AgdaPkt 2007-03-26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7A Page 4 our process. In the past each project started anew and so public input was essential. In our new process (Precise Plan) we have spent time upfront getting public input which will apply tv ail projects. Several years of public forums on the Downte~~,'n Precise Plan have led to the land use and design Standards and Guidelines found in the Draft Plan. Setbacks, height limits, streetscape requirements and highly detailed and rigorous architectural design Standards and Guidelines have been worked out in an open public process. Staff has farmed a #eam-based approach to learning and sharing the intricacies of the Standards and Guidelines, and staff has gained a deep understanding and commitment to implementation of these principles. In addition to the City's investment in a Program Environmental Impact Report, the proposed streamlined approach in the Draft Plan is an incentive for development and should also reward the City with faster plan implementation, without compromising quality. Recommendation: Adopt the process outlined in the Draft Downtown Precise Plan. The process will be predictable and accessible, and staff is fully committed to enforcing the plan Standards and Guidelines rigorously. The Architectural Review Committee will be consulted in cases of deviations from plan Guidelines. Amulti-tiered approach #o public communication with respect to administrative reviews will be enacted. For example, Council and the public would be invited to regularly scheduled "Plan Compliance Determinations" at City Hafl, and the results of which would be made accessible in an up- to-date web-based log. The City Council could require all or some of the following options: • Send public notices of upcoming "Plan Compliance Determinations" to property owners and tenants within 300 feet of a project site. • Post a public notice on the actual site of the project. • Change the threshold from 30,000 sq. ft. for "small projects" to a smaller parcel area. Uses on Main Street: Concern that office uses on Main Street will potentially displace or use up needed retail space versus a concern That retailers on Main Street will draw from potential retail uses away from Broadway, thereby weakening Broadway as a retail spine. Consider changing the Use Zone Map (2.2.9) along Main Streef frontage from a green bold line to a black bold Line, thereby limifing ground floor uses fo retail on Main Street. Response: The Draft Downtown Precise Plan requires only ground floor re#ail and personal services along Broadway, and ground floor retail, personal services or office uses on Main Street. Consultants to the City have been concerned #hat there is too much retail zoning within the downtown area and thus the streng#h of the Broadway spine has been weakened by "leakage" to other areas. Thus, in drafting the proposed Plan, Main Street was made secondary to Broadway in terms of retail prioritization by allowing office uses on the ground floor of that street. Office uses tend to make longerterm lease commitments than retail and restaurant uses and, in most cases, do not generate significant foot traffic. It was assumed that office as a component in the allowed mix of ground floor uses on Main Street would likely result in a swifter occupancy of the existing vacancies in that area and would encourage incoming retailers to find space on Broadway. It was also assumed that if this protection was not provided, more retail and restaurant businesses would locate on Main Street and not Broadway because of generally smaller spaces (and lower rental rates)