TITLE
Recommendation to declare ordinance amending and restating the Midtown Specific Plan (SP-1) to reflect a boundary change, read and adopted as read. (District 6)
DISCUSSION
On November 5, 2020, the Planning Commission (Attachment A - Planning Commission Report) held a public hearing and recommended (6-0, with one abstention) that City Council approve: (1) a Zone Change to rezone nine lots generally located on the north side of Pacific Coast Highway between Cedar Avenue to the west and Pacific Avenue to the east to the Midtown Specific Plan (MTSP) Transit Node Low (TN Low) district; and, (2) a Zone Code Amendment to modify plan text and maps to reflect the expansion of the boundary area of MTSP to encompass the subject parcels and facilitate a development project at the subject location (Attachment B - Location Map).
The subject site is surrounded by multifamily residential and commercial uses to the north, an education facility across Pacific Coast Highway to the south, commercial and multifamily uses across Pacific Avenue to the west, and commercial uses across Cedar Avenue to the east. The site is currently zoned Regional Highway District (CHW), Community Automobile Orientated (CCA) and Two-Family Residential (R-2-N) Districts and has a General Plan Land Use PlaceType designation of Transit Orientated Development (TOD-L). The 2019 General Plan Land Use Element Update designated the subject site as the TOD-L PlaceType and limits the site to a maximum height of seven stories. The TOD-L PlaceType supports mixed use developments and is generally characterized by average densities of 44 dwelling units per acre.
The current zoning, which for the majority of the site allows only commercial uses (the CHW and CCA zones), is inconsistent with the mixed uses permitted by the General Plan Land Use Element PlaceType designation. Pursuant to State law, the City is required to rezone the property to bring the zoning into alignment with the General Plan. The City...
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