AgdaPkt 2017-05-22 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 18 of 27 Furthermore, the DTPP calls for a downtown character that is distinctly urban. This is defined as “a more compact development pattern, taller buildings set closer to each other and to the sidewalks, a greater mixture of uses and activities, much more pedestrian activity, and a preponderance of the built environment over the natural.” The Project entails a 6-story building on an approximately 5,000 square foot parcel, with the building footprint covering nearly the entirety of the parcel and the front corners being right at the back of the sidewalk, which is precisely how “urban buildings” are described on page 16 of the DTPP. In terms of the representative drawings that are on pages 19-23 of the DTPP, and streets doubling as outdoor open spaces, the drawings are artist renderings of what development could potentially look like at three specific locations in the downtown area, none of which include the project site or its surroundings. Finally, the DTPP defines “outdoor open spaces” as being streets that are “defined by contiguous mixed-use, retail, residential, office, theater, and civic buildings from corner to corner, featuring a bare minimum of front or side yard setbacks.” By virtue of the Project being a residential building incorporating the required zero front setback with a new sidewalk, street tree, and pedestrian light, the Project helps to create that “outdoor open space” and thus complies with the intent of the DTPP. II. The City Complied with CEQA and No Further Environmental Analysis is Required Appellant also contends that the City must prepare an EIR for the Project and/or that the Project violates provisions of the 2011 Environmental Impact Report for the Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP EIR). The two subsections below (a) summarize how the City’s environmental review processes complied with CEQA, and (b) explain why Appellant’s contentions that the City must prepare an EIR lack merit. a. The City’s Environmental Review Complied with CEQA The DTPP EIR analyzed the potentially significant impacts associated with buildout of the larger downtown area (approximately 183 acres) pursuant to the Downtown Precise Plan. Pursuant to the DTPP EIR and the Mitigation, Monitoring and Reporting Program, the City Council adopted all feasible mitigation measures to mitigate impacts that would otherwise be significant. However, mitigation of some impacts was not feasible. The City Council adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations, finding that the significant and unavoidable impacts of implementation of the DTPP are outweighed by the benefits of the DTPP. The benefits identified by the City Council include promoting sustainable growth, fostering work and leisure activities in the downtown, promoting development that preserves historic resources, reducing suburban sprawl and enhancing economic development. 8.A. - Page 18