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6.D. - Page 23 of 25 <br />intensive uses. Staff has interviewed child care providers and commercial realtors who have stated child <br />care centers that only serve 24 children would not be a financially feasible size for successful operation. <br />California regulations require a minimum of 35 square feet of indoor play space per child, exclusive of <br />bathrooms, kitchens, offices, hallways, storage cabinets and rooms, etc. Analysis from City staff has <br />identified 100 square feet per child as a more realistic floor area per child standard than the State <br />minimum. Child care centers of 60 children or less would allow for smaller facilities (ex. 6,000 sq. ft.) that <br />would not result in significant impacts to surrounding businesses or residences. City staff recommends <br />child care centers for more than 60 children require a Use Permit to assess whether these child care <br />centers would result in any significant impacts. The General Plan EIR analyzes child care as a mitigation <br />measure to development and the increased need for public services and not as a significant overall impact <br />(see Attachment C CEQA Memo for additional analysis). <br />The State heavily regulates child care centers for health and safety considerations and the City's Fire <br />Department conducts inspections to ensure proposed facilities provide safe conditions for children. <br />Considering the safety regulations already in place and established General Plan policies, staff analyzed <br />current regulations to find ways to streamline permitting of child care centers in commercial zones. <br />Planning Commission recommended the following: <br />• Allow standalone child care centers of up to 60 children by -right in all commercial and mixed-use <br />areas and to require a Use Permit for centers with more than 60 children. <br />• Allow accessory child care centers in conjunction with an adjoining business by -right without a <br />cap on the number of children and remove the requirement to only service the employees of the <br />business. <br />Child Care Centers: Standardized Requirements <br />The Planning Commission recommended standardized requirements to facilitate child care centers in both <br />residential and commercial areas. The recommended updates include standardized requirements for child <br />care centers for play equipment locations, signage, and off-street parking. Larger child care centers of <br />more than 60 children would be subject to Use Permits and require additional site specific analysis. <br />The Planning Commission recommended the following standardized requirements: <br />• Obtain a child care center license with the State. <br />• Accessory child care centers do not need to exclusively serve the primary use. <br />• Permanent play equipment required to meet underlying zoning setbacks and could not be located <br />in the front yard. <br />• Prohibit large commercial signage in residential areas. <br />• One parking space per employee, plus one additional space for every 10 employees. Some <br />Commissioners expressed support for one space for every 15 employees. <br />Page 4 of 6 <br />AL . <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore <br />263 <br />