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Home My WebLink About1992-12-02; Planning Commission; Resolution 3447I1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 I , PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION NO. 3447 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO ADD A POLICY TO THE LAND USE ELEMENT TO ALLOW THE CITY TO GRANT DENSITY INCREASES ABOVE THE MAXIMUM PERMITTED RESIDENTIAL DENSITIES CONSISTENT WITH THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, TO ENABLE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR LOWER INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. CASE NAME: RESIDENTIAL DENSITY INCREASES CASE NO: GPA 92-08 WHEREAS, the Planning Commission did, on the 28th day of October, 1992, the 4th day of November, 1992, the 18th day of November, 1992, and on the 2nd day of December, 1992, hold a duly noticed public hearings as prescribed by law to consider said reques.t; WHEREAS, at said public hearing, upon hearing and considering all testimony imd arguments, if any, of all persons desiring to be heard, said Commission considered all factors relating to the General Plan Amendment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED by the Planning Commission of the City of Carlsbad, as follows: A> That the above recitations are true and correct. B) That based on the evidence presented at the public hearing, the Commission recommends APPROVAL, of GPA 92-08, according to revised Exhibit "X", dated November 18, 1992, attached hereto and made a part hereof, based on the following findings and subject to the following conditions. ~ -: 1. This General Plan Amendment, to add a policy to the Land Use Element to allow the City to grant density increases above the maximum permitted residential densities, to enable the development of affordable housing for lower income households will ensure consistency between the Housing Hement and the Land Use Element. ~ 28 0 a 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 2. This General Plan Amendment, implements Housing Element Policy 3.7.h and Pmgram 3.7.i. 3. This GUR~ Plan Amendment helps to impltxtlmt Housing Element bgmm 3.7.a. and 3.7.f. 4. This General Plan Amendment will not cause any significant environmental impact. All future development projects processed pursuant to this GPA shall be subject to site specific environmental review. A Negative Declaration has been issued by the Planning Director on July 16, 1992. PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Planning Commissilon of the City of Carlsbad, California, held on the 2nd day of December, 1992, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: Chairperson Erwin, Commissioners: Schlehuber, Schramm, Noble, Welshons, Savary & Hall. NOES: None. ABSENT: None. ABSTAIN: None. TOM ERWIN, Chairperson CARLSBAD PLANNING COMMISSION ATTEST: Planning Director PC RES0 3447 2 I1 0 0 (REVISED) J3mIBIT x NOVEMBER 18,1992 PROPOSED REVTSIONS TO CARLSBAD'S LAND USE ELEMENT The Land Use Element is proposed for revision to add the following language within section "B. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN", "...standards of population density and building intensity to be applied to the land use classifications: 1. Residential", which begins on page 24. All Italic text is from the existing adopted and proposed Land Use Element. Language to be added is in highlighted text. [Beginning on page 251 EXPLANATORY NOTE ON DENSITY RANGES: The densities established for the low and low-medium density residential classifications simply designate the maximum number of dwelling units per gross acre that would be permitted if all other requirements are met. In those exceptional cases w!here the base zone is consistent with the land use designation but would permit a slightly h&her yield than that recommended in the low and low-medium density residential classifications? the City may find that the project is consistent with this element if it is compatible with the objectives? policies, general land uses and programs expressed herein and does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the maximum allocation. This limitation pertains only to projects which do not include housing afSordable to lower-income households. Nothing in this section shall preclude a project proposing to include lower-income aflordable housing from being granted higher densities as described later in this section. The dens& ranges establhhed for the medium, medium-high and high density residential categories are NOT meant as "minimums" and "maximums'! The lower figure for each of these categories represents a "guaranteed" density and the higherfisure represents a potential mm'mum that could be located in each area if certain criteria are met. The criteria shall be reviewed on a project-by-project basis and shall include such things as slope of land? soil stability? compatibility with surrounding land uses, flood plain protection? adequacy of public facilities, onsite amenities and preservation of unique and desirable natural resources. In other words, the density allocation fir any project starts at the low end and, if a higher density is desired, the proposed development must prove itself worthy of the higher designation. Residential density s(hal1 be determined based on the number of dwelling units per developable acre of propem. The following lands are considered to be undevelopable and shall be excluded from density calculations: (1) beaches (2) permanent bodies of water (3) floodways 1 0 0 (4) slopes with an inclination of greater than 40% (5) significant wetlands (6) significant riparian woodland habitats (7) land subject to major power transmission easements (8) land upon which other significant environmental features as determined by the environmental review process for a project are located. No residential development shall occur on the lands listed above, however, the City Council may permit limited development of such propeq if when considering the property as a whole the prohibition against development would constitute an unconstitutional deprivation of propeq. Limited development of accessory or nonresidential uses may be permitted. Development on slopes with an inclination of 25% to 40% inclusive shall be designed to minimize the grading and slope development provisions of the Carlsbad Local Coastal Program shall apply. The City of Carkibad in implementing its public facilities element and growth management plan has made an estimate of the number of dwelling units that will be built as a result of the application of the density ranges in the Land Use Element to individual projects. ne City's Capital Improvement Budget, growth management plan, and public facilities plans are all based on this estimate. In order to ensure that all necessary public facilz'des wtll be available concurrent with need to serve new development it is necessary to limit the number of residential dwelling units which can be constructed in the City to that estimate. For that purpose the City has been divided into four quadrants along El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road. The maximum number of residential dwelling units to be constructed or approved in the City after November 4, 1986 is as follows: Northwest Quadrant 5,844; Northeast Quadrant 6,166; Southwest Quadrant 10,667 Southeast Quadrant 10,801. The City shall not approve any General Plan amendment, zone change, tentative subdivision map or other discretionary approval for a development which could result in development above the limit in any quadrant. In order to ensure that development does not exceed the limit the following growth management control points are established for the Land Use Element density ranges. ALLOWED DWELLING UNIT PER ACRE General Plan Density Ranges Growth Management Control Point RLO- 1.5 RLM 0 - 4 RM4 - 8 RMH 8 - 15 RH 15 - 23 1 3.2 6 11.5 19 2 e * The City also recognizes that the feasibility of providing housing aflordable to lower-income families ik dependent upon the ability to achieve residential densities higher than allowed by the underlying land use designation. Therefore, it is necessary to consider development of housing projects containing lower-income affordable housing units at densities which may exceed the ranges and growth management control points indicated above. The density which may be approved for those projects which include aflordable housing shall be determined on an individualproject proposal basis, and may be independent of the residential land use designation of the site, subject to the criteria listed below and in Residential Guideline #19. The City shall not approve any residential development at a density that exceeds the growth management control point for the applicable density range- without making the following findings: 1. That the project will provide sufficient additional public facilities for the density in excess of the control point to ensure that the adequacy of the City’s public facilities plans will not be adversely impacted. 2. That there have been suficient developments approved in the quadrant at densities below the control point to cover the units in the project above the control point so the approval will not result in exceeding the quadrant limit. [END OF SECTION] A new Residential Guideline (#19) is proposed to be added to the Land Use Element (page 45) as follows: 19. Allow density increases, above the maximum residential densities permitted by the General Plan, to enable the development of lower-income aflordable housing, through processing of a Site Development Plan pemit. Any Site Development Plan application request to increase residential densities (either: above the Growth Management Control Point or upper end of the residential density range@), for purposes of providing lower-income affordable housing, shall be evaluated relative to: (a) the proposals compatibility with adjacent land uses; (b) the adequacy of public facilities; and (e) the project site being located in proximity to a minimum of one of the following: a freeway or major roadway, a commercial center, employment oppomnities, a City park or open space, or a commuter rail or transit center. DTvd GPh928.exX 3