HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet 11/13/2003 NOTICE OF A SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
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CITY COUNCIL / PLANNING COMMISSION
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2003
6:00 p.m.
City of Atascadero
6500 Palma Avenue, 4th floor Rotunda,
Atascadero, California
PROPOSED MIXED USE
ZONE CODE TEXT AMENDMENT
STUDY SESSION
CALL TO ORDER:
• PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
ROLL CALL:
STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORTS
1. Proposed Mixed Use Zone Text Amendment
ADJOURNMENT:
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO )
CITY OF ATASCADERO )
MARCIA MCCLURE TORGERSON, being fully sworn, deposes, and says: That she is
the duly elected City Clerk of the City of Atascadero and that on Wednesday, November 5, 2003,
she caused the above Notice to be posted on the doors of the City's Administration Building,
6500 Palma Avenue in Atascadero, California.
W
• MARCIA MCCLURE TORGERSON,C. .
City Clerk
November 13, 2003
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Atascadero City Council
& Planning Commission
Joint Session Report - Community Development Department
Study Session
Defining Mixed Use in Atascadero
"What fits in Atascadero"
(City of Atascadero)
DISCUSSION:
2002 General Plan:
The City of Atascadero adopted a series of Smart Growth principles as the basis of the
• 2025 General Plan. The Smart Growth principles call for the efficient use and reuse of
existing lands within the City and for more compact, pedestrian scaled development.
One way to achieve this goal is with mixed use development. Mixed use development
allows commercial, office, and residential uses to be mixed on the same site either
vertically or horizontally. This approach to development has the added benefit of putting
people's residences in closer proximity to jobs, shopping and transit, which reduces
dependency on the automobile. Although mixed use development was common in
downtown commercial districts throughout the United States prior to World War II,
adoption of uniform zoning ordinances in the 1950's usually prohibited the practice in
favor of segregated land use patterns that favored suburban development patterns. As
a response to dwindling inventories of vacant land and vanishing farmlands,
communities are now beginning to allow mixed use development once again in
commercial districts.
The mixed use concept was used in Atascadero's 2025 General Plan to assist in the
specific development areas along EI Camino Real and Morro Road. The City Council
anticipated that the benefits of mixed use development would include:
■ Reinvestment in declining areas along EI Camino Real and Morro Road where a
residential product would assist in the development of viable commercial uses
• Additional rental units to meet the City's housing requirement and reduce the
need to General Plan and Zone other properties not as well suited for multifamily
use (protecting the conversion of older single family neighborhoods)
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■ Providing increased flexibility that would lead to the efficient reuse of existing •
underutilized commercial land (gray fields)
■ Providing affordable housing in proximity to jobs, services, shopping and transit
that would help increase the customer base for local businesses
■ Accommodates changing demographics
The adopted General Plan included a number of goals and programs which allow for
mixed use development along Morro Road and EI Camino Real. The General Plan calls
for the adoption of an ordinance to conditionally allow mixed use multi-family residential
uses in the Commercial Retail and Commercial Professional zoning districts. A code
text amendment will be required to implement the General Plan's mixed use policies.
What is Mixed Use
Mixed use refers to the concept of allowing both commercial and residential uses on the
same site. There are two approaches to mixing the uses together: vertical mixed use
and horizontal mixed use. Vertical mixed use is the concept of stacking residential units
on the upper floors over a commercial first floor. Vertical mixed use was historically
common in downtown districts and gives downtowns their pedestrian scale and charm.
Under the current Downtown zoning code, vertical mixed use projects are allowed in the
Downtown Commercial district.
Vertical Mixed Use project
with residential on upper
floors
Vertical Mixed Use project
street level commercial retail
store fronts
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Vertical mixed use building
The second variation of mixed use is horizontal mixed use projects. Horizontal mixed
use projects typically consist of commercial buildings along the street frontage with
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• multi-family residential Located behind the commercial instead of on top. The approach
provides less of the architectural character and pedestrian streetscape environment
than vertical mixed use.
Mixed Use Requires Quality Design
For mixed use projects to be successful they must incorporate high quality design. The
compact development form, located directly on the street and the mix of commercial
and residential uses leaves little room for error. High quality design encompasses more
than just dressed up architecture. Starting with the site plan layout, mixed use must be
carefully developed. Issues of building location, pedestrian circulation, landscaping,
parking areas, driveways, and site amenities must all be carefully designed into the
mixed use concept as well. To achieve this quality will require much more design
collaboration between applicants and staff.
Staff will be presenting a visual preference survey of actual built mixed use projects
during the study session. These projects will be ranked and discussed to define the
character and quality of mixed use that fits Atascadero.
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High quality architectural design and materials are needed for mixed use projects
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Innovative site planning with pedestrian features and well executed landscaping are
necessary to make mixed use projects successful •
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Mixed Use projects need to be designed and oriented toward the street with attention given to
pedestrian scale and the sidewalk interface.
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General Plan Mixed Use Policies
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Note: sections that address mixed use have been shown in bold and
underlined.
Mixed Use Designations
This section provides a description of each of the official mixed use land use designations
and the corresponding zoning districts. The mixed use districts are primarily commercial
districts where multi-family residential uses may be appropriate on a conditional basis.
General Commercial (GC)
This designation includes office, neighborhood, retail and tourist commercial zoning
districts.
Office areas allow a range of professional, business,and administrative service
uses with small-scale retail uses. Mixed-use development with attached multi-
family residential up to 16 du/ac maybe conditionally permitted by zoning.
Neighborhood commercial areas accommodate daily shopping and service needs of
surrounding residents, with businesses such as small markets, convenience stores, drug
stores, salons, and other personal services. Neighborhood convenience centers should
be concentrated at intersections of collector or arterial streets.
Retail commercial zoninq districts are provided to meet both the comparison and
convenience shopping needs of residents in the City and surrounding area. The
intended principal tenants of retail commercial areas include specialty and •
department stores and supermarkets. Retail nodes should be located at the
intersections of arterial streets(including state highways)and major collector
streets. A master plan of development is required for prime undeveloped
commercial sites to prevent fragmented development from occurring that would
compromise the retail potential of these sites. Mixed-use multi-family residential
development may be conditionally allowed up to 16 du/ac based on zoning.
Exclusive development of multi-family may be allowed along the El Camino Real
corridor provided they are located on mid-block infill lots that are not best
reserved for commercial development. Along Morro Road, mixed use multi-family
and commercial projects are permitted in the GC land use, provided a commercial
or office use is provided along the street frontage.
The tourist commercial zoning districts provide for uses that serve the traveling public,
such as motels, restaurants, automotive services, and other compatible uses. Tourist
commercial nodes are appropriately located along Highway 101 interchanges.
Corresponding zoning districts are CP, CN, CR and CT with appearance review
required.
Goal LOC 3. Transform the existing EI Camino Real "strip" into a
distinctive, attractive and efficient commercial, office
and industrial park area which can provide for the
long-term economic viability of the community.
Policy 3.1: Encourage retail businesses at efficient and attractive nodes along EI Camino Real S
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and Morro Road with mixed office and residential uses between those nodes.
Programs:
1. Designate the southeast corner of the Curbaril Avenue and ECR intersection for a
master planned retail commercial use.
2. Designate and protect the east side of the Del Rio Road and EI Camino Real
intersection for a master planned retail commercial use.
3. Designate parcels northwest of the Santa Barbara and EI Camino Real intersection
known as Dove Creek for a mixed-use planned development.
4. Designate the area between San Jacinto Avenue and Rosario Avenue along EI
Camino Real for neighborhood commercial and office uses.
5. Develop incentives to attract new businesses to under utilized locations along EI
Camino Real.
6. Require new development to comply with provisions of the Appearance Review
Manual specific to the EI Camino Real corridor, including the incorporation of
landscaping and pedestrian walkways and providing reciprocal driveway access
easements between sites, where feasible.
7. Conditionally allow, mixed-use or exclusive multi-family infill development in
the mid-block portions of General Commercial areas along EI Camino Real,
• 8. Preserve primary intersections for commercial development with a land use
overlay that requires the approval of an overall Master Site Development Plan
prior to approval of any development plans.
9. Conditionally allow, mixed-use office and multi-family development along
Morro Road, provided each development has an office or commercial frontage
use with recessed parking.
10. Utilize the Capital Improvement Program to prioritize street tree planting, streetscape
improvements and street repair projects along EI Camino Real
11. Amend and maintain the zoning ordinance to require Conditional Use Permit
approvals of bars, dance halls, night clubs,drive through restaurants, and service
stations (all gasoline sales uses).
12. Develop street design standards for EI Camino Real that provide for street trees,
landscaping and pedestrian comfort.
Background:
The City Council held a hearing on March 25, 2003 to consider Zone Change 2003-
0042 to conditionally allow mixed use commercial and multifamily development in the
Commercial Retail and Commercial Professional zoning districts. The code text
amendments would conditionally allow mixed use multi-family development in the CR
and CP zoning districts consistent with General Plan Programs LOC 3.1.7 and LOC
3.1 .9. The City Council found in the discussion that there was not a common definition
of mixed use. What mixed use would be in Atascadero needed to be flushed out before
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the technical details of an Ordinance could be considered. Other issues that would then
need to be considered included the proposed Conditional Use Permit approval process,
protection of prime commercial sites, the appropriateness of horizontal mixed use
projects and the need for design guidelines. The Council referred the item back to staff.
In August 2003 strategic planning workshop the Council determined that the mixed use
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concept was a priority and was ranked high on the list of Community Development
projects for completion. The Council unanimously agreed that mixed use projects
needed to be very high quality vertical mix projects as individual Council members had
seen at Smart Growth and other conferences. The design and use of the mixed use
project would be critical to the future of the EI Camino Real and Morro Road corridors.
The Council discussed this workshop to collect public comment and determine a
common definition for mixed use projects.
Next Steps:
The purpose of this study session is to provide a forum for the Council and Commission
to explore how to define mixed use for the City of Atascadero. Another study session
will likely be needed in the future to discuss specifics of an ordinance. Those specifics
that will need to be discussed in the future include:
1. Types of mixed use approaches (vertical, horizontal, combination)
2. Architectural design guidelines
3. Commercial coverage requirements •
4. Protection of prime commercial sites
5. Standards for exclusive multi-family residential projects in commercial zones
6. Definitions of multi-family projects
7. The approval process
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