AgdaPkt 2011-01-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

8.0 Page 2 4. Zoninp Map Amendment Introduce an Ordinance to Rezone the Downtown Precise Plan Area from numerous retail and mixed-use residential zoning designations to the Planned Community District ("P"). (Attachment 4) BACKGROUND ln 2007, the City certified an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and approved a Zoning Map Amendment, General Plan Amendment and Downtown Precise Plan (DTPP or the "Plan") for the Downtown area of Redwood City. The Plan established a contemporary vision for the Downtown area and set forth specific land use parameters, development standards, architectural guidelines, and urban design criteria in order to create a unique and vibrant Downtown. In February 2009, as a result of a legal challenge to the EIR, the Court ordered the City to set aside the DTPP approvals including the Final EIR certification, DTPP adoption and Zoning Map Amendment. The Court identified three primary deficiencies in the 20Q7 EIR as a basis for its decision. They were: � The 2007 EIR did not adequately consider the potential shadow impacts which would result from new DTPP building heights; • The 2007 EIR did not adequately consider the DTPP's potential impacts on historic I �I resources, including historic structures, in the Downtown; and � The 2007 EIR did not adequately consider an alternate site for the project. On March 23, 2009 the City Council adopted an Ordinance setting aside the previous DTPP approvals in compliance with the Court's mandate. This action was taken to enable the City to focus on completion of a new DTPP and EIR. The EIR consultants have now rewritten the EIR to address #he deficiencies described in the Court order, and it is in compliance with all other requirements of the California '� Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The DTPP EIR is a program EIR which means it evaluates a series of actions that can be characterized as one large project and are � related geographically. A subsequent project may "tier" off the DTPP Program EIR once it is certified, and the City, after careful evaluation, may decide to either claim the project � is exempt under the CEQA guidelines, elect to prepare a negative declaration, "focused" EIR, or other appropriate environmental document. In addition to the detailed analyses of the DTPP's potential shadowing effects, its potential impacts an historic resources, and an expanded alternatives analysis, this EIR includes a new traffic analysis to reset the baseline traffic data which, in turn, serves as the basis for new noise, air quality, and greenhouse gas emission evaluations. Some of these studies were also based on work , in the new General Plan. ��, i With these new sections and improvements, the Final EIR and Draft DTPP were recently presented to the Planning Commission. On December 14, 2010, the Planning Commission held a public hearing and after hearing public testimony recommended the following actions to the City Council: 2