COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT

DATE:

January 8, 2007

BOARD MEETING DATE:

January 23, 2007

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

10 days within 500 ft.

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Lisa Grote, Director of Community Development

SUBJECT:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Consideration of: (1) General Plan Land Use Map Amendment to change the land use designation from “Neighborhood Commercial” to “High Density Residential,” (2) Zoning Text and Map Amendments to rezone the subject parcel from C-1/S-1 (Neighborhood Business District) to PUD (Planned Unit Development), (3) a Major Subdivision, (4) exceptions to the Subdivision Regulations to allow non-conforming setbacks and parcel sizes within the subdivision, and (5) certification of a Mitigated Negative Declaration, to subdivide an approximately 18,000 sq. ft. parcel to create a 10-unit townhome development, at 101 Fifth Avenue in the unincorporated North Fair Oaks area.

RECOMMENDATION

1.

Approve the proposed General Plan Land Use Map Amendment, Zoning Text and Map Amendments, Major Subdivision, Exception to the Subdivision Regulations and certify the Mitigated Negative Declaration, County File Number PLN 2005-00250, by adopting the required findings and conditions of approval as contained in Attachment A.

2.

Adopt the resolution to change the subject parcel’s General Plan Land Use designation from “Neighborhood Commercial” to “High Density Residential.”

3.

Adopt the ordinance to change the subject parcel’s Zoning Map designation from C-1/S-1 (Neighborhood Business District /5,000 sq. ft. Minimum Parcel Size) to “PUD-133” (Planned Unit Development-No. 133).

4.

Adopt the ordinance to enact, applicable only to the subject parcels, the “PUD-133” (Planned Unit Development-No. 133) Regulations.

VISION ALIGNMENT

Commitment: Redesign our urban environment to increase vitality, expand variety and reduce congestion.

Goal: (11) Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.

The proposed project is a desirable guide for future growth of this area of the County and utilizes the subject parcel in a manner that will increase the vitality of the neighborhood and increases the number of individually owned housing units in the County without negatively impacting adjacent properties. By approving the proposed Text and Map Amendments, the Board would be reinforcing this goal.

BACKGROUND

Proposal: The applicant is proposing to rezone the project parcels from C-1/S-1 (Neighborhood Business District) to PUD (Planned Unit Development), in order to allow residential development and to subdivide the parcel into lots that are smaller than the 5,000 sq. ft. required by the current S-1 combining district. If approved, the proposed PUD rezoning will allow for the construction of ten residential units. The proposed PUD zoning will also allow for reduced setbacks between each new lot. This project will also require an amendment to the General Plan Land Use Map to change the land use designation of the project site from “Neighborhood Commercial” to “High Density Residential.”

Planning Commission Action: On November 8, 2006, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve the proposed General Plan Land Use Map Amendment, Zoning Text and Map Amendments, Major Subdivision and exceptions to the Subdivision Regulations and certify the Mitigated Negative Declaration.

DISCUSSION

If approved, the PUD will allow the applicant to subdivide an 18,000 sq. ft. parcel to create ten residential parcels with an average size of 1,214 sq. ft. A 5,852 sq. ft. parcel of common area includes the driveway, pathways and the landscaped areas around the proposed townhomes. The PUD designation is necessary because of the proposed sub-5,000 sq. ft. parcel size and zero side yard setbacks between units within the project. In its analysis, staff has found the project, as conditioned, to be in compliance with the PUD findings. Because this proposal will create parcels that are less than 5,000 sq. ft. in size, the Board of Supervisors must approve an exception to the Subdivision Regulations. Staff has analyzed the proposal and found it to be in compliance with the General Plan. Also, because this project is creating more than five residential units, it is subject to the County’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. This ordinance requires all such developments to set aside 20% of the units for sale for extremely low, very low, low or moderate-income households, in any combination, which for this project would be two of the ten proposed units.

FISCAL IMPACT

Upon completion, due to the subdivision and improvements made on the property, the assessed tax revenue on the subject parcels will increase.