HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/31/1989, 2 - PLANNING CONCEPTS FOR THE DALIDIO EXPANSION AREA, BETWEEN HIGHWAY 101, MADONNA ROAD, AND LOS OSOS V 111111 �����
1� I�P�1111Ij city of san Luis oBispo s_CTc aar,
MIGn COUNCk AGENDA REPORT
FROM: Michael Multari, Community Development Director; BY: Glen Matteson, Assoc. Planner
SUBJECT: Planning concepts for the Dalidio expansion area, between Highway 101, Madonna
Road, and Los Osos Valley Road.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Review the proposal and give staff comments on general direction.
DISCUSSION
A planning consultant has asked the city to amend its general plan and to approve a
specific plan for the Dalidio expansion area (attached vicinity map). Amending the
general plan and adopting the specific plan would be steps toward annexation and
development of the property. A "specific plan," enabled by state law, shows land uses,
streets, and utilities, in more detail than the general plan but with less detail than
actual construction plans. It also can include phasing provisions and programs for
providing affordable housing and for financing off-site public facilities which serve the
area.
Staff is suggesting an approach similar to that for the Airport Area Specific Plan.
Early in the process, before detailed planning and environmental studies are done, we
would like the council to approve "planning principles" and a conceptual land-use map.
We will be asking Planning Commissioners for their recommendation on these items, and
then return to the council for an action.
The purpose of this meeting is simply to introduce the council to the proposal.
i
BACKGROUND
Situation
A planning consultant has asked the city to amend its general plan and to approve a
specific plan for the Dalidio expansion area (attached vicinity map). Amending the
general plan and adopting the specific plan would be steps toward annexation and
development of the property. The consultant has been retained by and represents the
Dalidio's, who own most of the specific-plan area.
A "specific plan," enabled by state law, shows land uses, streets, and utilities, in more
detail than the general plan but with less detail than actual construction plans. It
also can include phasing provisions and programs for providing affordable housing and for
financing off-site public facilities which serve the area.
Staff and the consultant have been discussing planning concepts for the area. The
consultant has submitted a draft specific plan. Staff will ask the City Council for
comments on basic directions before preparing contracts for detailed engineering,
planning, and environmental studies and a draft plan for public hearings.
I
=l�l� City Of San LUIS OBISPO
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Dalidio concept review - Page 2
Data Summary
Owners: Dalidio Family c/o Thelma Perozzi; A. Madonna et. al; C. B. McBride
Representative: Merriam Planning Associates (Andrew Merriam)
Land Use Element map: interim conservation/open space
Environmental status: Environmental impact report (EIR) to be prepared.
Action deadline: None for general-plan amendment or specific-plan adoption.
Site Description
The site contains about 187 acres of nearly level, cultivated land which is almost
surrounded by the city. A large grove of eucalyptus trees grows along Madonna Road. The
outlet from Laguna Lake flows through the western edge. The Dalidio farmhouse,
outbuildings, and Border Patrol office occupy small parts of the site.
Proiect Summary
The draft plan (attached map) shows about 99 acres of residential development (density
ranging from six to 22 dwellings per acre), 33 acres of commercial development, 14 acres
of parks and open space, a ten-acre school site, and 31 acres of streets. The plan would
accommodate about 1,100 new dwellings and 363,000 square feet of new commercial buildings
over 15 years.
Planning History
Most of the site has been designated for low-density residential use since the city first
adopted a land-use plan in 1961. According to the current Land Use Element, adopted in
1977:
This is a "major expansion area," which should be kept in agricultural use until
urban development is appropriate;
The area should not be annexed until a specific plan has been adopted and the city
can provide adequate water and sewer service to the area, in addition to potential
development within the city limits;
The area should be used for housing, with the overall capacity based on low density,
but with a variety of housing types as called for by the Housing Element.
The Housing Element (1986) says the area should accommodate about 1,100 dwellings, with a
range of housing types and densities that could accommodate low- and moderate-income
residents in certain proportions.
I
�-z
11111111ll111MIJ`I city Of San tins OBISPO
wMalls COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Dalidio concept review - Page 3
Evaluation
The attached map and "planning principles" have evolved through several preliminary
versions, as staff and the consultant tried to agree on features that would meet
community and land-owner desires, carry out basic general plan direction, and solve
site-development problems. The current conceptual map was prepared by Merriam Planning
Associates, while the planning principles were drafted by staff. We agree on many but
not all features.
Following are the main topics which must be addressed before the specific plan can
proceed.
Agricultural land protection
Should the area be developed?
Now is probably the city's last opportunity to create an agricultural preserve for this
area. If the city decides to keep this land open, staff thinks some means in addition to
city or county zoning will be required. Possible techniques include acquisition of fee
ownership or easements by the city or a conservation organization, transfer of
development potential, and tax reduction.
If the area is to be kept open, the residential potential would have to be established
somewhere else in order to keep the planned citywide capacity. Most likely, the
relocated residential capacity would have to be in an extension of the urban reserve line
into the Edna or Los Osos valleys. Reductions in citywide residential capacity would
make improvement of jobs-housing balance more difficult, even with reductions in
commercial and industrial potential.
As noted above, the site has been considered a housing expansion area in the city's
general plan. Staff thinks development of this area is acceptable so long as development
here is part of a broader strategy to preserve agricultural land and open space beyond
the planned edges of the city. Given countywide preferences of how to deal with growth
pressures, the city's position in advocating protection of surrounding open space is
probably strengthened by accepting development within the urban reserve line. To help
ensure that this intent is met, the city could require developers of this area to obtain
open space easements on other agricultural land near the city, as a tradeoff. The
offsetting open-space protection could be at a ratio of one-to-one, or other ratio deemed
appropriate.
Suitability for housing
Is residential development appropriate?
Factors seen to favor residential use include:
Need for housing to prevent the jobs-housing imbalance from becoming wider;
Location convenient to jobs, park, schools, shopping, fire station, and major roads;
Relative ease in developing at urban densities;
Established residential neighborhoods nearby. ���
city of San Luis OBispo
amp I COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Dalidio concept review - Page 4
Factors seen to not favor residential use include:
Airport noise;
Highway noise;
Sewage treatment plant smells when wind is from east;
Foggier, windier climate than some alternative locations.
Water service
Should the area be developed before the city has enough water to serve existing and
potential development within the the current city limits, plus this expansion area?
Now, the general plan says "no." However, earlier development may be justified if this
area provides enough ground water to meet its own needs and more. Staff favors a more
open policy than now in effect, but wants to be sure this area would at least be
"self-supporting" before committing to development.
Staff estimates that water demand under the proposed land-use concept would be about 374
acre-feet per year (AFY). New surface-water supplies which might meet this demand are at
least five to ten years away. Before deciding whether this demand can be met from
sources likely to be available within the next five years, the city needs a more precise
evaluation of those sources: on-site groundwater supplies and the potential for re-use of
treated wastewater. Potential yields within the Dalidio expansion area itself have not
been fully evaluated. The applicant believes, based on past agricultural use, that there
may be several hundred acre-feet more than needed for development available on the site.
The citywide Groundwater Study (John Wallace and Associates, March 1988) estimated that
"the South Central San Luis Obispo area could support [groundwater withdrawals of]
approximately 1000 acre-feet per year." The referenced area includes and is
substantially larger than the Dalidio area. So far, the city has drilled wells within
the "south central area," but outside the Dalidio expansion area, which have been
estimated to be capable of yielding as much as 795 AFY (though the actual yield will be
less due to water quality problems and well operating practices). Assuming the 1,000 AFY
estimate of sub-basin yield is valid, subtracting the 795 AFY estimated maximum yield of
the recently drilled city wells from the 1000 AFY leaves 205 AFY which could be withdrawn
from other wells (about one-half of the estimated demand at full development of the
expansion area).
These estimates of groundwater potential do not reflect additional withdrawals to support
development of the Irish Hills or Margarita expansion areas.
The applicant has said that the yield from on-site wells will be considerably higher than
the estimate above. Clearly, a more in-depth hydrological analysis will be necessary to
answer this question.
Staff has suggested a dual piping system within the expansion area, so treated wastewater
could be used for park and landscape irrigation. If treated wastewater was used for j
irrigation and toilet-flushing (perhaps 60 percent of total demand), demand for
groundwater would be substantially reduced.
All city of San Luis OBISpo
SMINO COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Dalidio concept review - Page 5
Growth rate
How should the area's rate of development be made consistent with citywide
growth-management policies?
The applicant favors allowing the area to have 45 percent of allowed citywide housing
growth during three-year intervals, with up to 250 dwellings immediately after
specific-plan approval. This would probably lead to a 15-year build-out.
In the general plan update, staff has been working out a thirty-year schedule for all
major residential expansion areas that would allow, for this area, a 20-year build-out.
This area would have from 15 to 29 percent of citywide housing growth during the four
five-year intervals when it would be under development. Allowed development would
accumulate at five-year intervals, with up to 350 dwellings in each of the first and
second intervals. (This schedule assumes that housing would grow at about 1.3 percent
per year during the 1990's, rather than the one percent per year called for by the
current Land Use Element, and that the Dalidio area would be one of the first to
develop.)
Commercial development
How much and what kind of commercial development, if any, should be allowed?
Staff sees the area next to Central Coast Plaza, where additional highway access may be
provided, as a suitable location for any major, region-serving retail businesses which
the city may want to accommodate. However, we would support such uses only if their type
and timing would not detract from downtown retail development.
Staff would support additional space for auto sales along the east side of Los Osos
Valley Road only if having it there would preclude such uses from locating in the Irish
Hills expansion area on the west side of the road. The applicant and staff agree that
other service-commercial and tourist-commercial uses are not appropriate, with the
possible exception of a relatively small parcel that may be bounded by roads near a new
Prado Road-Highway 101 overcrossing.
Affordable housing
How much of the new housing should be affordable to low- and moderate-income people, or
suitable for handicapped residents or group housing?
The Housing Element says about one-half of new housing should be for owners and one-half
for renters, the current split. It says expansion areas should include sites suitable
for housing that would be affordable to certain numbers of people in certain income
ranges, which were based on a state-mandated "housing needs plan." That state plan
favored those at the extremes of the income range: "very low" and "above moderate." The
element also says expansion-area developers should actually provide dwellings affordable
to certain residents in certain income ranges, favoring the middle-income range but also
accommodating what staff and the City Council saw as practical numbers of low-income
residents. � —�
1111111Hi 1111llllllf I11l city of sau i Luis OBISPO
MONZA COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Dalidio concept review - Page 6
The Housing Element talks in general terms about accommodating the wide range of
household types wanting to live in the city, but does not set targets for numbers of
sites or dwellings for handicapped residents or for such group housing as fraternities,
half-way houses, or homeless shelters.
The draft specific-plan map shows residential densities that could be developed
half-and-half with owner and rental units, though the actual mix could easily be as
skewed as one-quarter owner or one-quarter rental. Market forces seem to be favoring
construction for owners. The applicant has proposed making sites available for some
low-income housing and some production of moderate-income housing, but substantially less
than called for by the Housing Element. The applicant does not propose minimum amounts
of housing for renters, handicapped, or for group living, except as an option to replace
the required moderate-income dwellings.
In drafting policies for all expansion areas, staff has considered requiring some
for-sale units that would be affordable to low-income residents. Overall, the policies
would result in a larger share of affordable housing than proposed by the applicant, but
less than now called for by the Housing Element. Staff has also considered requirements
for a small share of residential potential to be set aside for handicapped and
group-housing sites. Here is a summary of the different standards:
Income Category Number of dwellings* to be produced according to ...
(% of county median) Housing Element Merriam Proposal General Plan revision
Low (less than 80%) 164 55 110
i
Moderate (81 - 120%) 550 165 220
• based on a total of 1,100 dwellings
Airport influence
How will airport operations affect development of the area?
According to preliminary comments from the airport manager (Paul Gimer, October 1988),
part of the expansion area next to Central Coast Plaza is not suitable for residential
use, most of the central part is suitable for residential development with avigation
easements and noise mitigation, and the southern part would not be significantly affected
by noise or safety concerns. The airport manager also raised the possibility of new
development "retrofitting" existing houses in noise-prone areas to reduce indoor noise
exposure. The land-use concepts appear to be compatible with planned airport operations.
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
Planning Commissioners discussed this proposal at their January 5 study session.
Commissioners wanted more information on: the comparative costs of preserving the area as
farmland vs. accepting it as a development area; mechanisms of farmland preservation;
and, citywide capacity for housing development at various affordability levels. Staff
plans to return to the commission with the requested information in a few weeks.
city of san tuffs osispo
j COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Dalidio concept review - Page 7
NEXT STEPS
The Planning Commission will have another opportunity to send general comments to the
council. Once the council endorses planning principles and the environmental workscope,
a draft environmental impact report (EIR) will be prepared and circulated for public
review. Also, a draft specific plan will be published. After these documents have been
available to the public for a sufficient time, the Planning Commission will hold public
hearings on the specific plan and make a recommendation to the City Council. The City
Council would then hold public hearings before certifying the EIR and adopting the
specific plan. This whole process probably will require about two years.
Attachments: Vicinity map
Draft planning principles
Concept map
Draft EIR workscope
gm7:dal-cc
I
VICINITY MAP - POTENTIAL DALIDIO EXPANSION AREA
' moose er.
000 N -=_
AKE
• J . s
/ �y\ \ \ a• A : i A,
\ �+ a,\ 1 dOa•
4
O 1
♦` eA •A �
� sc�♦�%•o. � ON�VE
6
�• cr, l
y r
'� 1 A•o•
C
• ai
A
Y
t
t
0
\ �' e•.
o `
+
Y
0
of °
,Or ' BONEITI U0.
?4C
4 Cq,
♦ eae .•:.l:,.;,.••.,,• /` • ____--------------------------
. _.
- _cm ern
'e
a
� ty
• _ I
u -
r
S.L.0 wrYRe•M ROAD
�ff oa om ^ao��./
DALIDIO AREA SPECIFIC PLAN �)
PLANNING PRINCIPLES
1. The rate of development in the specific plan area, in combination with anticipated
development elsewhere in the city, should be consistent with citywide growth
policies.
2. The proportions of residential and .nonresidential development should help the city
achieve a closer jobs/housing balance.
3. Some of the new housing should be and remain affordable to low- and moderate-income
residents (see "Affordable Housing" below).
4. Areas devoted to nonresidential uses should accommodate:
(1) services not available elsewhere in the city, which would benefit from
convenient access to the highway and proximity to the shopping centers, and which
would not harm downtown retailing, or
(2) relocation of auto sales from less appropriate places in the city.
5. The Madonna Road and Highway 101 frontages should respect views and adjacent open
land.
6. Prefumo Creek should be restored and protected as wildlife habitat and an open space --�
amenity for residents.
7. The area should provide its own neighborhood park.
8. The circulation system should provide convenient and pleasant bicycle and walking
access.
9. The road system should accommodate access to nonresidential uses while avoiding
through-traffic in the residential areas.
10. Adequate utilities and services should be available at the time of development.
11. The. farmhouse should be preserved.
12. Residential development should be buffered from the highway.
13. There should be a dual water system to allow use of treated wastewater or on-site
groundwater, or both, for non-potable uses.
14. Airport noise exposure should be 'mitigated through construction techniques and
avigation easements should be granted.
15. Landscaping should employ low-water-use plants and irrigation systems.
J
Dalidio principles
Page 2
LAND-USE CONCEPTS
Residential
The area should contain a range of housing types:
Low-density: Detached (including zero-lot line) houses on lots ranging from 4500 to 7500
square feet; average net density of 8 dwellings per acre; some small lots would include
floor-area limits to assure their use for modest-sized dwellings (see affordability
section below).
Medium-density: Detached or attached houses on small lots (4500 sq. ft.), duplexes, one-
and two-story apartments and condominiums, ranging from 10 to 14 dwellings per acre; lots
for multifamily developments are two to four acres; average net density of 12 dwellings
per acre. (May include one- or two-story congregate housing, such as a senior/retirement
center; larger sites of 5 to 7 acres near Los Osos Valley Road and near Post Office could
accommodate a project with up to 250 occupants. Densities are in "standard units"
(two-bedroom dwellings); more dwellings with fewer bedrooms each could be built.
Medium-high-density: Two and three-story apartments or condominiums ranging from 16 to
22 dwellings per acre; lot sizes of three to seven acres; average net density: 18
dwellings per acre; Densities are in "standard units" (two-bedroom dwellings); more
dwellings with fewer bedrooms each could be built.
C
Commercial
Near the mall:
Sites for large, freestanding retail uses which would not duplicate services available
downtown or in the Madonna Plaza/Central Coast shopping centers (examples:
discount/self-service department store, manufacturers outlet, or building materials/home
improvement center); if not developed with this type of use within a certain time (say by
the year 2000) alternative uses would be considered, including office or visitor-serving
commercial, but not specialty retail or entertainment.
Near the interchange:
A site for a highway-oriented retail use such as a restaurant or auto service, possibly
including a roadside rest/landscape feature, with a "visitors' information center."
Ooen Space
Highway buffer:
An area primarily for highway noise mitigation and view protection, may also serve as
drainage detention, groundwater recharge, wastewater irrigation, or community gardens.
Riparian corridor:
i'
A 50- to 200-foot wide band where creekside vegetation is maintained or restored; a trail
on the easterly bank is to connect the southern end of the planning area with the Madonna
Road culvert.
. �-lo
Dalidio principles
Page 3
i
Neighborhood Park:
A small park next to the elementary school grounds, serving nearby residents.
Holding area
Land to be held until 1995, when its best use would be decided. If the area on the
southwest side of Los Osos Valley Road opposite Auto Park Way, or other nearby land, is
developed with auto dealerships, this area would become available for medium-density
housing. If nearby land is not developed for auto uses, and additional space is needed
for them, this area could be developed for auto sales.
School Site
The school district wants an additional school site in the Laguna Lake area, and prefers
the location shown on the draft map
CIRCULATION CONCEPTS
A. Before any commercial development and before a substantial amount of residential
development in the Dalidio area, Prado Road will be extended across Highway 101 and
ramps will connect with Dalidio Drive via the frontage road.
B. Madonna Road will be widened, in a configuration that will preserve as many of the
existing eucalyptus trees as possible considering safe road alignment (timing to be
determined)..
C. Oceanaire to be a cul-de-sac; with pedestrian connection and possibly emergency
access only through specific plan area.
D. Residential collector to have a wide, two-lane configuration, bicycle lanes; no
driveways; no parking.
E. Frontage road to be two-lane with turn lanes at intersections; separate bicycle
paths; no driveways; no parking.
F. "Mid-block" separate walkways to be provided in large blocks.
G. Low-density housing driveways are to be on local streets.
Street locations shown on the concept map are approximate.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONCEPTS
A. Housing Authority is to be given a first right-of-refusal to purchase at appraised
value enough land for 55 dwellings (5% of 1,090): five acres of medium-density or
about three acres of medium-high density residential, or appropriate combination. "l
Individual projects not to exceed 20 units. i
Dalidio principles
Page 4
B. Developer to construct and help arrange buyer-qualification and resale-control
program for:
Five percent of dwellings: price limit = 2 X countwide median family income;
Ten percent of dwellings: price limit = 3 X countwide median family income;
Ten percent of dwellings: price limit = 4 X countwide median family income;
With City Council approval, the area could substitute rental housing (minimum
ten-year availability), group housing, or lifecare facilities equivalent to one-half
the number of dwellings called for by this schedule.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT/PHASING CONCEPTS
A. At least one acre of residential land in the specific plan area must be developed
before or concurrently with each acre of commercial land, to help maintain
jobs-housing balance.
B. Housing construction should be consistent with the general plan Land Use Element.
C. The creekway, highway buffer, and neighborhood park should be dedicated/developed
before or concurrently with asny adjacent residential development.
D. Through roads and trunk utility lines may have to be extended prior to adjacent
�! development.
Dalidio principles
Page 5
LAND-USE SUMMARY
Land Use Category Area Dwellings Residents Emnlovment Floor Area
(acres) (sq. ft.)
Low-density resid. 43 300 800
Medium-dens. resid. 37 480 1,000
Med.-high dens. resid. 18 340 700
Residential total 98 1,120 2,500
Retail 23 740 250,000
Tourist 4 150 60,000
Commercial total 27 890 310,000
Visitor center 1 20 10,000
Autopark "holding area" 5 [ 60 1301 or [ 160 53,000]
Open Space Total 14
Elementary school 10 ,
Streets 31
TOTAL 186
gm7/dal-prin
YCL. f4
\ '
u
u \
y 4 a0 5 _ °0 _ 96
u °_
7: 2
c v u E E Y g C r t c v <
s Q J
z v u
{ 0
S 7z
O
O rte'. ♦♦ i'Y y' doll
..y'tn: i'�.�,'.h•`�'y�,Y�'.A��
00
Do
of / t{1 _ F:G�'�:l Y •r c•+ po
at
c
\♦ www w°
♦♦ V
syq ♦♦ ,♦ c�i t w' aa.
}� PAL "'b °w•ww • ':
P p.+ � '4
s
N e
DALIDIO SPECIFIC PLAN EIR
PRELIMINARY WORK SCOPE
The EIR should answer the following questions:
1. Are any areas of the site proposed for development unsuitable dueto soil or
geologic conditions? Would any measures needed to overcome geologic problems have
secondary impacts?
2. Will development of the area compromise the city's ability to provide adequate
utilities and services, particularly water, to the rest of the city? What measures
would most effectively relate allowed development to desired levels of service?
3. Will development reduce air quality?
4. What plants and wildlife will be harmed by the project?
5. What will be the traffic conditions on nearby roads, considering project traffic in
relation to road capacity and expected regional traffic?
A. Specifically, what will be the impact on these intersections:
Madonna at Zozobra, Highway 101, and South Higuera;
Highway 101 at Madonna, Prado (planned), and Los Osos Valley Road
Los Osos Valley Road at Calle Joaquin, new intersection, and Los Osos
Valley Road
Prado at South Higuera
B. What would be an equitable contribution to the costs of extending Prado Road
over Highway 101 and east to Highway 227?
6. Are any proposed residential areas unsuitable for residential use due to airport
operations? What measures would reduce undesirable effects of aircraft operations?
7. Will the project disrupt any historical or archaeological resources? How should
such resources which may exist on the site best be protected?
8. Is the proposed flood mitigation adequate?
9. Is the proposed road-traffic noise mitigation adequate?
10. Will the project harm views of the hills, particularly San Luis Mountain and Bishops
Peak as seen from Highway 101?
11. Considering likely grading operations and typical construction traffic, will
development of the project substantially harm the health or safety of neighboring
residents?
12. Is the loss of agricultural land significant in the regional context?
gm7/dal-eir