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P21-1173, PUD-146 and Tract 8631: 475 & 493 St. John Street Planning Commission <br />3 of 32 <br /> <br />The subject properties, referred to hereafter as the ‘project site’, are located within the <br />Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) area and zoned C-C and Downtown Revitalization District. As <br />part of the 2019 DSP Update, pursuant to Policy LD-P1.5, the City Council determined the <br />project site may redevelop with approval of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) application, <br />which would rezone the project site and evaluate appropriate density and design , required a <br />Work Session during the Preliminary Review stage. In discussion, the City Council noted a <br />residential-only project is not desirable and stated a redevelopment application should try and <br />maintain the existing amount of commercial square footage that exists on the site . <br /> <br />The project was presented to the Planning Commission at a Work Session on March 21, 2021, <br />where the applicant presented two development options for the project site. Option 1 was an <br />all-residential development proposal for 10 detached, two-story single-family homes and seven <br />second-story accessory dwelling units above detached garages. Option 2 was a mixed -use <br />development for nine detached, two-story single-family homes and five second-story <br />accessory dwelling units above detached garages, and an approximately 1,877-square-foot, <br />two-story office building with a five-stall parking lot. The Planning Commission was not <br />supportive of an all-residential project and directed the applicant to return with a mixed-use <br />project that maintained the existing amount of commercial square -footage currently on-site and <br />make every feasible effort to address the public comments received. The Work Session <br />meeting minutes are available upon request or accessible online. <br /> <br />Since the Work Session, the applicant has been working with the property owner and City staff <br />to provide a redevelopment application for a mixed -use project based on the feedback <br />received. The environmental review documentation, consideration for mixed-use rezoning, <br />certificate of appropriateness, PUD development plan, and Vesting Tentative Map are now <br />before the Planning Commission for consideration of a recommendation to the City Council. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />General Plan, Specific Plan, and Zoning <br />Applicable General Plan, Downtown Specific Plan, and Zoning regulations are summarized <br />below. Compliance with focused regulations and policies are analyzed further in the Analysis <br />section of this agenda report. <br /> <br />General Plan Designation. The project site has two General Plan designations: 1) <br />Retail/Highway/Service Commercial Business and Professional Offices; and 2) Public Health <br />and Safety Wildland Overlay. The Arroyo del Valle and adjacent riparian area occupies a <br />portion of the project site; this area has the General Plan Land Use designation of Public <br />Health and Safety with Wildland Overlay and, therefore, is undevelopable. The General Plan <br />Retail/Highway/Service Commercial Business and Professional Office designation applies to <br />the remainder of the site. This designation does not preclude residential development if it <br />contains a commercial component. Mixed-use is identified under the retail/highway/service <br />commercial land use designations. <br /> <br />Downtown Specific Plan Designation. The project site is within the DSP area and has two <br />Specific Plan designations – Downtown Commercial and Open Space-Arroyo. The Arroyo del <br />Valle portion of the project site has the DSP designation of Open Space -Arroyo and is <br />undevelopable. Mixed-use is identified as appropriate under the Downtown Commercial <br />designation.