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Threshold: Would the Specific Plan substantially degrade the existing visual character or quality <br />of the site and its surroundings? <br />IMPACT AES-2 THE PROPOSED SPECIFIC PLAN WOULD FACILITATE CHANGES TO THE VISUAL CHARACTER <br />OF THE SPECIFIC PLAN AREA RELATIVE TO EXISTING CONDITIONS, INCLUDING POTENTIALLY SUBSTANTIAL <br />INCREASES IN BUILDING HEIGHT AND MASSING AND OVERALL DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY. HOWEVER, THE <br />PROPOSED POLICIES, PLANNING FRAMEWORK, AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR FUTURE <br />DEVELOPMENT IN THE SPECIFIC PLAN WOULD IMPROVE THE VISUAL QUALITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE <br />PROPOSED DESIGN REVIEW CRITERIA FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT WOULD HELP ENSURE VISUAL COMPATIBILITY WITH <br />EXISTING DEVELOPMENT IN THE SPECIFIC PLAN AREA. IMPACTS TO VISUAL CHARACTER WOULD BE LESS THAN <br />SIGNIFICANT. <br />The Specific Plan Area is characterized primarily by post-war era commercial development along <br />East 14th Street, scattered single- and multiple-family residences along Hesperian Boulevard, <br />including a mobile home park, and several approximately 60-year-old shopping centers with <br />extensive surface parking lots and driveways. Building heights range from one- to three stories and <br />are separated by expanses of paving. The visual character and quality of the core of the Specific Plan <br />Area could be classified as low to moderate. Development under the proposed Specific Plan would <br />change the visual character and quality of the Specific Plan Area in a number of ways, including <br />through changes to the block sizes and streetscapes and allowing greater massing of buildings. <br />Block Size <br />The planning framework of the Specific Plan that would be used to guide development would alter <br />the visual character of the Specific Plan Area by encouraging smaller development blocks to improve <br />access and walkability. Much of the planning area is currently contained within a few large parcels <br />that inhibit publicly-accessible connections. Under the framework plan, parcels primarily in the <br />center of the Specific Plan Area could be divided into several smaller blocks with length restrictions <br />to enhance the “village” character of the neighborhood. This would allow for greater visual relief by <br />breaking up larger expanses of development and surface parking. Further, a network of public open <br />spaces would be created throughout these smaller blocks, including parks, plazas, and pedestrian- <br />oriented streets. These alterations to the overall visual character under the framework plan would <br />be consistent with the development goals of the 2035 General Plan land use policies and would not <br />degrade the visual character of the Specific Plan Area. <br />Intensity <br />The proposed Specific Plan would alter the visual character of the Specific Plan Area by allowing for <br />a considerable increase in the intensity of development relative to that under existing buildout <br />conditions. The City’s adopted 2035 General Plan promotes high density mixed-use development in <br />the Specific Plan Area. Consistent with this vision, the proposed Specific Plan would encourage <br />redevelopment of the shopping center areas and the Hesperian Boulevard and East 14th Street <br />corridors with higher intensity, transit-oriented land uses. Proposed height limits of 90 feet in the <br />Bayfair Center area, 70 feet in the northern and southern limits of the Specific Plan Area, and 50 <br />feet along the Hesperian Boulevard corridor would allow for such development. There would be no <br />maximum Floor Area Ratios (FARs) or densities within the Specific Plan Area. In addition, new <br />development would be required to have active ground-floor use and design, especially along key <br />connections primarily in the central area between the East 14th Street and Hesperian Boulevard <br />corridors. Active use designs would be achieved through use of public-serving building frontages <br />135