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specifies that residential development projects that are proposed pursuant to the <br /> requirements of an adopted specific plan for which an EIR has been prepared and <br /> certified are exempt from additional environmental review provided: 1) there are no <br /> substantial changes to the project or to the circumstances under which the project is <br /> being undertaken that involve new significant environmental effects or that substantially <br /> increase the severity of previously identified effects; or 2) that new information of <br /> substantial importance which was not known at the time the previous EIR was certified <br /> shows the project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the ER. <br /> Staff does not believe that there are any changes in the project, circumstances, or new <br /> information causing new significant environmental effects. Thus, staff recommends this <br /> project be reviewed without any additional CEQA review or process. <br /> CONCLUSION <br /> Rezoning the site to PUD-HDR would be consistent with the General Plan and <br /> Downtown Specific Plan land use designations of High Density Residential. Infill <br /> developments, especially those in the Downtown, have various challenges and site <br /> constraints requiring often times the flexibility allowed by the Planned Unit Development <br /> zoning process. Staff believes that the project blends in with the Downtown's character <br /> and that impacts to the adjacent residents have been minimized by the positioning of <br /> the homes, modest house heights for two-story structures, and prohibition of future <br /> additions. Residents who live in the development will be able to walk to Downtown to <br /> shop and eat, thus adding to the economic viability of Downtown. Therefore, staff <br /> recommends that the Council approve the proposed project. <br /> ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION <br /> The following are other options that the Council may wish to consider and/or discuss: <br /> Option No. 1: <br /> Deny the project. Denial of the project would require the applicant to wait one year <br /> before submitting the same or substantially same application. <br /> Option No. 2: <br /> Return the project to staff, the Planning Commission, and applicant with direction to <br /> address specific concerns identified by the Council. This is a similar approach to the <br /> Civic Square Apartment project whereby the project was refined to address specific <br /> concerns and later approved by the City Council. <br /> Submitted by: Fiscal Review: Approve by: <br /> Brian Dolan Emily Wagner Nelson Fialho <br /> Director of Director of Finance City Manager <br /> Community Development <br /> Page 7 of 8 <br />