as the Downtown continues to expand. The City should consider such facilities as a shuttle bus connecting the downtown to the industrial area east of the Bayshore Freeway and a multi-modal transportation center incorporating the Caltrain station, the main SamTrans routes, shuttle buses, and other forms of public and private transportation including connections to rapid water transit. Excess public rights-of-way and surplus public properties shall be made available where appropriate to encourage new developments. Overhead utilities shall be placed underground wherever possible. Transportation System Management (TSM) plans for the area shall be coordinated with TSM's in other areas of the community. OBJECTIVE To creat~ an attractive well-designed urban pedestrian activities. form more conducive to Pollicy 2-23 Small parks/pedestrian plazas should be provided to improve the appearance of the area and thereby encourage new and rehabilitated buildings. ** Poliicy 2-24 Interior malls, rear entries and walkways connecting the lanes and parking areas to main streets shall be provided wherever possible in conjunction with new uses. * Pollicy 2-25 ** Signs shall be primarily pedestrian-oriented and designed to blend with and complement the building and surrounding properties. * Poliicy 2-26 ** Building facades shall be upgraded to make the area more visually attractive. OBJECTIVE To retain and enhance much of the traditional scale and of the area. character 6 ** Policy 2-27 In-fill development shall relate well with existing structures and be consistent with the scale, typical materials, colors and other features present in the area. Airport Boulevard (SPRR Overcrossing to Hillside Extension) Airport Boulevard is characterized by small lots, deteriorated buildingS, inadequate off-street parking and landscaping. Major uses in ~he area include service stations, automobile sales, auto service and repair, outdoor storage lots, auto parts stores, industrial, restaurants, offices, motels, residential, and various retail u!ses. The area has a very poor visual image from Highway 101 and ~eeds to be substantially upgraded. OBJECTIV~ To upgrade the type of uses and the overall appearance of Airport Boulevarid and to provide downtown with a better image as seen from the Bays!bore Freeway and streets entering into the downtown. * Poliicy 2-28 Outdoor equipment storage lots and independent auto repair businesses, particularly along Airport Boulevard, shall be phased out and more retail-oriented uses provided in their place. ** Pollicy 2-29 Visitor-commercial uses such as restaurants and motels shall be encouraged along Airport Boulevard. ** Pollicy 2-30 Auto sales and related services should be encouraged along Airport Boulevard between Miller Avenue and Hillside Boulevard Extension and along the northern portion of Linden Avenue between Armour and Airport Boulevard. * Policy 2-31 New construction, assembly of lots and rehabilitation of significant buildings should be emphasized along Airport Boulevard in order to substantially upgrade the mix of commercial uses and provide a more attractive entrance into the business district. * Policy 2-32 The operation of existing, non-conforming, light manufacturing and sales facilities located along the east side of Airport Boulevard, south of Grand Avenue and north of the railroad overpass may be continued in the future. No expansion of these facilities should, however, be permitted unless and until a comprehensive development plan which incorporates adjoining parcels to the east is approved by the City. The plan should include the exterior remodeling of existing buildings, 7 provisions for additional required off-street parking and landscaping, an improved internal vehicular circulation system, and an upgrading of the sign program. Linden A~enue (Railroad Avenue to Airport Boulevard) Linden A2venue contains a wide assortment of uses from manufacturing plants tO banks and auto repair shops. There are also a number of residentlial dwellings especially in the northern portion between Aspen and Armour Avenues. This corridor has never had much attentioln with regard to design, rehabilitation or new construcition. The only significant private development that has occurred was during the early and mid-1970's when two banks were established and in the mid 1980's when a mixed use project was built o~ the northwest corner of Linden and California Avenues. During ~he mid-1980's the City installed decorative street lights similar ito those on Grand Avenue. OBJECTIVE To improve Linden Avenue as a more viable and attractive commercial corridor as an appendage to Grand Avenue. Poliicy 2-33 Policy 2-34 Additional beautification improvements such as street trees, decorative sidewalks, undergrounding of utilities and street furniture should be provided along the Linden Avenue corridor from Railroad Avenue to Airport Boulevard in order to attract a better mix of commercial uses. More attention to rehabilitation of significant buildings and in-fill new construction should be encouraged along Linden Avenue. Downtown Residential Neighborhoods There are half a dozen residential neighborhoods located in close proximity to the downtown business district and commercial corridors. These areas have a wide range of densities, building types and conditions. In general, the City is trying to upgrade all of these neighborhoods while providing market support for the' growth and enhancement of the downtown commercial areas. OBJECTIVE To encourage a wide range of housing types in close proximity to the commercial core. Policy 2-35 A more equal mix of lower, moderate and higher- cost housing units should be encouraged to bring more persons with various incomes into the Downtown particularly during weekends and evenings. 8 Policy 2-36 PoLicy 2-37 Poliicy 2-38 Poliicy 2-39 Pollicy 2-40 More housing suitable for families shall be encouraged throughout the area. Mixed-uses shall be encouraged where appropriate. Additional low and moderate-cost housing programs should be established to assist in the financing, construction, site acquisition, rehabilitation or rent. Current boarding rooms may be converted to apartments, offices or other appropriate uses. No further boarding rooms shall be allowed in the Downtown. Historically significant dwellings should be preserved and renovated. Spruce ~venue - Orange Avenue - Miller Avenue - Railroad Avenue This area contains a mix of single-family, duplex, and multiple- family residential structures. During the 1970's, a number of multi-family structures were built between Spruce Avenue and Orange Avenue. iHowever, during the 1980's, primarily because of lower density istandards and higher parking requirements there has been a decrease in new construction. The major exception was the construction of the 125-unit Magnolia Plaza Apartments project that was completed in 1988. This major apartment project occurred because iof the Redevelopment Agency's acquisition of the site and its leaseback to Bridge Housing Corporation, a non-profit developer. Approximately 60-70 other residential buildings have been renovated during the past few years in scattered locations throughout the area. * Policy 2-43 Infill units consistent with the densities and policies of the Land Use Element should be encouraged in the High Density Residential area located between Spruce Avenue, Orange Avenue, Fourth Lane and Railroad Avenue. Orange ~venue - Chestnut Avenue - Tamarack - Commercial Avenue The area between Orange Avenue and Chestnut Avenue has been developed predominately with single family and two-family dwellings. Second units or duplex units should be permitted in this area provided adequate setbacks, sufficient off-street parking,! and attractive landscaping are provided. Policy 2-44 Second dwellings, duplexes and additions or remodelings should be encouraged in the Medium Density area located between Orange Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, Miller Avenue, and Commercial Avenue. Cypress - Linden Avenue - Armour - Tamarack ¢"Irlsh Town") The interior portion of this area contains older residential structures, many of which are significantly deteriorated. The 1976 "Community Profile and Housing Needs" survey indicated that nearly 40 percent of all structures in this portion of the downtown were either in need of rehabilitation (26.2%) or were substandard (13.6%) ~o the point where rehabilitation may not be feasible. Very lit!tle new development or remodeling has occurred in recent years. This is mainly due to the isolated location of the area, the lack of maintenance and the small lots which predominate. Cypress AVenue has only fifty feet of right-of-way, is a one-way northbound street and has traffic congestion and parking problems. There are very few off-street parking spaces; consequently, many adjoining uses depend mainly on on-street parking. Also, t~ere are significant land use incompatibility problems mainly because auto repair businesses back onto Cypress Avenue directly across from residential uses. Many of ithe lots are only twenty-five feet wide. This condition makes i~ very difficult to construct buildings having a sufficient number Of parking spaces. The assembly of lots by private developers is not expected without some public assistance. Recent developments include the 1982 renovation of the Cypress and Pine playlot and the construction of a new motel on the north side of Pine iAvenue between Cypress Avenue and Airport Boulevard. During the mid-1980's the Historic Old Town Homeowners Association was formed to encourage and monitor the upgrading of this neighborhood. It is particularly interested in nuisance abatement, improving the streets and lanes, upgrading Cypress and Pine Playlot and improving housing conditions. In 1984 ithe neighborhood designation on the General Plan was amended ifrom High Density Residential and Heavy Commercial to Medium Density Residential. At that time this lower designation was considered to be an interim category until a final designation was' determined. During I988, some minor residential developments were approved including the construction of three single-family dwellings on the northerly end of Cypress Avenue, south of Armour Avenue and the remodeling of three dilapidated rental units on the southwest corner of Cypress and Aspen Avenues. More residential development appears!to be the key to the revitalization of this neighborhood. Policy 2-45 The land use designation of Irish Town (the residential area bounded by Cypress Avenue, Tamarack Lane, Linden Avenue and Armour Avenue) should be studied for consideration of possible change from Medium Density Residential to High Density Residential to encourage the 10 construction of more residential dwellings provided that standard parking would be constructed. Direct input from the neighborhood residents shall be obtained before this could occur. Poliicy 2-46 Concentrated rehabilitation, code enforcement and housing assistance programs should be developed for the Irish Town neighborhood to ensure that all existing deteriorated buildings are upgraded to meet current housing codes. Poliicy 2-47 Irish Town streets, lanes, utilities, open space and other related improvements should be upgraded to meet the projected needs of new residential development. Miller ~venue - Hillside Boulevard - Maple Avenue - Linden Avenue The structures in this area are generally in good condition. Certain istructures are in need of rehabilitation. Access and parking iare generally not a problem within the interior blocks. There are, however, certain nonconforming commercial and residential buildings with insufficient off-street parking, particularly on the west side of Linden Avenue. A small ineighborhood shopping center, a carwash and service station are located southwest of Hillside Boulevard and Linden Avenue. These uses are deteriorated and need renovation and site upgrading. * PoLicy 2-48 The neighborhood shopping center, carwash and service station located on the southwest corner of Hillside Boulevard and Linden Avenue should be upgraded with new landscaping, exterior building remodeling and an improved parking layout. Peck's Subdivision Peck's Subdivision is located in the northeast corner of this study area. it contains approximately 325 dwelling units. One-third of these a~e single-family dwellings and the remaining two-thirds multiple-family and duplex units. While many of these structures are in fairly good condition, there are increasing signs of dilapidation and deferred maintenance. Many of the streets are narrow and there is insufficient on-street parking. In 1978 Peck's playlot was constructed, using Community Development Block Grant funds. Although the area is eligible for the City's housinglrehabilitation program, only a few homes have been rehabilitated since 1976. 11 Poliicy 2-49 Poliicy 2-50 Peck's Subdivision should be upgraded with emphasis on housing rehabilitation, street improvements, increased off-street parking, and improved street lighting. Peck's playlot on Gardiner Avenue should be upgraded as necessary to accommodate open space needs of the community. Village ~av The Villiage Way Subdivision located in the southeast portion of this areia was constructed during the mid-1940's. This subdivision is charaicterized by townhouse structures located on 25 foot wide parcels.! Most of these dwelling units are small and many do not have any side yard setbacks, and some lack regular maintenance. The streiet system is substandard in width and there is lack of adequate parking in the area. * Pollicy 2-51 The Village Way Subdivision should be improved by a comprehensive code enforcement and housing rehabilitation program. Pol!ic¥ 2-52 Public improvements should be made to Village Way to upgrade the circulation, parking and visual elements of this street. 12