SUBJECT: DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN

Recommendation:

Direct staff as deemed appropriate

Background :

On July 20, 1999 the City Council discussed several problems relative to the downtown and directed staff to:

• Prepare a list of issues which a downtown specific plan can address.
• Provide a schedule for preparing and implementing a downtown specific

Analysis:

Specific plans are intended to guide specific land use decisions related to use, function, design and operation of an area. Specific plans are adopted by ordinance. They are prepared for commercial or residential areas by adding a new chapter to the Zoning Ordinance and amending the General Plan.

The process involves achieving community consensus on the direction for the plan through community meetings and workshops leading to review and formal public hearing by the Planning Commission and City Council. The City currently has several Specific Plan Area (SPA) designations in the General Plan and the Zoning Ordinance relating to both commercial and residential uses though they are parcel specific rather than district specific.

Contents of a Specific Plan

A downtown specific plan generally contains goals, objectives, policies and programs, a map describing the plan area, definitions of planning terms, a list of permitted, prohibited and limited uses, design standards and operation standards for the plan area. The kinds of regulations found in a downtown specific plan include:

• Regulations on building size or bulk.
• Specific parking regulations.
• Specific use regulations by block or by plan area.
• Public improvement plans or policies
• Use requirements for encroachments over public property
• Operation requirements for special districts such as business improvement districts (BIDS) or special assessment districts.

It is also possible to make specific use provision limitations related to new Conditional Use Permits and entertainment permits or to provide for a new zone or uses such as mixed use development.

Schedule for Preparing, Adopting and Implementing a Specific Plan

Processing Steps:

Environmental Clearance: Initial Study, Mitigated Negative Declaration

Amendment to the General Plan

Ordinance (to amend the Zoning Ordinance)

Coastal Commission approval (to amend Local Coastal Plan)

 

TASKS	TIME TO COMPLETE (from start)
1. Problem identification, research, determination of scope of project, community workshop (whether in-house or with consultant)	3 months
2. Preparation of draft Specific Plan with input from workshop	5 months
3. Preparation of Initial Study (including analysis, if necessary of traffic impacts, etc.) with recommendation for Mitigated Negative Declaration	6 months
4. Planning Commission formal public hearing on and final recommendation	7 months
5. City Council consideration, formal public hearing, final action.	8 months
6. Submittal to Coastal Commission, Coastal Commission hearing	10 months

 

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