SR 05:258 - Laserfiche WebLink

driveways. The front yard landscaping for the proposed units along Peters Avenue would include lawns with one-to-two ornamental trees and shrubs, similar to other homes in this area. While staff would prefer that the existing heritage California black walnut tree at the rear of the site be preserved, this would not be feasible due to its location on the site. The Planning Commission stated that the applicant should pay into the City's heritage tree fund to compensate for the removal of this tree. However, staff believes that the applicant is mitigating the loss of this tree along with the other eight trees by the proposed replacement tree planting and that payment into the tree fund should not be required. Staff notes that the City's Tree Preservation Ordinance does not require payment into the fund for trees permitted to be removed as part of new development It has been determined by the City's Landscape Architect that it is infeasible to relocate this tree due to its size and age, that the tree would likely be a hazard if kept in the existing location due to its great size, and that it is a very messy tree in an urban setting. Mr. Winter has been looking for an interested party who might be interested in using the wood from this tree for special projects. As conditioned, the applicants would be required to create a maintenance association to maintain the front yard landscaping at the single-family detached units and all landscaping at the multi-family residential units. General Plan and Downtown Specific Plan Land Use Conformity The General Plan land use designation for the subject site is High Density Residential (greater than eight dwelling units per gross acre). The proposed project, with six units on a 0.26 acre site results in 23 dwelling units per acre, consistent with the General Plan designation. The project would also be consistent with the following General Plan policy in the Housing Element, "at a minimum, maintain the amount of high-density residential acreage currently designated on the General Plan Map". As stated, the project's small unit sizes creates an opportunity for "affordable by design" ownership housing, another objective of the Housing Element. The Downtown Specific Plan designation for the property is High Density Residential. The project is consistent with the following Downtown Specific Plan land use designation and the following policies: . Encourage development at densities which generally exceed the General Plan range midpoints in order to enhance the opportunities for affordable housing, unique housing types, and economic growth in the Downtown. SR:05:258 Page 8