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
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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
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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."
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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.
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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:
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AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Boro, Breiner, Shippey, Thayer & Mayor Mulryan
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
JE M. LEONCINI, City Clerk
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