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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESO 6236,. RESOLUTION NO. 6236 RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CIT'x OF PALO ALTO AMENDING THE PALO ALTO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ADD A POLICY TO THE URBAN DESIGN ELEM.ENT ~GARDING THE SCALE AND RETAIL ORIENTATION OF THE CALIFORNIA- CAMBRI DGE AVENUE BUSINESS DISTRICT WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Palo Alto on February 22, 1984 held a properly-noticed public hearing to consider amendment of the Palo Al to Comprehensive Plan to add a pol icy to the Urban Design Element Regarding the Scale and Retail Orientation of the Califo~nia-Cambridge Avenue Business Dist~ict: and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Palo Alto on March 12, 1984 held a properly-noticed public hearing to consider such amend- ment. NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Palo Alto does RESOLVE as fnllows: SECTION 1. The City Council find3 that the changed conditions and the public interest, health, safety and welfare require an amendment to the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan as set forth in Sections 2 and 3 hereof. SECTION 2. The City Council hereby deletes the paragraph on California Avenue under Policy 6 of the Urban Design Element of the Palo Altc Comprehensive Plan. SECTION 3. The City Council hereby adds a new Policy 6A under the Urban Design Element of the Palo Al to Comprehensive Plan to read as follows: Policy 6A: Maintain the Existing Scale and Retail Orientation of the California-Cambridge Avenue Business District The California-Cambridge Avenue business dis- trict is Palo Alto's most centrally located com- mercial area. As the original downtown of May- field, California Avenue has established a small town "main street• character and retail/personal service function that should be maintained for the future. In 1983 a study of the business district pro- jected that continued development under the then prevailing policies would gradually change the character of the area and lead to several undesir- able results including: 0 A shift from a retail a!"!d personal ser-vice center to an office center. 0 New buildings taller than the existing build- ings which are generally one to three stories high. 0 A demand for parking in excess of the parking assessment district's capacity to accommodate new parking spaces. 0 The overflow of business parking into resi- dential neighborhoods would increase dramati- cally above the 1~83 level of some 100 to 140 cars per day. 0 Deel in i ng levels of service at intersect ions along El Camino Real would occur because of regional growth plus a combination of a ten year yrowth of up to 150, 000 square feet of business area development and closure of streets to through traffic in the adjacent Evergreen Park neighborhood. In response to these projections, a series of programs were developed to preserve the character of the area, to reduce its development potential, and to protect the nearby residential areas from business traffic and parking impacts. Program A: Maintain the existtng character and function of the business district as a shopping, service, and office ~enter intermediate in function and scale be- tween the Downtown and smaller excla- sive neighborhood business areas. Program B: Foster retail and personal service uses of the types which serve the residen- tial population while minimizing the economic pressures which could turn the area into a regional center. Program C: Create regulations which allow for the replacement or rehabilitation of the smaller buildings in the area, yet pre- vent new buildings that are out of scale and character with the existing buildings. To accomplish these programs a Community Com- mercial Combining CC ( 2) zoning district with re- 2. duced he i,J ht and floor area was ere a ted. Proper- ties within the business area are to be limited to 37 feet in height and a ~.O to 1 floor area ratio. Along California Avenue, new ground floor uses shall be either retail, personal service. or eating and drinking. In the same area there is a need to assu r.e that f i nanc ia l services do not displace the retail uses, and a use permit process for new ground floor financial services has been establish- ed to provide control over excessive financial ser- vice development. New building designs are to be required to incorporate design features that pro- mote pedestrian-oriented retail shopping. To pro- tect the pedestrian use of the area, future curb cuts onto California A.venue shall be prohibited. The pedestrian environment of the area would be further enhanced by improved street lighting. Sherman and Cambridge Avenue generally shall have the reduced density CC(2) zone but not the require- ments for retail and pedestrian orientation. Of these two streets, Cambridge holds the greater potential for retail use ai1d this potential should be encouraged. Pedestrian shoppers are discourged by the large number of public parking lots on Cam- bridge which interrupt business continuity. Future decisions on parking development should actively consider the impact of the decisions on Cambridge Avenue retail uses. The City should consider sell- ing some of the small lots on Cambridge in favor of creating structures on fewer lots and allowing some of the area now devoted to surface parking to be reclaimed as retai 1 space. Sales of the small parking lots should only be considered so long as no net reduction in the number of parking spaces in the area occurs as a result of the sales. The City should help promote the concept of Cambridge Avenue as a shopping street by referring to the business area as the Ca 1 if ornia-Cambridge Avenue Area. The land use policies and zoning which have been developed for the California-Cambridge Avenue Area represent a compromise between preservation of the exisitng scale of devalopment and a provision for renewal of the area through some potential for new buildings. Within the parking assessment area there were some 662,000 square feet of existing or approved non-residential buildings in 1983. The full development potential under the area's land use policies is a doubling of the 1983 floor area, 3. which would be an amount of development beyond the capacity of the area's streets and possible public parking supply. This full potential development is extremely unlikely given the present economic con- ditions. To assure that overdevelopment does not '.)Ccur, a performance measure has been instituted of no more than a total of 760,000 square feet of non- residential development within the parking assess- ment area by 1~94. The amount of new development in the area shall be periodically monitorerl and if it appears likely that the performdnce measure will be exceeded, then more restrictive regulations shall be implemented. The other commercial properties associated with the California-Cambridge Avenue business area ate those fronting on El Camino Real from Page Mill Road to Park Boulevard. These properties are designated as Neighborhood Commercial uses. This designation is to accomplish two purposes. Flrst, this area of El Camino Real is subject to potentially adverse traf- fic congestion, which will be mitigated by the application of the least intensive of Palo Alto's co:mrnercial land use designations to the area. Second, the parcels of land north of College Avenue are in very close proximity to single family land uses in Evergreen Park, and the Neighborhood Com- mercial designation is intended to minimize poten- tial business impacts on the neighborhood while promoting neighborhood serving uses. Program D: Contain busin~ss area p~r.king within the business area. Since the 1950's t~e parking needs of the California-Cambridge Avenue area have been provided through public parking lots paid for by a parking assessment district. In recent years the district has reached the point when it can no longer afford to provide all the parking required by new develop- ment. Development approvals through 1983 will create a shortfall of about 266 spaces, and this deficit could grow substantially. To avoid a large parking deficit, future developments within the parking district shall provide their own parking. A second source of unmet parking demand is Santa Clara County's North County Court House. The County is encouraged to upgrade the parking provi- sion fer its facilities. 4. To improve the ability of future projects to provide parking, the City sha 11 study ways to im- prove the use of alleys for parking access and for circulation. New buildings will be set back from alleys to provide for parking, for deliveries, and for trash handling. Program E: Protect residential areas fornia Avenue from traffic the business area. near Cali- impacts of Program F: Mimin i ze potential declines in the level of service of the major roads in the area. The traffic barriers and circulation changes installed in Evergreen Park during 1983 will di- rectly protect this single family area from through traffic and from California-Cambridge Avenue busi- ness traffic. In addition, the business area land use designations will reduce the growth in business area traffic. To improve access to the business area and mitigate service levels along El Camino Real, the City shall pursue the installation of new coordinated traffic signals at Carnbridye and at Sherman on El Camino Real. Program G: Encourage residential use mercial areas near the Cambridge Avenue area. in the ccm- California- Program H: Avoid abrupt changes in scale and density and improve the tra11sition between the California-Cambridge Avenue area and the single family neighborhood of Evergreen Park. As part of the 1983 study of the area the following land use changes were made to encourage housing in commercial zones and to improve the transition to Evergreen Par~: °Formerly commercial properties abutting the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks were c~anged from a commercial to Multiple F'amily Residen- tia 1 land use designation. While existing legal uses and approved buildings may remain, this change will assure that any future rede- velopment of the properties wil 1 be for housing. s. 0 Wi thin the ColTII'iluni. ty Conunercial areas an incentive of an added floor of development was created for projects that are at least 6u percent residential. 0 The Multiple Family properties along College Avenue were reduced slightly in density and a two floor combining district was applied to reduce the scale of future housing projects. In addition, the City shall explore providing a pa~ki~y ~x~mption credit tor residential projects on commercial land within the parking assessment district. SECTION 4. The City Council hereby finds that the adoption of these amendments to the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan will ~ot cause any significant environmental impact. INTRODUCED AND PASSED: March 12, 1984 AYES: Bechtel, Cobb, Fletcher, Klein, Levy, Renzel, Sutorius, Woolley NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Witherspoon ciJi' c1ey~/ nROVErY{.S TO FORM• Ass~ ~iYfa!':!orney APP OV Directo of Planning and Community Environment 6.