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3 <br />Open Space & Climate Resilience <br />Community members supported adding more green space throughout Downtown particularly <br />extending the linear park along Redwood Creek and improving connections between Little River <br />Open Space and areas across El Camino Real to create a continuous ecological corridor. <br />Community members understand the need to introduce climate resilient strategies and there is a <br />broad interest in using green infrastructure to manage stormwater and reduce flooding, including <br />“spongy” landscape features. There is also an interest in public art integrated with the <br />infrastructure elements. <br />Community members envisioned greater access to Redwood Creek and the Bay, including <br />daylighting portions of the creek, adding observation decks, and providing kayak or water-based <br />recreation access. <br /> <br />Architectural Advisory Committee and Historic Resources Advisory Committee Joint Study Session <br />The AAC and HRAC held a joint study session on October 9, 2025. The video of the study session can be <br />viewed here. Committee members provided the following feedback on the Vision Framework. <br />General <br />Recommendation to study how the DTPP has performed over the years in terms of producing <br />desired development. What have been successes and failures in terms of land use, design, ground <br />floor activation, etc.? <br />Land Use & Economic Development <br />Support for the Framework’s district approach. <br />Support for maintaining a mix of uses throughout all the districts in the interest of economic <br />resilience and active/vibrant districts. <br />Ground Floor Activation <br />o Support for clustering active ground floor uses to ensure active pedestrian corridors that <br />are interesting and safe places to walk. <br />o Recommendation to think carefully about ground floor uses and appropriate location for <br />more active uses (e.g. retail, restaurants) vs. less active uses (e.g. office, residential). How <br />do you avoid dead zones? How can you incentivize particular kinds of ground floor uses <br />in strategic locations? <br />Support for active uses and pedestrian crossings under the future elevated Caltrain tracks. <br />Architectural Design <br />Higher density development should be thoughtfully and sensitively located in relation to existing <br />lower density residential areas in the Centennial and Stambaugh-Heller neighborhoods. <br />Development standards should be drafted to include strategies to enhance compatibility between <br />higher and lower density districts. It was noted that State laws—the newly passed SB79, in <br />particular—which require minimum development densities and heights around transit stations, <br />limit local jurisdictions’ ability to regulate shifts in scale in a sensitive way. <br />Existing Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP) development standards—particularly those related to <br />building massing and modulation and requirements for specific architectural styles—limit design <br />creativity due to their prescriptive nature. Need to consider how to achieve better architecture <br />that helps make great urban environments. Consider options for updating these standards to <br />allow for more design creativity and flexibility. <br />12.A. - Page 63 of 69 <br />282