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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Resolution 8218 (General Plan Amendments)RESOLUTION NO. 8218 RESOLUTION OF THE SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL CERTIFYING A NEGATIVE DECLARATION AND ADOPTING THE MICSCELLANEOUS GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT (GPA 90-2) WHEREAS, the 1990 Annual General Plan Evaluation reviewed by the Planning Commission and City Council contained several recommendations for potential General Plan amendments -to update the plan -to clarify wording of certain policies -to address issues which had arisen since General Plan adoption; and WHEREAS, the Council directed staff to proceed with these Plan amendments; and WHEREAS, notification of the proposed amendments occurred as specified by State law; and WHEREAS, staff identified the various amendments, with corresponding background analysis in the staff report; and WHEREAS, an environmental assessment for the proposed program and policy changes to the San Rafael General Plan 2000 resulted in a Negative Declaration of Environmental Impacts. The Negative Declaration was prepared on May 16, 1990, and no comments were received; and WHEREAS, the San Rafael Planning Commission is required by state law to hold at least one public hearing and make a written recommendation to the legislative body on the adoption of any Plan amendments; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on June 12, 1990, to hear public comments on the proposed amendments; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed the staff report and written and verbal testimony on the Negative Declaration and the plan amendments; and WHEREAS, the San Rafael City Council is required by state law to hold at least one public hearing on the adoption of any Plan amendments; and WHEREAS, the Council held two public hearings on July 2 and August 6, 1990, to hear public comments on the proposed amendments; and WHEREAS, the Council reviewed the staff report and written and verbal testimony on the Negative Declaration and the plan amendments. RIGINAL �z�a NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the San Rafael City Council certifies the Negative Declaration and adopts the following package of General Plan amendments: A. MINOR PLAN MODIFICATIONS TO UPDATE/CLARIFY THE PLAN 1. Modify C -i and C -j to read as follows: C -i. Transit Service Evaluation. Identify local transit needs based on public comments to the City. Relay such comments to transit providers. C -j. Coordination with Transit Providers. Coordinate with transit operators and advocate changes in transit service based on review of operator proposals and known local problems. 2. Modify LU-ee as follows:. LU-ee. Water Conservation. Except where reclaimed water use is possible, establish water conserving landscape design standards consistent with MMWD recommendations which, for example, limits turf areas, includes automatic, low volume irrigation systems. Interior water fixtures shall be water conserving in accordance with MMWD recommendations. 3. Update the following circulation programs to read as follow: C -e. Circulation Element Revision. Evaluate and revise the circulation section and General Plan assumptions as new countywide transportation information becomes available, through Countywide Plan review or other regional studies. C-1. Regional Transportation Participation. Continue participation in cooperative, regional Highway 101 corridor efforts to meet future transportation needs. 4. Revise the priority of C -s McInnis Parkway Preliminary Design Study from a Priority 1 to a Priority 3. 5. Revise the priority of SVS -1, the St. Vincents/Silveira Advisory Committee, from a Priority 1 to a Priority 2, and modify timing language of policy SVS -1 accordingly. Additionally, clarify the intent of SVS -1 as follows and make related changes to SVS -a and b: SVS -1. Specific Plan. A Specific Plan shall be adopted for the St. Vincents and Silveira area prior to any development applications being approved, except for reuse of the existing St. Vincents School facilities, minor or moderate expansion of St. Vincents School, reuse of the Honor Farm property, or development of adjacent properties to the south of the Honor Farm. A St. Vincents/Silveira Advisory Committee shall be appointed by the City Council to assist in the development of this Specific Plan. The Specific Plan will include a review of General Plan land uses, intensities and development locations on the St. Vincents and Silveira properties. Currently the -2- General Plan proposes "Agriculture/Recreation/Land Reserve" for portions of the St. Vincents and Silveira lands located east of the railroad tracks, and "Conservation Area" and "Mixed Use" for 570+ acres of St. Vincents and Silveira lands located between Highway 101 and the railroad tracks. Upper limits of planned development within the "Mixed Use" area are 2,100 homes, 100,000 square feet of commercial or neighborhood commercial; and 261,000 square feet of office. The Committee may recommend designations which modify the mix and revise this total potential downward. SVS -a. Prezoning Action. Prezone to a Planned Development zone consistent with an adopted Specific Plan prior to any development applications being approved (except for reuse of the existing St. Vincents School facilities, minor or moderate expansion of St. Vincents School, reuse of the Honor Farm property, or development of adjacent properties to the south of the Honor Farm)." SVS -b. Annexation. Prior to or concurrent with any development approvals (except for reuse of the existing St. Vincents School facilities, minor or moderate expansion of St. Vincents School, reuse of the Honor Farm property, or development of adjacent properties to the south of the Honor Farm), the St. Vincents and Silveira properties shall be annexed to the City of San Rafael. 6. Revise the priorities of the Downtown Design Plan and the Downtown Plan from a Priority 2 and Priority 3 to a Priority 1 and combine with the Downtown Strategic Plan. 7. Revise the Library Expansion priority from a Priority 2 and 3 to a Priority 1, 8. Eliminate program S -b. 9. Revise the San Rafael General Plan 2000 Section IV "Implementing Program Priorities (1/90)" Table consistent with the aforementioned program modifications (#4-9). 10. Revise the City Trails Plan consistent with adopted, updated County Trails Element as shown on the accompanying map. B. AMENDMENTS TO ADDRESS ISSUES WHICH HAVE COME UP SINCE THE GENERAL PLAN 2000 WAS ADOPTED 11. Adopt new Fairhills policy (added after RES -7) referencing the Fairhills "Proposed Zoning" map, added to the General Plan Appendices: "Fairhills Development Patterns. General Plan policy requires that new development be consistent with existing development patterns. Until rezonings consistent with the General Plan are adopted, the "Proposed Rezoning" map in the appendices shall be used for determining whether new subdivisions are consistent with existing development patterns." 1911 12. Redesignate Brookdale Avenue parcels from "High Density Residential" to "Medium Density Residential" and add the following policy after RES -8. Brookdale Avenue. On an interim basis until duplex rezonings are adopted, in order to maintain the existing character of Brookdale Avenue, duplex development shall be considered the appropriate type of development consistent with the General Plan." 13. Redesignate parcels 45 Fremont (parcels 12-041-14 through 17) from "Low Density Residential" to "Hillside Residential". 14. Redesignate 157 Woodland (parcels 13-114-19, 20) from "Medium Density Residential" to a "Hillside Residential" designation. 15. Provide parcel 155-200-03 with a 7 pm peak trip traffic allocation for development. 16. Expand ESR -28 to include an exemption from the Priority Project Procedure as well as FAR and peak trip limits as follows: ESR -28 Exemption. AP 9-290-60,61, which have a valid approval for a specific building square footage exceeding the FAR/peak hour trips allowed by the Plan shall be exempt from the proposed FAR/trip limits and the Priority Project Procedure. Three critical moves shall be reserved with no timing restrictions for development of AP 9- 290-60,61. 17. Revise LU -14b. to state: b. Northgate. FAR of 0.3 for all commercial and industrial uses. Within the Smith Ranch area, where the Northgate Activity Center Plan formerly permitted transfers of traffic trips among properties, the area of an existing (in 1988) parking easement may be allocated among the parcels benefitted and burdened by such easement for the purpose of determining the FAR of such parcels, if the City previously relied on the easement in approving the development of one or more of the benefitted parcels. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council finds these recommended revisions to be in the public interest in that they help keep the Plan current; clarify wording of certain policies or programs; modify land use designations consistent with site constraints, poor access and/or neighborhood character; clarify proposed zoning consistent with adopted land use designations; or recognize unique and special circumstances. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council finds, based on substantial evidence in the record, that 157 Woodland Avenue (Assessor Parcels 13-114- 19, 20) meets all criteria set forth in General Plan Policy LU -9b for the "Hillside Residential" land use category, and that the designation of this site as "Hillside Residential" is consistent with General Plan policies LU -10, NE -20 and RES -1. -4- BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council finds, based on substantial evidence in the record, that 45 Fremont Road (Assessor Parcels 12-041- 14,15,16,17) meets all criteria set forth in General Plan Policy LU -9b for the "Hillside Residential" land use category, and that the designation of this site as "Hillside Residential" is consistent with General Plan policies LU -10, NE -20 and RES -1. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council finds that the following unique and special circumstances apply to LU -14b: Assessor Parcels 155-121- 05, 09, 10 which the amendment would apply to were subject to special rules which were applicable only to Smith Ranch Master Plan properties which the City created and then changed in a short time while the primary affected property owner had applications in to the City; the City recognized the permanent parking easement applicable to the subject properties in granting prior approvals; there is no substantial adverse impact on other property subject to the parking easement; and the overall FAR for the properties subject to the parking easement would not exceed the Northgate FAR. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the environmental assessment relied on the prior General Plan EIR to identify impacts of the General Plan policies and land use designations and identified no significant new environmental impacts resulting from the new or revised policies, programs or land use designations; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon review and consideration of the environmental assessment, the Council makes the following finding in accordance with Section 15092 of the CEQA guidelines: This proposed amendment to the General Plan includes a reduction in the number of housing units from the San Rafael General Plan 2000 (Adopted July, 1988) for the following reasons: Detailed site specific review subsequent to the General Plan identified that the 157 Woodland and 45 Fremont Street sites are steeply sloping sites with poor access; are in the high hazard slope stability categories 3 and 4 relating to slope stability, and 157 Woodland is also in a high geoseismic hazard category 4, according to General Plan maps: environmental constraints merit the lower land use designations. It was also identified, subsequent to General Plan adoption, that 45 Fremont Street is one legal parcel rather than 4. A lower density residential designation for Brookdale Avenue furthers General Plan policy to protect the character of existing residential neighborhoods. These changes are not significant: the estimated likely difference in development potential as a result of the changes is estimated to total approximately 40-55 units. The foregoing resolution was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of San Rafael on the 20 day of August, 1990, and adopted by the following vote, to wit: -5- AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Boro, Breiner, Shippey, Thayer & Mayor Mulryan NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None JE M. LEONCINI, City Clerk w