AgdaPkt 2003-03-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7.A -3 Adjacent Land Uses A parking lot is located to the north of the property. A sixty unit residential development ('Redwood City Commons') is located across Walnut Street to the east of the property. A commercial retail business ('Savers') is located to the south of the property. The rear of the property, the west side, backs up to commercial businesses on Main Street. Buildings in the area range from one to four stories. General Plan Land Use Designation and Conformance The existing General Plan Land Use Designation is Heavy Commercial /Office — Mixed Use Residential and Commercial. This designation specifies a residential density range of 20 to 40 units per acre. The site is currently zoned Central Business ( "CB "). The CB Zoning District allows for multi - family residential development as well as a broad range of commercial retail and office uses. The proposed Zoning Map Amendment to a Planned Community Zoning District with an associated Precise Plan would replace the CB Zone for this project area. The Precise Plan would allow for 35-45 dwelling units per acre, slightly greater than what the General Plan currently allows. The City has developed a draft Downtown Area Plan. One of the most significant focuses of that plan is to increase residential densities in the downtown. The 852 -860 Walnut Street project site is located within the Downtown Area Plan boundaries and would be considered supportive of the Downtown Area Plan policies. Although not adopted, the Downtown Area Plan recommends a density range of 35 to 60 dwelling units per acre in the downtown area. The proposed Precise Plan density range of 35-45 dwelling units per acre falls within that range. Implementation of the Downtown Area Plan will require amending both the General Plan and the zoning within the plan area to allow for higher density residential development. Environmental review is currently underway for the Downtown Area Plan. Broad General Plan amendments and other precise plans for the downtown core are anticipated within the next year or so. These amendments will address the minor discrepancy between the existing General Plan Land Use Designation limit of 40 units per acre and the proposed Precise Plan's maximum density of 45 units per acre. Since the land area for this project is only 15,000 square feet, the difference between 40 and 45 units per acre is about 2 additional units. This discrepancy is considered insignificant and temporary, and will be tracked by staff to ensure conformance when the General Plan and Zoning Map amendments for the Downtown Area Plan are made, or within the next General Plan update cycle, which ever comes first. Alternatives 1) Approve the Zoning Map Amendment and Precise Plan for 852 -860 Walnut Street and extend the development criteria associated with the Precise Plan to additional parcels on Walnut Street, through the upcoming Precise Plan that will be the implementation tool for the Downtown Area Plan. 2) Approve the Zoning Map Amendment and Precise Plan for 852 -860 Walnut Street and extend the development criteria associated with the Precise Plan to additional parcels on Walnut Street, through a follow -on Zoning Map Amendment. 3) Do not approve the Zoning Map Amendment and Precise Plan and retain the existing zoning, Central Business. Fiscal Impact No significant fiscal impact is anticipated. However, the introduction of additional housing units can generate additional sales tax revenue due to new residents patronizing local