HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 111303 Special Approved: December 9,2003
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
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C"' ° CITY COUNCIL / PLANNING COMMISSION
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2003
6:00 p.m.
PROPOSED MIXED USE
ZONE CODE TEXT AMENDMENT
STUDY SESSION
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER:
Mayor Clay called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Council Members O'Malley, Pacas, Scalise, Mayor Pro Tem Luna and
Mayor Clay
Commissioners Bentz, Beraud, Jones, O'Keefe, Porter and Vice
Chairperson Kelley
Absent: Chairperson Fonzi
Staff Present: Community Development Director Warren Frace, Public Works Director
Steve Kahn, Information Technology Director Andrew Fruin, Planning
Services Manager Steve McHarris, Associate Planner Kelly Gleason,
Associate Planner Kerry Margason, Assistant Planner Lisa Williamson,
Assistant to the City Manager/City Clerk Marcia McClure Torgerson, City
Attorney Roy Hanley and Recording Secretary Grace Pucci.
Chairperson Fonzi joined the meeting at 6:08 p.m.
STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORTS
1. Proposed Mixed Use Zone Text Amendment
Community Development Director Warren Frace gave an overview of Mixed Use and answered
questions of Council and Commission.
A Visual Preference Survey was given and Council and Commission rated each slide; the survey
results were then scored.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Maury Fromin, President of Rotman Fromin Communities in Santa Barbara, stated his company
has been exploring the possibility of a mixed-use project on El Camino Real near Del Rio Road.
He discussed his project, the advantages to this type of development and urged the City to give
as much flexibility as possible to the mix of residential and commercial density within the Mixed
Use Land Zone.
John Knight, Planner with RRM Design Group, made several comments on the mixed use issue
including: 1) it encourages redevelopment of existing sites, 2) good way to maximize the
potential of land, 3) vertical development may not be appropriate for outlying areas, but is
appropriate for the downtown, and 4) encouraged the use of horizontal development which
creates an ownership benefit.
Greg Rivat, local resident and architect, discussed his experiences with mixed use and explained
the mixed-use projects he is currently developing.
Richard Shannon, 5070 San Benito, real estate broker, encouraged flexibility in the mixed-use
zones. He stated that providing for mixed use would allow underdeveloped land to be utilized.
Barbara Combs shared her experience with mixed-use issues in the downtown and expressed
concern,especially given noise issues, about increasing residential mixed use in the downtown.
Carol Florence, land use planner with Oasis Associates in San Luis Obispo, shared, through the
use of a PowerPoint presentation, some of the mixed-use projects her group has developed.
(Exhibit A)
Joel Clay, 6905 Lomitas Road, spoke on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and expressed
their concern with the loss of commercially zoned property in Atascadero.
Bruce Buckingham, 12650 San Cayetano, stressed the need for flexibility within the mixed-use
zones. He discouraged rigid standards for this zone.
Mayor Clay closed the Public Comment period.
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Director Frace presented the results of the Visual Preference Survey and elicited comments from
Council and Commission.
A summary of the comments and issues to be considered in mixed-use applications are as
follows:
1) Streetscapes are important to soften facades.
2) Appropriate placement of parking
3) Livability
4) Pedestrian friendly
5) Green space should be incorporated
6) Public accessibility
7) Use of tiered construction on hillsides
8) Decrease the use of stucco on buildings
9) Disliked the design that resembled a row-house
10) Disabled access
11) Elevated facades to accommodate underground parking was objectionable
12) Important to keep upper and lower stories in the same architectural style
13) When a mixed use building is attached to an adjoining building, the styles should be
appropriate to one another
14) Encourage the use of quality materials
15) Stay away from modern designs
16) Disliked flat roofs
17) There should be flexibility in price ranges
18) Must be careful when mixing commercial and residential uses and consider issues such
as noise, hours of operation, etc.
19) The building should have a sense of being a residence as well as a business
20) Should there be height limits in commercial zones?
21) Tiered designs appear to be conducive to senior housing for security reasons.
22) Architectural enhancements are important with the use of a variety of embellishments
23) Incorporate public open space areas
24) Important to stay away from the strip mall look with parking in front
25) How many parking spaces will be required per unit?
26) Signage issues will be important
27) Scale of landscaping should be in proportion with the building.
28) Standards should not be set that cannot be met economically.
29) Create a buffer between residential and commercial.
30) Public/private partnerships should be looked at.
31) Staff look into how the capital improvement program could be used to enhance mixed-
use particularly through street frontage, landscaping, parking, etc.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Kelly Gearhart stated that mixed use is a good idea, but new rules for fire, handicap access as
well as insurance issues, make it financially unviable. He suggested that every project should
stand on its own and it is important to speed up the processing time.
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Richard Shannon gave his opinion that there should be two standards for mixed use, one for the
downtown with small lots where vertical development would be appropriate and another for the
outlying areas where horizontal makes more sense.
Mayor Clay closed the Public Comment period.
There was additional discussion by Council and the Commission. Any additional suggestions
have been included in the list above.
Council Member Pacas expressed several concerns regarding mixed use and offered several
recommendations. She submitted these in a prepared document. (Exhibit B)
ADJOURNMENT:
Mayor Clay adjourned the meeting at 8:18 p.m.
MEETING RECORDED AND MINUTES PREPARED BY:
Gr ce Pucci, Recording Secretary
The following exhibits are available for review in the City Clerk's office:
Exhibit A—Carol Florence, PowerPoint presentation
Exhibit B —Council Member Pacas,Mixed Use Concerns
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