3B Public Hearing 2011 0321 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• ATTACHMENT C: EXCERPT OF DRAFT MINUTES FOR PLANNING ' COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING, FEBRUARY 17, 2011 Item 7a: Public Hearing Consideration of amendments to the San Leandro General Plan to ensure internal consistency between the 2002 General Plan, the 2007 Downtown San Leandro Transit Oriented Development Strategy (TOD Strategy), and the 2010 Housing Element. The action involves text amendments to the 2002 General Plan document, the introduction of a new category to the General Plan Map, and the replacement of General Plan Chapter 9 (Executive Summary of the Housing Element) with an updated Chapter 9. This amendment does not substantially change the General Plan Map or the City's General Plan policies. Rather, it edits the General Plan to reflect two documents which have been adopted by the City in the last four years, both of which were previously evaluated through appropriate environmental review procedures and are already City policy. A CEQA Initial Study has been prepared for this Amendment, and a Negative Declaration has been proposed. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission review and provide comments on the proposed amendments and forward its recommendation to the City Council, which will consider this matter in March 2011. Mr. Miller explained that the proposed amendments reflect changes of an administrative nature that are appropriate to update the General Plan and eliminate any inconsistencies with more recently adopted policies under the TOD Strategy and the Housing Element Update. The City adopted its current General Plan in 2002 which included specific policies about the area near the downtown BART station as well as a map that showed land -use designations in that vicinity. With adoption of the "I'OD Strategy came a new land -use plan for 300 acres in that area, with higher densities, higher floor area ratios and more flexibility than expressed in the General Plan. For instance, Mr. Miller noted, the General Plan set 40 units per acre as a maximum density around the BART station, while 40 units became the minimum density with adoption of the TOD Strategy. The TOD Strategy also created new zoning categories, while the land around downtown BART was rezoned to be consistent with the TOD Strategy. What is proposed now, he continued, is creation of a new General Plan Map category, "TOD Mixed Use." This designation has been mapped on the same properties that were shown in the TOD Strategy for this type of development, and it's been defined in text to include the same types of land uses. Mr. Miller also pointed out that a table in the General Plan showing acreage in each land -use category throughout the City will require updating to reflect changes on the map. As well, some specific areas called out in the General Plan — such as the BART parking lot and the north end of Alvarado Street — have intended land uses that changed with adoption of the TOD Strategy. A 12 -page addendum to the General Plan contains the new text, with underlining to show additions and strikethrough type to indicate deletions. Once approved by the City Council, the addendum will become part of the General Plan, and the official plan map will be changed to reflect creation of the TOD Mixed Use category. At this time, Mr. Miller said, it doesn't make sense to go to the expense of revising and reprinting the entire General Plan, because a comprehensive plan update is only a couple of years away. The proposed changes to the General Plan also would replace Chapter 9 with new contents. Chapter 9 is an Executive Summary of the Housing Element.