AgdaPkt 2011-01-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

8.0 Ex��120 5. Coordination with re�ional plannin� efforts. Several regional agencies, incIuding the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Metro�olitan ! Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), have plans and programs in place to encourage development away from rural areas, wildlife areas, and the Bay and into downtowns, job centers, and transit station areas. In fact, ABAG has designated Downtown Redwood City as a Priority Development Area. In addition, the Downtown Precise Plan is an important part of the Grand Boulevard Initiative, which is a coalition of nineteen cities, two counties, and local and regional transportation agencies which seeks to facilitate compact, walkable, and transit-oriented growth along El Camino Real by improving the safety and aesthetics of the highway throughout the region. The original Downtown Precise Plan and the Montgomery Villa housing project on El Camino Real were both awarded "Grand Boulevard Awards" for their contributions toward the realization of this regional vision. The Northern California Chapter of the American Planning Association also awarded the original Downtown Precise Plan with its Comprehensive Planning, Small Jurisdiction award in 2008 in recognition of its contribution toward planning in the region. 6. Enhanced economic development. By encouraging and facilitating high- quality, context-sensitive development, the Downtown Precise Plan will help support economic development. Future office, residential, and hotel construction will place new � custorners within easy reach of Downtown shops and restaurants, increasing their chances ' for success. Increased economic activity in Downtow�n, combined with the protections in the Downtown Precise Plan, will add value to historic resources, increasing the likelihood of adaptive re-use and reducing the odds of neglect. Increased property values and retail sales will also increase revenue for the City of Redwood City, improving its ability to provide public safety and services. 7. Reduced suburban sprawl. Development is often difficult in existing urban areas due to srnaller sites, high land costs, increased likelihood of opposition, and stringent zoning, which often leads developers to seek out sites at the edge of the metropolitan area where there are fewer constraints. However, low density growth in rural areas (often called "suburban sprawl") increases congestion on regional highways, destroys farmland and wildlife habitats, and requires expensive new infrastructure. By allowing for a reasonable amount of regional growth in a very desirable and efficient infill location, the Downtown Precise Plan can have the benefit of reducing pressure for future suburban sprawl by a corresponding amount. 8. Preservation of sensitive nei�hborhoods. By providing for higher-density residential growth downtown, the Downtown Precise Plan would relieve growth pressure on some of the City's more sensitive neighborhoods which are dominated by low-rise single family homes and are known or expected to contain many of the City's historic resources, thereby better maintaining the character of those neighborhoods and better protecting existing and future historic resources. S:1R6SOLL.fTIONS1Reso. 2092 CEQA Findin�s for DPP F.xhibit B.doc 60 01201I