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<br />Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council: <br />BACKGROUND <br />At its May 11, 200S public hearing, the Planning Commission reviewed the proposed <br />proj ect. The Commission expressed concerns related to parking, architectural design, <br />density, actual affordabi1ity, and the loss of the 44" heritage black walnut tree. The <br />Commission voted unanimously to continue the project requesting it be subject to a peer <br />review evaluation and to have the Housing Commission provide comment. <br />At its June 16, 200S public hearing, the Housing Commission reviewed and commented <br />on the proposed project forwarding this review to the Planning Commission. As <br />discussed below, the Housing Commission expressed support of the project. <br />On July 27, 200S the Planning Commission reviewed and considered the additional <br />information requested from the May 11, 200S hearing. The Planning Commission <br />rendered its final determination resulting in a denial of the project. The applicant has <br />appealed this action to the City Council. <br />SITE DESCRIPTION <br />The subject site is an approximately 11,271 square foot (.26 acre) infilllot located in the <br />Downtown Specific Plan area and bounded by St. John Street to the north and Peters <br />Avenue to the east. There is a vacant lot to the west of the site which is also zoned RM- <br />IS, Multiple-Family Residential. To the north across St. John Street is an existing two- <br />story multiple-family development and a two-story single-family residence. To the east <br />across Peters Avenue is a two-story commercial/office development which houses the <br />Chamber of Commerce, and to the south is a one-story single-family residence with a <br />recently constructed second unit. <br />There is a one-story residence, built between 1915 and 1920, located on this relatively <br />flat site that will be demolished as a result of the project construction. <br />There are a total of 12 trees on the property which are six inches in diameter or larger in <br />size. Eight of these trees are in moderate to good condition. Three significant trees will <br />be retained: two street trees consisting of a coast live oak, and a Modesto ash, and along <br />the western property boundary, a coast live oak. <br />PROJECT DESCRIPTION <br />The applicant proposes to rezone the subject site from the RM-lS (Multiple-Family <br />Residential-minimum 1,SOO sq. ft. lot are per unit) District and Core Area Overlay <br />SR:OS:2S8 <br />Page 3 <br />