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ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW DRAFT Allowances for Residential Uses in Non Residential Zoning Districts Analysis. Because most of the City's housing potential is on sites that are non -residentially zoned, it is important to consider potential constraints to housing development in the non-residential districts. Table 5-2 indicates the parameters for residential uses in the City's commercial and industrial zones. Multi -family housing is conditionally permitted in most of the commercial districts, including the Community Commercial (CC), Commercial Downtown (CD), and Commercial Neighborhood (CN) districts. Multi -family housing is also conditionally permitted in the Professional High Density Office District (PHD), the Regional Mall (CRM) district, which applies only to Bayfair Mall, and the NA-1 and NA-2 (North Area) districts, which apply only to sections of East 14`h Street north of Downtown. Housing is not permitted in the City's industrial zones, nor in the Commercial Recreation, Commercial Service, Public, or Office zones. The development standards in the commercial zones are generally conducive to housing development, although some constraints to higher density housing do exist. In the NA-2 zone, a 15' side and 20' front setback requirement could make development difficult on smaller sites. The same is true in the CC zone, where a 15' front setback applies. On the other hand, the CD, NA-1, PHD, and CR-M zones have no front or side setback requirement, substantially increasing the developable envelope. Moreover, these zones have no rear yard setback requirement, creating larger developable areas than comparably sized residential sites. Height limits in the CR-M, CD, and PHD zones are quite generous and accommodate mid -rise (75-80') construction. On the other hand, height limits in the CN and NA zones are comparable to single family districts, at 30 feet. Theoretically, this could accommodate three-story construction, but higher density mixed use projects with structured parking could be difficult. This could be problematic in the NA-2 zone, which was explicitly created to promote residential/commercial mixed use projects. Lot coverage and floor area ratio (FAR) limits also apply in the commercial zones. The maximum base FAR is fairly low in the CN district (0.3), which could make multi -story construction difficult on small sites. Higher FARs are permitted in the CC district (0.5), but even here, buildings taller than two stories could be difficult to achieve on small sites. Maximum lot coverage in CC and CN is 50 percent, which is substantially lower than the 70 percent maximum in the RM-1800 district. The base FAR is substantially higher in the CD, NA-1, NA-2, and CRM zones, ranging from 0.8 to 2.0. There are no lot coverage limits in these zones. The City has the discretion to waive commercial development standards during the site plan review process. In fact, many of the standards cited above have been relaxed, either through Planned Development (PD) overlays or at the discretion of the Site Development Sub -Commission. Creation of a PD overlay in a commercial zone requires at least 20,000 square feet of lot area. This may be difficult along East 14'', Washington, MacArthur, and other corridors where parcel sizes are small. Conclusions. Zoning revisions to the City's Commercial districts are needed to facilitate the development of higher density housing. This is particularly true in the CC zone, where many of the housing sites are located. The 50 percent lot coverage limit, 15-foot front setback, and 0.5 FAR limit tend to encourage shopping center or free-standing commercial development and make multi -story pedestrian -oriented H OUSING ELEMENT 5-6 SAN LEANDRO GENERAL PLAN L 7iO4i