Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Resolution 14960 (San Rafael General Plan 2040, Downtown Precise Plan and Zoning Ordinances)1 RESOLUTION NO. 14960 RESOLUTION OF THE SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL ADOPTING THE DOWNTOWN SAN RAFAEL PRECISE PLAN (DOWNTOWN PRECISE PLAN) WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 65300 requires every county and city in California to adopt a General Plan for its long-range development, and further to periodically update that plan to reflect current conditions and issues; and WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael initiated an update of General Plan 2020 in 2017 in order to move the planning horizon forward to 2040; and WHEREAS, the General Plan Update provided an opportunity to review, strengthen, and update long-range planning policies and programs, both on a citywide level and for sub-areas within the City; and WHEREAS, the San Rafael General Plan supports and encourages sub-area planning, including neighborhood plans, precise plans, specific plans, and other plans that focus on particular subareas at a finer level of detail than is appropriate or possible in a General Plan. The General Plan particularly supports such plans in areas expected to grow and change, including Downtown San Rafael (“Downtown”); and WHEREAS, Downtown has been the focus of much of the City’s planning and development activity over the last 40 years, and was designated a Priority Development Area by the City Council in 2009; and WHEREAS, California planning law provides for the preparation of “specific plans” under Government Code Section 65450 et seq. and further allows for the preparation of “precise plans”, which are broadly defined as being similar to specific plans, but more loosely structured and focused on coordinating public and private improvements in subareas of a city; and WHEREAS, precise plans have been effectively used throughout California to accommodate infill development, public realm enhancements, circulation improvements, economic development, historic preservation, and revitalization, especially in downtown areas; and WHEREAS, existing planning guidance for Downtown is provided by a 1993 document called “Our Vision of Downtown San Rafael and Our Implementation Strategy,” (the “1993 Plan”) which does not reflect current trends or conditions in many cases; and WHEREAS, the 1993 Plan for Downtown was prepared prior to the arrival of SMART Rail service in the city and further does not address contemporary issues such as climate change and sea level rise, the loss of redevelopment dollars, increased homelessness and the urgent need for affordable housing, and changes in retail shopping patterns; and 2 WHEREAS, the 1993 Plan for Downtown did not cover the commercial area east of US Highway 101, although this area is within the designated Priority Development Area and serves as an important Downtown gateway and employment center; and WHEREAS, other plans and programs affecting Downtown have been developed since 1993, including the Canalfront Design Plan (2009), the Downtown Station Area Plan (2012), the Downtown Parking and Wayfinding Study (2018), the Third Street Corridor Plan (2019), and various citywide planning documents with specific recommendations for Downtown; and WHEREAS, the City initiated a process in 2017 to develop “Good Design Guidelines” for Downtown, engaging local architects and designers, since this issue was not fully addressed by the 1993 Plan or subsequent plans; and WHEREAS, the City has not performed a comprehensive update of historic resources in Downtown San Rafael since 1976-77. While an administrative update of the inventory was provided in 1986, data on historic resources is more than 40 years old in most cases, requiring costly historic resource evaluations for many modernization and development projects; and WHEREAS, existing development standards in Downtown are not fully aligned and may not provide adequate flexibility, resulting in the need for exceptions and variances in many cases, and additional costs and public hearings. In particular, current density limits make it difficult to achieve allowable building heights in parts of Downtown; and WHEREAS, more flexible zoning regulations and more design-focused standards would be desirable for Downtown, both to expedite project approvals, respond to State law and regional housing initiatives, and improve design quality; and WHEREAS, the General Plan Update provided an opportunity for “economies of scale” to prepare a new Downtown Plan concurrently with the General Plan, particularly with respect to community engagement and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act; and WHEREAS, the City applied for a $500,000 grant from the Association of Bay Area Governments/ Metropolitan Transportation Commission (ABAG/MTC) to replace the 1993 Plan with a new “Precise Plan” for Downtown, and was awarded that grant in April 2018; and WHEREAS, the City provided a 12 percent match to the grant using its General Plan Implementation and Maintenance Fund, thereby providing a viable funding source for the Precise Plan; and WHEREAS, the City Council approved the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for services on the General Plan and Downtown Precise Plan, and the City prepared a detailed work program, issued an RFP, interviewed the top-ranked firms and selected the planning firm of Opticos Design to lead the work; and subsequently entered into a Professional Services Agreement with Opticos, which was approved on January 22, 2019; and WHEREAS, the boundaries of the Precise Plan area were defined collaboratively with the General Plan Steering Committee and set to cover a 265-acre area that extends from the Second/Fourth 3 intersection on the west to Montecito Shopping Center on the east, and from the Mission Street corridor on the north to First Street, Albert Park, and Mahon Creek on the south; and WHEREAS, a comprehensive community engagement strategy was initiated for the Downtown Precise Plan, including: • Five meetings of the General Plan Steering Committee • Downtown Visioning pop-up workshops in March and April 2019 • A three-day design charrette convened in a Downtown storefront in May 2019 • Brown bag lunch presentations on Downtown topics • Focus groups with different stakeholder groups on Downtown issues • An additional pop-up workshop at the Farmers Market in Summer 2019 • Presentations to the Planning Commission and the Citizens Advisory Committee on Economic Development and Affordable Housing • Presentations to the City Council • Facilitated website discussion threads on Downtown issues WHEREAS, a comprehensive inventory of historic resources was conducted for Downtown, including data for 572 properties, a field survey of approximately 160 properties, and preparation of California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523A and 523B forms for 36 properties; and WHEREAS, a variety of existing conditions profiles were prepared for Downtown covering economic conditions, demographic and housing conditions, transportation, infrastructure, and urban design, and these profiles were bundled into a Downtown Profile Report, which was published in June 2019; and WHEREAS, a Draft Downtown Affordable Housing and Anti-Displacement Strategy was prepared in June 2019, identifying measures to incentivize affordable housing production and minimize the displacement of lower income renters; and WHEREAS, a Downtown Options Report was published in October 2019, including urban design and transportation concepts for community discussion; and WHEREAS, the City determined that the best way to achieve its objectives of improved design quality and expedited infill development in the Downtown area was to replace traditional zoning districts with new Form-Based Districts. A Form-Based Code was included as Chapter 9 of the Precise Plan; and WHEREAS, an Administrative Draft Downtown Precise Plan was delivered to the City in May 2020, and discussed by a subcommittee of the General Plan Steering Committee in July and August 2020; and WHEREAS, revisions to the Administrative Draft were made and a Public Review Draft Downtown Precise Plan was published in December 2020; and WHEREAS, the Downtown Precise Plan was included in the “project” evaluated by the Program-level Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for San Rafael General Plan 2040, and was covered in a Scoping Session and Notice of Preparation on March 29, 2019; and 4 WHEREAS, the Draft EIR for the Downtown Precise Plan and San Rafael General Plan was published on January 7, 2021 and circulated for a 61-day review period closing on March 9, 2021; and WHEREAS, responses to comments on the Draft EIR were provided and a Final EIR was published on May 23, 2021, including these responses as well as edits to the Draft EIR; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission convened public hearings on the Draft Downtown Precise Plan on January 12, January 26, and February 9, 2021; and WHEREAS, comments received at those hearings and comments received through written correspondence were duly considered, and responses to comments were provided, including information on how the Precise Plan would be edited; and WHEREAS, the Precise Plan provides policies and actions related to land use, transportation, public realm, historic preservation, affordable housing, economic development, and implementation in order to maintain Downtown as an active, thriving district of the City; and WHEREAS, the Precise Plan includes text and diagrams specifying the location, distribution, intensity, and extent of development; standards and criteria for new development, including standards for historic preservation; and WHEREAS, the Precise Plan would accommodate up to 2,200 new housing units, and accommodate 2,020 additional jobs based on its land use designations; and WHEREAS, the Precise Plan provides for new parks, green spaces, public plazas, and streetscape improvements that encourage pedestrian activity and make Downtown a safer, more comfortable place for walking and bicycling; and WHEREAS, the Precise Plan carries forward the 1993 vision of a Downtown that is “alive after five” with restaurants, entertainment, arts and culture, and housing; and WHEREAS, the Precise Plan implements General Plan 2040, which identifies Downtown as having significant opportunities for change and revitalization, including transit-oriented, walkable development and mixed uses, and which includes a new “Downtown Mixed Use” Map designation that replaces the six Downtown land use designations on the 2020 General Plan Map; and WHEREAS, the Precise Plan was edited in Spring 2021 to reflect public comment, and brought before the Planning Commission for consideration on June 29, 2021, and the revisions substantially respond to the comments received; and WHEREAS, on June 29, 2021, the Planning Commission approved Resolution No. 2021-05 recommending that the San Rafael City Council adopt the Downtown Precise Plan; and WHEREAS, on June 29, 2021, the Planning Commission approved Resolution No. 2021-07 recommending that the City Council adopt conforming amendments to the Municipal Code and adopt the Downtown Form Based Code as the zoning regulations for Downtown San Rafael; and 5 WHEREAS, on July 19, 2021, the City Council certified the Final EIR for General Plan 2040 and the Downtown Precise Plan; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council hereby finds and determines that the above recitals are true and correct, and together with the Staff Report serve as the evidentiary basis in part for the actions set forth below. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council finds that: 1. The proposed Downtown Precise Plan is consistent with the goals and policies of San Rafael General Plan 2040 and serves to implement the General Plan. a. The Downtown Precise Plan will sustain and improve Downtown San Rafael as a safe, attractive, convenient, well-maintained place to visit, shop, recreate, work, and live (General Plan 2040 Policy NH-1.1). b. The Downtown Precise Plan supports the General Plan 2040 guiding principle to “Promote a Thriving Downtown,” and also supports principles of economic vitality, opportunity for all, housing our growing community, mobility, and adapting to the future. c. The Downtown Precise Plan is consistent with the General Plan Land Use Map and its designation of the Precise Plan Area as a Downtown Mixed Use District. The heights and intensities of development in the Precise Plan are consistent and compatible with the heights and intensities described in General Plan 2040. d. The Downtown Precise Plan implements Land Use Element policies relating to transit- oriented development, mixed use development, and innovative housing types, and Neighborhoods Element policies relating to Downtown’s economic success, Downtown housing, Downtown employment, preventing displacement, public realm improvements, context-sensitive design, Downtown’s historic resources, Downtown arts, Downtown circulation and parking, and hazard resilience (Policies NH-1.2 through NH-1.12). e. The Downtown Precise Plan uses the buildout projections cited in Table 4-1 of General Plan 2040, including 2,200 housing units and 700,000 square feet of non-residential floor space. f. The design standards and guidelines in the Precise Plan are consistent with the policy direction provided by the Community Design and Preservation Element, including Policy CDP-2.2 (Downtown Urban Design) and other policies calling for enhanced gateways (CDP-2.6), plazas and active public spaces (CDP-3.1), street furnishings (CDP-3.2), landscaping (CDP-3.3, 3.4, and 4.10), street trees (CDP-3.5), wayfinding (CDP-3.7), design guidelines (CDP-4.1), creative architecture (CDP-4.3), high-density design (CDP- 4.5), larger-scale buildings (CDP-4.7), and scale transitions (CDP-4.8). g. The Downtown Precise Plan supports General Plan historic preservation policies, including an updated inventory of historic resources, recommendations for new historic districts and landmarks, preservation incentives, support for adaptive reuse of older buildings and the maintenance of historic properties, and development standards to protect the integrity of historic properties. h. The Downtown Precise Plan supports conservation and climate change goals by concentrating future development on urbanized land in a pattern that reduces dependence on fossil fuel vehicles and facilitates walking, cycling, and transit use, and by encouraging restoration of Mahon and Irwin Creeks. 6 i. The Downtown Precise Plan supports safety and resilience goals by including provisions for sea level rise and adaptation, especially along the San Rafael Canal. j. The Downtown Precise Plan supports mobility goals by accommodating development in a way that will reduce vehicle miles traveled, and by promoting safety and “complete street” improvements on Downtown streets, and managing parking more efficiently. k. The Downtown Precise Plan is aligned with General Plan 2040 goals and policies addressing arts and culture, economic vitality, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. l. The Downtown Precise Plan includes incentives for affordable housing production, and measures to reduce the displacement of lower income households, and includes housing opportunities to help the City meet its regional housing needs allocation for 2023-2031. 2. The proposed Downtown Precise Plan would support the public interest, health, safety, convenience, and welfare of the community, because: a. The Plan facilitates the production of housing, including affordable housing. The elimination of FAR and density standards will remove a potential obstacle and encourage higher density housing serving a variety of income groups. b. The Plan establishes objective design standards for Downtown, with provisions that support higher quality design and architecture and improved private and public space. c. The Plan improves traffic safety and includes improvements that would reduce collisions and injuries, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists. d. The Plan encourages retail and local business uses, while also providing the flexibility to respond to changes in the retail sector, and recent trends facilitating remote work. e. The Plan includes height bonus provisions for projects that include community benefits such as childcare, community meeting space, and publicly-accessible parking. f. The Plan includes provisions for new public spaces and plazas, including improvements to the gateway area around the Downtown SMART station and transit center. g. The Plan encourages the protection of San Rafael’s historic resources and greater awareness and appreciation of the city’s heritage. h. The Plan envisions occasional closure of Fourth Street and long-term improvements to Fourth Street as a civic space that serves multiple purposes, in addition to carrying vehicle traffic. i. The Plan strives to make Downtown a place where everyone feels welcome, and that is accessible to all residents of San Rafael. 3. The proposed plan promotes development of desirable character, harmonious with existing and proposed development in the surrounding area. a. The Plan recognizes that Downtown is a unique part of San Rafael that requires special standards, guidelines, and policy direction. The Plan includes a Form-Based Code that has been specifically tailored to Downtown. b. The Plan recognizes that Downtown provides unique development opportunities since it is the heart of the City, its most densely developed area, is well served by transit, includes a mix of historic and contemporary buildings, and has a number of underdeveloped and vacant sites with the capacity to accommodate housing and employment uses. c. The Plan facilitates the coordination of physical improvements across multiple parcels and encourages lot consolidation to create more viable opportunity sites. 7 d. The Plan includes upper story setbacks to reduce shading and building mass, add visual interest, and maintain a pedestrian scale at the street level. e. The area covered by the Precise Plan was selected to correspond to higher-density residential and commercial properties and largely excludes low and moderate density residential neighborhoods. In the few instances where such neighborhoods are included within the boundary, the existing residential zoning is being retained. f. The height limits and height bonuses established by the Precise Plan have been set to reduce the potential for conflicts with lower density areas and step down along the perimeter. g. The Plan includes provisions for parking and traffic management that reduce impacts on adjacent lower density neighborhoods. h. The Plan includes a comprehensive inventory of Downtown’s historic properties and identifies those eligible as individual and contributing resources. This information will help protect the City’s heritage and ensure that new development is sensitive to historic context. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any documents attached by hyperlink to this resolution will be edited as necessary following adoption to incorporate the finally-approved documents, included related addenda. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the San Rafael City Council adopts the Downtown Precise Plan (Exhibit A). I, Lindsay Lara, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of San Rafael held on Monday, the 2nd day of August 2021 by the following vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Bushey, Hill, Kertz, Llorens Gulati & Mayor Kate NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None Lindsay Lara, City Clerk EXHIBIT A (by hyperlink): Downtown Precise Plan (Part One and Part Two)