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Agenda Item No:
MeeDate: Septembe
tingr 16, 2013
Department: Community Development Department
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Prepared by: Paul A. Jensen, D4' City Manager Approval
SUBJECT: Resolutions Regarding Changes to Civic Center Priority Development Area (PDA)
and Civic Center Station Area Plan; City File Nos. P09-008 and P10-002.
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Adopt Resolutions (2).
BACKGROUND:
In 2007, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) launched the FOCUS process, which offered
Bay Area jurisdictions the opportunity to designate "Priority Development Areas" (PDA). A PDA is a
geographic area that is close to, along, or within transit nodes and connections that can be earmarked for
concentrated growth. A PDA designation for the Civic Center/North San Rafael area was pursued as an
opportunity for access to funds to plan and prepare for the arrival of SMART. On June 15, 2009, the City
Council adopted Resolution 12740, which authorized the submittal of the FOCUS application to designate
the Civic Center/North San Rafael area as a PDA. The FOCUS application identified this PDA in the
"Transit Town Center" place type.
In 2010, the City received a planning grant to prepare a Station Area Plan for the Civic Center SMART
station area. The Civic Center Station Area Plan was completed in 2012, presenting a It vision" for the
mile area surrounding the Civic Center SMART station. As a vision document, the Civic Center Station
Area Plan presents a list of recommendations to improve access and connectivity to the planned SMART
station, recommendations for station parking and recommendations for land use changes. A number of
the Plan recommendations require further study (particularly environmental review) and formal actions by
the City (e.g., General Plan Amendment, Rezoning).
Earlier this summer, following public concern about the Civic Center PDA and Civic Center Station Area
Plan, the Civic Council PDA Sub -Committee directed staff to respond to a list of community questions (90
questions). The community questions and responses are available at
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L.pdf. The community questions address information on the Civic Center PDA and its relationship to
affordable housing, the Civic Center Station Area Plan, Plan Bay Area and the San Rafael General Plan
2020. On September 6, 2013, the City Council held a study session to discuss responses to the
community'questions. Following a lengthy discussion and public comment, the City Council directed that
the Civic Center PDA and Station Area Plan be scheduled for the regular (September 16) Council
meeting to consider changes and amendments.
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
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Cost Estimates for Recommended Station Area Plan Improvements
During the study session, there was -an inquiry about the cost(s) for implementing the transportation,
circulation and parking improvements recommended in the Station Area Plan. Chapter 6 of the Station
Area Plan includes an Implementation Plan (Table 6) listing all improvement recommendations. While
Table 6 provides a description of the recommended improvements, no specific cost estimate was
provided. For each recommended improvement, a range of potential cost was cited (three categories =
less than $500K to more than $1 M). Collectively, the recommended improvements, which include the
planned transportation improvements in the General Plan, would cost over $25 million to implement.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Rescinding the Civic Center PDA designation could have a fiscal impact on the City. The rescinding
would forfeit a funding source that is specifically earmarked for PDAs. Without this funding source, the
City would be required to seek other sources to fund the Civic Center Station Area Plan
recommendations to address SMART station access, connectively and parking.
OPTIONS:
The City Council has the following options to consider on this matter:
Civic Center Station Area Plan -
1. Make Plan amendments as presented in Attachment A of Exhibit 1
2. Direct staff to make other amendments to the Station Area Plan
3. Make no changes to the Station Area Plan
Civic Center PDA -
1. No action- retain the current Civic Center PDA designation
2. Rescind the Civic Center PDA designation
3. Amend the Lt place type )I of the Civic Center PDA
ACTION REQUIRED:
1� Adopt Resolutions (2)
ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: Resolution amending Civic Center Station Area Plan
Exhibit 2: Resolution rescinding Civic Center PDA
Exhibit 3- Resolution amending the "place type" for Civic Center PDA
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RESOLUTION NO. 13618
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
AMENDING THE CIVIC CENTER STATION AREA PLAN
(PIO-002)
WHEREAS,, in 2004, the City Council adopted General Plan 2020, which included a number of
policies related to the two, planned SMART rail stations (Downtown and Civic Center). Specifically,
General Plan 2020 Policy NH -88 (SMART Station) and Program C- I 7a (SMART) recognize that if the
SMART service is initiated: a) construction of a station should be supported; and b) a plan should be
encouraged to support high density housing/transit-oriented development, bus transit connections, parking
for the station and pedestrian/bicycle access; and
WHEREAS, in 2009, a grant was awarded to the City to partner with several Marin agencies to
prepare the Civic Center Station Area Plan; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, the City Council appointed a 16 -member committee (Committee) to
oversee the preparation of the Civic Center Station Area Plan. Between 2010 and 2012, the Committee
worked to complete the Draft Civic Center Station Area Plan; and
WHEREAS, in July 2012, the Draft Civic Center Station Area Plan was completed and
published. The Plan a "vision" for the '/2 -mile area surrounding the Civic Center SMART station. The
Station Area Plan presents a list of recommendations for station access and connectivity, station -parking,
land use and urban design. While the Station Area Plan recommends studying specific sites for additional
housing around the SMART station, the Plan respects the current General Plan 2020 traffic policies, land
use capacity and planned transportation improvements; and
WHEREAS, on AtIgLlSt.20, 2012, the City Council conducted a public meeting in which the
Committee presented the Civic Center Station Area Plan and recommendations to the City Council.
Following public comment, the City Council adopted Resolution 13401 accepting the Plan; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, following public concern regarding the designated Civic Center Priority
Development Area and the recommendations of the Civic Center Station Area Plan, the City Council
PDA Sub -Committee directed City staff to respond to a list of community questions. The community
questions address information on the Civic Center PDA and its relationship to the affordable housing,
Civic Center Station Area Plan, Plan Bay Area and the San Rafael General Plan 2020; and
WHEREAS, on September 6, 2013, the City Council held a study session to discuss the
responses to the community questions on the Civic Center PDA and to discuss the recommendations of
the Civic Center Station Area Plan. Following lengthy discussion and public comment, the City Council
directed staff to prepare a resolution amending the Civic Center Station Area Plan for presentation at the
regular City Council meeting scheduled for September 16, 2013; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the Cit'V of San Rafael
hereby amends the Civic Center Station Area Plan by amending the Final Civic Center Station Area Plan
EXeCL1tiVe Summar� presented in Attachment A of this resolution. With this action, City staff is directed
to make the appropriate amendments to the Final Report- Civic Center Station Area Plan to reflect the
amendments in Attachment A,- and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of San Rafael SUPPOrts and
adopts the Plan recommendations for Parking (recommendations I thrOLIgh 5), and Access and
Connectivity (recommendations I through 13), which are listed on pages 3 through 9 of the amended
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EXecUtive Summary (Attachment A).
I, ETHER C. BEIRNE, 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 16"' of September 2013, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers: Colin, Connolly, Heller, McCullough and Mayor Phillips
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NOES: Councilmembers: None
ABSENT: Counc i I members: None
Esther C. Beirne, City Clerk
Attachment: Attachment A- Amendments to Civic Center Station Area Plan Executive Summary
CC SARamendment 9 16 13
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Executive Summary
.Thisproiect is funded in part through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Station Area Planning Program. The
preparation of this report has been financed in part by grants from the U. S. Department of Transportation. The•
contents of this report
do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of theDepartment of Transportation.
411 ''1 �1;11� I III 11�q I' g I lip q I
The San Rafael Civic Center Station Area Plan is the culmination of nearly two years of work by
'the City of San Rafael and a citizens committee to identify a community vision for the area
around the future Civic Center SMART station in North San Rafael. The Plan builds on previous
planning efforts, and sets out a conceptual framework for development and circulation
improvements in the area. No environmental review has been done as part of this conceptual
planning effort. Future, detailed plans will be needed to further develop and implement the
concepts in the plan and conduct environmental analysis.
SMART
The SMART District is proposing implementation of passenger rail service along a 70 -mile rail
corridor extending from Cloverdale in Sonoma County to a station located near the Larkspur
ferry terminal. Two stations would be constructed in San Rafael, one Downtown and the other
in North San Rafael at what is called the Civic Center Station. The first phase of the SMART
project will connect the Downtown San Rafael station to the North Santa Rosa station and will
include the Civic Center station.
The Study Area and Citizens Advisory Committee
The Civic Center SMART station is located underneath US 101 , just north of the Marin County
Civic Center and adjacent to Civic Center Drive. The Study Area is the land within a one-half
mile radius of the station, with particular emphasis given to that within a quarter mile.
Y2mile and Y4 mile radii around SMART station
ATTACHMENT A
I
New Development /1 ear Station Should Preserve Character of Area. One purpose of this
Plan is to identify sites for new residential and commercial development that would encourage
use of the train. The Committee endorsed this idea while stressing the importance of preserving
the existing character of the area, including preserving views and protecting the creeks and
wetlands in the area. The Plan recommends new development close to the station, within the
traffic capacities identified in the General Plan, with design guidelines to ensure that tho
character of existing neighborhoods remains.
Summary of Recommendations
The Plan includes many recommendations and implementation actions. The following is a
compilation of the recommendations included in each section of the Plan. More details and
illustrations are provided in the plan and should be consulted in all implementation actions.
Access and Connectivity. -
1. Provide "Complete Streets" treatments, such as wider sidewalks, improved bicycle
facilities, calmed traffic, and improved streetscaping on all streets within the Study Area,
but specifically on Merrydale Road (both north and south of the railroad tracks), the
Merrydale Overcrossing, and McInnis Parkway. These treatments may be challenging
to implement due to right-of-way, cost, or engineering constraints. However, the City
should pursue improvements on these streets as opportunities become available.
2. Complete the Promenade from
Las Gallinas Avenue to North
San Pedro Road, along
Merrydale Road, the SMART
Multi -use Pathway and Civic
Center Drive. As a longer-term
recommendation, consider
extension of the Promenade north
from Merrydale Road, through the
Northgate III parcel to the Las
Gallinas Road/Northgate Drive
intersection if the Northgate III
parcel were to redevelop. As
another longer-term
recommendation, consider
construction of -a Class I shared
bicycle/pedestrian path along Civic
Center Drive instead of the Class
11 bicycle lanes proposed as part
of the North San Rafael Vision.
3. Complete the sidewalk network,
including portions of Civic Center
Drive, North San Pedro Road,
and Los Ranchitos Road, such
that all streets have adequate
facilities on both sides of the street.
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ATTACHMENT A
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Freitas Parkway and Del Presidio Boulevai
double turn lanes for northbound right tur
eastbound Freitas Parkway, as well as widenir
from eastbound Freitas Parkway. This improv
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Freitas Parkwav / Northbound US 101 Ran
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ATTACHMENT A
4. Reduce parking requirements. If coupled with other strategies that can demonstrably
show a reduced demand for parking, such as transit incentive programs, carsharing,
shuttles, unbundling parking, and shared parking, new development may need less
parking than the current ordinance requires. Developments seeking to provide less
parking may be subject to periodic review for efficiency.
5. Provide bike parking. Provide adequate bike parking at the station and in new
development. The demand for bike parking at the station should be monitored over time
and additional space provided if needed.
1. Protect existing residential neighborhoods. No changes are proposed for the
existing single-family residential neighborhoods. These neighborhoods should be
protected from adverse impacts of new development. New development should be both
in scale with the existing neighborhoods and complementary in community character.
2. Encourage residential uses within walking distance (generally a 1/4 -mile) of the
station. To the extent additional multi -family residential development occurs, affordable
units will be included throughout the Station Area through conformance with existing and
future City housing policies.
3. Allow limited retail in proximity to the station. Current market demand does not
appear to be strong enough to support significant addonal retail in the area. However,
some additional station -serving and neighborhood -serving retail should be allowed,
though not required, in areas appropriate for mixed-use development.
4. Develop design guidelines to ensure compatibility with the existing
neighborhoods. Design guidelines should reflect the unique character of each of the
three planning areas, based on the guidelines in this plan.
East of US 101 Area Design Guidelines need to:
• Preservation of views from the hillside residences
• Establishment of view corridors along Avenue of the Flags to the hills, Mt. Tam
and the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Civic Center
• Height "i i. and buffers from single-family neighborhoods
• Continue the City's creek and wetlands policies.
Redwood Highway Area Design Guidelines need to address building height
transitions, building fagade articulation and massing, and setbacks to ensure
compatibility with the adjacent residential neighborhoods and prevent the
appearance of a solid wall to the adjacent single-family neighborhood.
Northgate Area Design Guidelines need to buffer existing neighborhoods from the
height increases of new development.
5. Restore and enhance the natural resources in the station area. The station area
has an abundance of natural open space, hillsides, creeks, and wetlands. These
resources should be restored and enhanced per the General Plan and zoning
designations. They should also be celebrated by new development.
• New development should celebrate natural resources.
• Restore and enhance the natural environment by improving and protecting creeks,
wetlands and hillsides as provided in the General Plan and zoning provisions.
0
RESOLUTION NO. 13619
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
RESCINDING THE CIVIC CENTER/NORTH SAN RAFAEL TOWN CENTER
PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT AREA (PDA) DESIGNATION
(P09-008 & P10-002)
WHEREAS, in 200T, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission (MTC) in coordination with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District
and Bay Conservation and Development Commission (collectively, the "regional agencies") launched a
regional planning initiative called FOCUS. The FOCUS process offered the local jurisdictions of the Bay
Area the opportunity to designate "Priority Development Areas" (PDA); and
WHEREAS, a Priority Development Area is defined as a geographic area close to, along or
within transit nodes and connections that is suitable for concentrated growth. In filing the FOCUS
application, the proposed Priority Development Area must meet all of the following criteria: (a) within an
existing community, (b) near existing or planned fixed transit (or served by comparable bus service) and
(c) is planned, or is planning, for more housing. The PDA is a key element of the Plan Bay Area, which
promotes concentrating future regional growth around transit to reduce vehicle miles traveled, thus
reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, on June 15, 2009, the City Council adopted Resolution 12760, which authorized the
submittal of a FOCUS application to designate the Civic Center/North San Rafael Town Center as a PDA.
This PDA covers a 1/2 -mile radius surrounding the planned Civic Center SMART station (see Attachment
1). The FOCUS application was pursued as an opportunity for San Rafael to have access to funds and
grants that are earmarked for PDAs. In preparation for the arrival of the SMART service, the designation
made it possible for San Rafael to be eligible f6r a planning grant to study the Civic Center SMART
station, specifically to study needed infrastructure improvements for bicycle and pedestrian access,
parking, security, land use opportunities and design guidelines; and
WHEREAS, as part of the FOCUS application, the local jurisdictions were required to identify a
(.(.place type" for the proposed PDA based on the place type categories presented in the MTC tation Area
Planning Manual (October 18, 2007). Based on the area characteristics, variety of land uses and
developed conditions, the FOCUS application identified the Civic Center/North San Rafael PDA in the
"Transit Town Center" place type; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, the City completed the Civic Center Station Area Plan (Station Area Plan),,
which presents a"vision" for the 1/2 -mile area surrounding the Civic Center SMART station. The Station
Area Plan presents a list of recommendations for station access and connectivity, station parking, land use
and urban design. While the Station Area Plan recommends studying specific sites for additional housing
around the SMART station, the Plan respects the current General Plan 2020 traffic policies, land use
capacity and planned transportation improvements; and
WHEREAS,, on August 20, 2012, the City Council accepted the Civic Center Station Area Plan
as a'"vision" document, which acknowledged the completion of the Plan, the compilations of
recommendations in the Plan and the work of the Civic Center Station Area Plan Advisory Committee,
WHEREAS, in 2013. following public concern regarding the Civic Center PDA and the
recommendations of the Civic Center Station Area Plan, the City Council PDA Sub -Committee directed
I I
City staff to respond to a list of community questions. The community, questions address tress information on
the Civic Center PDA and its relationship to the affordable housing, Civic Center Station Area Plan, Plan
Bay Area and the San Rafael General Plan 2020; and
WHEREAS, on September 6, 2013, the City Council held a study session to discuss the
responses to the community questions on the Civic Center PDA and to discuss the recommendations of
the Civic Center Station Area Plan. Following lengthy discussion and public comment, the City Council
directed staff to schedule the Civic Center PDA and the Civic Center Station Area Plan for the regular,
September 16, 2013 City Council meeting to consider changes and amendments; and
WHEREAS, by separate resolution, the City Council has made revisions to the recommendations
presented in the Civic Center Station Area Plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of San Rafael
hereby rescinds the Priority Development Area designationfor the Civic Center/North San Rafael Town
Center by rescinding City Council Resolution No. 12760; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that although the Civic Center Priority Development Area
designation has been rescinded, the City Council directs that the designation be revisited in three years
from the adoption date of this resolution, in order to assess the status, criteria and requirements for
Priority Development Areas in effect at that time.
1. ESTHER C. BEIRNE, 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 161h of September 2013, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers: Colin, Connolly and Mayor Phillips
NOES: Councilmembers: Heller and McCullough
ABSENT: Councilmembers: None
CC PDACC rescinding 9 16 13
4
Esther C. Beirne, City Clerk
Attachment A: Civic Center/North San Rafael Town Center Priority Development Area
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USE THIS FORM WITH EACH SUBMITTAL OF A CONTRACT, AGREEMENT,
*RDINANCE OR BESOLUTION BEFORE APPROVAL BY COUNCIL / AGENCY.
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SRRA / SRCC AGENDA ITEM NO., -4, a
DATE OF MEETING- September 16,2013
TITLE OF DOCUMENT: Consider Changes to Civic Center Priority Development Area (PDA) and Civic
Center Station Area Plan; City File Nos.: P09-008 and P10-002
Department Head (signature)
(LOWER HALF OF FORM FOR APPROVALS ONLY)
APPROVED AS COUNCIL / AGENCI
J&,GENDA ITEM:
REMARKS-
City Attorney (signature)