HomeMy WebLinkAboutCD General Plan 2040 Progress Report____________________________________________________________________________________
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
Council Meeting: 03/04/2019
Disposition: Accepted Report
Agenda Item No: 7.a
Meeting Date: March 4, 2019
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: Community Development
Prepared by: Paul A. Jensen
Community Development Director
City Manager Approval: ______________
TOPIC: GENERAL PLAN 2040
SUBJECT: GENERAL PLAN 2040 PROGRESS REPORT #1
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept report.
BACKGROUND:
The San Rafael General Plan 2040 is well underway and is roughly at the halfway point in the process.
This effort has been guided by the General Plan 2040 Steering Committee (Steering Committee), which,
to date, has held 11 monthly meetings. The technical consultant team has been hired and their work has
commenced.
It is important to keep the City Council and public informed of milestones and actions through the course
of the General Plan 2040 process. For this reason, the City Council will receive periodic reports on the
progress and actions. These periodic reports will also: a) provide the City Council with an opportunity to
weigh-in on the milestones and actions; and b) inform and educate the Council on critical, technical and
policy information during this process. To date, the following actions have been taken, which have
incorporated the input from and recommendations of the Steering Committee:
1.Guiding Principles- Guiding Principles have been developed to serve as the framework for the
General Plan 2040. These principles are presented in the attached graphic (Attachment 1) and
have been posted on the General Plan 2040 webpage (here). The central core of the Guiding
Principles is “A Thriving City,” which is supported by:
a.“Economic Vitality,” which addresses, among others, promoting a positive business climate
and sustaining a healthy tax base;
b.“Housing a Growing Community,” which addresses, among others, promoting more housing
development and improving housing;
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2
c.“Adapting to the Future,” which includes, among others, preparation for and accommodating
climate change;
d.“Mobility,” which addresses, among others, the management of congestion and improving all
modes of travel; and
e.“Opportunity for All,” which addresses, among others, reducing income inequity, ending
homelessness, and improving health and wellness.
The Guiding Principles also recognize “Our Foundation,” the community achievements that have
been made, such as open space preservation, creating great neighborhoods, and preserving
historic legacy.
2.Format - Table of Contents- The format/organization for the General Plan 2040 has been finalized
and can be accessed here. While a majority of the current General Plan 2020 elements will be
retained and carried over, several elements will be combined (Open Space and Conservation
Elements) or renamed (e.g., Circulation Element changed to Mobility Element; Safety Element
changed to Resilience Element). A new element, the Education, Wellness and Environmental
Justice Element has been added.
3.Land Use Categories and Definitions- The draft land use categories and definitions for the Land
Use Element can be accessed here. For the most part, the land use categories and definitions
are proposed to be carried over from the current General Plan 2020. The following is a summary
of major changes:
a.For the residential land use categories, the current General Plan 2020 sets limits using “gross
density per acre,” which differs from the City’s zoning districts which set limits using “net
density per acre.” Gross density includes streets and is about 25-30% lower than net density
(which is limited to within the property boundaries). It is not uncommon for a General Plan to
use the gross density metric particularly where the community has large undeveloped areas
necessitating a planned circulation/street network. However, it is not practical or logical to
use the gross density metric for built-out communities. As San Rafael is essentially built out
and no new major circulation/street network is planned or proposed, it is logical to switch to
the net density metric. This action will make City zoning match the General Plan land use
densities.
b.A new Downtown land use category is proposed which will cover the Downtown Precise Plan
area. The current Downtown land use designations, which originated from the Downtown San
Rafael Vision (1993) are proposed to be collapsed into one Downtown land use designation.
The Downtown Precise Plan will address the sub-areas for allowable uses and land
development standards. For residential development in the Downtown, it is envisioned that
density limits (referenced in 3.a above) will be replaced by a range of floor-area-ratio (FAR)
standards.
4.Land Use Element Goals, Policies and Programs-
a. Most of the land use policies and programs of the current General Plan 2020 are proposed to
be carried over with minor revisions in formatting and text. However, a number of policies and
programs are proposed for revision or expansion to address more current issues such as
climate change, sustainability, and circulation/mobility.
b.While the current height limits are proposed to be carried over from the General Plan 2020,
there are some substantial changes to Land Use Policies LU-17 (Building Heights) and LU-
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3
18 (Height Bonuses). Proposed changes to Policy LU-17 include a provision to allow for an
increase in building heights by six feet above the base height limit to mitigate exposure of
properties to sea level rise and flooding risks. Regarding Policy LU-18: 1) the height bonuses
for Downtown have been removed from the policy and will be specified in the Downtown
Precise Plan; 2) an expanded height bonus (from 12 feet to 24 feet) for affordable housing is
proposed for the Marin Square property to match the zoning ordinance; 3) a citywide height
bonus of 12 feet is proposed for housing projects that are 100% affordable; and 4) the citywide
height bonus for hotel uses has been eliminated. Regarding the latter, the current Land Use
Element allows a 54-foot height limit for hotel uses outside of Downtown, so it has been
determined that an additional height bonus is not necessary.
c. A new Program LU-19b is proposed to evaluate an overlay zone or “innovation” district to be
considered for certain light industrial/office areas in which multi-family residential uses would
be conditionally allowed. The current General Plan 2020 Light Industrial/Office land use
designation does not permit residential uses. This proposal generated a lot of discussion by
the Steering Committee as there are “pro and cons” to this concept. The Steering Committee
expressed concerns about use compatibility and the need to preserve the current, local- and
regional-serving businesses in these areas.
The proposed Land Use Element policies and programs can be accessed here.
5. Downtown Precise Plan Boundaries-
The boundaries of the Downtown Precise Plan boundaries have been set. The final boundary
map is attached (Attachment 2). The boundaries of the Downtown Precise Plan consider and
incorporate the following;
a. All the districts established by the Downtown San Rafael Vision (1993) and included in the
current General Plan 2020;
b. The areas covered by the Downtown San Rafael Station Area Plan (2012), a one-half-mile
radius from the SMART rail station and San Rafael Transit Center (with some exceptions such
as residential and industrial);
c. The areas covered by the Downtown Parking & Wayfinding Study (2018); and
d. Key properties/land uses that are immediately contiguous and integral to Downto wn such as
Albert Park/B Street Safeway property and Glass & Sash to the south and Montecito Shopping
Center to the east.
In addition to the progress reports, staff will periodically bring forward to the City Council major General
Plan 2040 policy issues for review and early direction. The intent is to get policy direction from the City
Council before technical studies are completed and policy is drafted for Steering Committee review. For
example, in early Spring, the City Council will be requested to review and provide direction on circulation
and mobility policies required to address changes in State law. As previously reported, by 2020, State
law requires that the City transition from using the current level of service (LOS) traffic methodology to a
“vehicle miles traveled” (VMT) traffic methodology for circulation planning. A “white paper” on VMT is
being prepared by Fehr & Peers, transportation consultants. This white paper will be presented to the
City Council along with specific policy questions.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 4
ANALYSIS:
As this is a progress report, there is no analysis of the above issues and topic areas. However, this report
provides an opportunity for the City Council to comment on the progress and the direction of the work to
date.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
As this is a progress report, there was no formal noticing for this item. However, notice of this report has
been posted on the General Plan 2040 meetings and events webpage.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Accept report.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Final Guiding Principles
2. Final Boundary Map for Downtown Precise Plan Area
ATTACHMENT 1 Draft General Plan 2040 GUIDING PRINCIPLES
ECONOMIC VITALITY
• Invest in Education
• Create a Positive Business
Climate
• Promote a Thriving Downtown
• Support Entrepreneurship
• Encourage Diverse Job
Growth
• Sustain a Healthy Tax Base
• Improve Transportation and
Infrastructure
• Nurture Arts and Entertainment
ADAPTING TO THE FUTURE
Prepare for Climate Change
• Live Green and Sustainably
• Restore Natural Systems
• Be Prepared for Disasters
• Embrace Innovation
• Adopt to Economic Shifts
• Create Great Public Spaces
• Accommodate Change
DRAFT GENERAL PLAN 2040
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
• Reduce Income Inequality
• End Homelessness
• Integrate Diverse Cultures
• Improve Health and Wellness
• Support Educational
Excellence
• Ensure Environmental Justice
CITY
OUR FOUNDATION
Open Space Preservation
Great Neighborhoods
Revitalized Downtown
Sense of Community
Historic Legacy
Quality Public Services
HOUSING OUR
GROWING COMMUNITY
• Conserve and Modernize
Existing Housing
• Build More Housing
• Increase Housing Choices for
the Local Workforce
• Meet Special Housing Needs
• Encourage Aging in
Community
• Improve Housing Affordability
• Treat All Residents Fairly
MOBILITY
• Effectively Manage
Congestion
• Improve Bicycle and
Pedestrian Modes
• Enhance Public Transit
• Reduce Neighborhood
Conflicts
• Improve Safety for All Modes
of Travel
• Use Technology to Improve
Efficiency
Fl~ -
ATTACHMENT 2 Draft General Plan 2040 DOWNTOWN PRECISE PLAN BOUNDARIES