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l --, , !; ~I ~- r_-- - _- - - - - - -- - ` -- FIRST STREET STREETSCAPE ELEVATION DISCUSSION Both the General Plan land use designation and the Downtown Specific Plan designation for the subject site are High Density Residential (greater than eight dwelling units per gross acre). The proposed project, with five units on approximately 0.30 acres, would result in 16.6 units per acre. Although the High Density Residential designation does not have a midpoint density, the City uses 15 dwelling units per acre as the midpoint density benchmark. This proposed development's density is, therefore, 1.6 units per acre greater than the midpoint for the high-density residential land use. Thus, this proposal is consistent with the land use designation, and complies with the Downtown Specific Plan policy of encouraging development at densities that exceed the General Plan midpoints in order to enhance the opportunities for unique housing types, affordable housing, and economic growth in the Downtown. Furthermore, the proposed project meets the Downtown Specific Plan's Historic Preservation Objective of preserving designated historic resources that can reasonably be preserved. Improvements to the home will include replacing the solid railing with a new, detailed, turned-wood railing and a color that is complementary to the proposed units and the surrounding area. The structural and architectural integrity, however, will stay intact. The preservation of the existing home would maintain the existing character of the streetscape as well as providing a smooth gradation of building mass when viewed from First Street. In order to ensure that the renovation of the historic home is conducted in a manner that preserves the integrity of the structure, staff has added a condition to the project requiring the applicant to replace any materials or details in kind, subject to review and approval by the Planning Director. Page 4 of 9