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The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan 2.0 Planning Context 2-1 2.0 PLANNING CONTENT 2.1 Purpose of the Specific Plan The Anaheim Resort, containing theme parks, convention facilities and visitor-serving uses such as hotels, is a unique type of land use concentration that requires special consideration and attention to ensure that the various elements come together to create an exciting, attractive environment. The unique synergy a destination resort must have is not easily addressed by traditional zoning. As a result, it is necessary to establish a basic framework, which provides planning policies and standards to assure that visitor-serving facilities and theme park uses will come together as an integrated whole. The ARSP is intended to establish this framework, thereby ensuring an attractive destination resort environment. In addition to overall planning policies, the ARSP establishes comprehensive zoning regulations and design guidelines, which recognize the distinctive nature of tourist and convention- oriented uses, and effectively implements the policies of the ARSP. It also identifies the public facilities and services that will be needed to support the development, and describes how the project and its related improvements will be phased. The zoning regulations contained within this specific plan in Section 7.0, Zoning and Development Standards, are regulatory in nature. Subsequent development plans and subdivision maps must be consistent with both the ARSP and the City of Anaheim General Plan. Any situation or condition not specifically covered by provisions contained within this specific plan will be subject to the regulations of the City of Anaheim Municipal Code. 2.2 Specific Plan Policies The specific plan goals stated in Section 1.6 define the basis for the following specific plan policies. They include: Enhance the urban destination area and create a resort development; Establish a unified resort identity; Supply adequate visitor and convention facilities to meet the long-term demand for entertainment, convention, lodging, and retail uses; Improve public facilities, services and infrastructure to accommodate projected growth; Improve the transportation system; Develop implementation measures to assure that the area will be enhanced by high quality development; and, Protect and enhance surrounding uses. The following subsections describe these policies in more detail. 2.2.1 Create and Enhance an Urban Destination Resort Environment The primary planning policy for the ARSP is to enhance an urban destination area and create a resort environment that features the Anaheim Convention Center, hotels, restaurants, and shopping and entertainment opportunities. By enhancing this area, visitors will be encouraged to stay for several days, and enjoy the variety of recreation and entertainment opportunities available. ---PAGE BREAK--- The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan 2.0 Planning Context 2-2 2.2.2 Establish a Unified Resort Identity In order to establish the identity of The Anaheim Resort as a premiere destination resort, the ARSP proposes that a unifying theme be established throughout the ARSP area. This will be achieved by establishing a consistent visual language for the public areas that extend throughout the ARSP area. The main components of the unifying visual language will be: architectural character and quality of the buildings, landscape, signage, and street furnishings. The architectural character and quality of the buildings proposed will be regulated through a combination of setback requirements contained in Section 7.0, Zoning and Development Standards, and design guidelines contained in Section 5.0, Design Plan, of this specific plan. The landscape character of the ARSP will be created primarily by extensive planting of trees, shrubs and ground cover. Similarly, signage within the ARSP area will present a unified visual character through the use of compatible and complimentary colors, forms, and typography. Street furnishings, including lighting fixtures, benches, pageantry, and entry statements will also be selected to reinforce the overall identity of The Anaheim Resort. 2.2.3 Supply Visitor and Convention Facilities to Meet Long-Term Demand Another important specific plan policy is to supply the visitor and convention facilities that will be needed to meet the long-term demand for recreation, convention, and visitor-serving activities. There are three primary types of facilities needed to achieve this that are addressed by this plan: hotels, convention facilities and visitor-serving retail and entertainment facilities. First, the ARSP provides for the development of up to 32,500 hotel rooms within the Commercial Recreation (C-R) District. Second, the ARSP provides for the ongoing operation and expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest convention facility on the West Coast, and uses supportive of this important facility. Third, the ARSP also provides for visitor- serving retail and entertainment facilities within the ARSP area. 2.2.4 Improve Public Facilities, Services and Infrastructure to Accommodate Growth Another important specific plan objective is to improve public facilities, services, and infrastructure to accommodate the growth and development that is planned to occur within the ARSP area. The public facility components to be improved as a result of the ARSP include: the transportation infrastructure (described in Section 4.0, Public Facilities Plan), and the pedestrian environment and the streetscape (described in Section 5.0, Design Plan). The ARSP is designed to create an inviting, integrated pedestrian environment that provides convenient connections throughout the ARSP area and the adjacent Disneyland Resort. Important elements of the pedestrian environment are the landscaped parkways and pedestrian facilities that are provided throughout the area. The ARSP includes streetscape improvements that are compatible with those in the Disneyland Resort Specific Plan and which contribute to a unifying visual character for the entire Anaheim Resort. Improvements to underground infrastructure, including the storm drainage, water supply, electrical and sewerage systems and enhanced public services are also provided. ---PAGE BREAK--- The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan 2.0 Planning Context 2-3 2.2.5 Improve the Transportation System An essential part of the specific plan is to identify improvements to the transportation system so that access to the ARSP area will be improved. These improvements include a combination of new access routes to and from I-5 and local roadway improvements. The ARSP area can also be easily accessed by OCTA bus lines and Anaheim Resort Transit, both of which provide connections from nearby Metrolink/Amtrak and future high-speed rail stations, including ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center), a planned multimodal transportation facility. In addition, the Anaheim Rapid Connection, a proposed fixed- guideway system, will take visitors, future high- speed rail riders, employees, and area residents directly to and from ARTIC and the Platinum Triangle to The Anaheim Resort. Day visitors to the ARSP area will have convenient access to and from two new public day-use parking facilities (described in more detail in The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan). These facilities will have a maximum capacity of 34,300 cars and will accommodate Anaheim Convention Center, as well as theme park visitors. Access from the parking facilities to the Anaheim Convention Center will be by shuttle bus or via the pedestrian walkway system. Overnight visitors arriving by I-5 may use the same interchanges as day visitors, but will be directed to surface streets for access to hotels or other facilities within The Anaheim Resort. These facilities will complement those proposed within the adopted Disneyland Resort Specific Plan, which includes high-capacity public parking facilities, a monorail, and an elevated pedestrian way/people mover/moving sidewalk system. 2.2.6 Develop Implementation Mechanisms to Assure Quality Development To assure the overall quality of the ARSP area, the ARSP contains implementation mechanisms that promote the design goals of the Plan. These mechanisms include development regulations, standards, and design guidelines, as well as a public facilities plan. Section 5.0, Design Plan, describes the design concepts that will be implemented to provide a unified identity. The City has also adopted an Identity Program for The Anaheim Resort that has been developed in conjunction with this specific plan and which is also described in Section 5.0. The zoning and development standards are contained within Section 7 Zoning and Development Standards. They define the permitted uses and establish setback standards, among other things. 2.2.7 Enhance and Protect Surrounding Uses Implementation of the ARSP will enhance and protect the surrounding uses through the creation of development setback areas, which will be created and maintained to provide an aesthetically appealing, landscaped buffer be- tween development in the ARSP area and neighboring uses. As a fully integrated planning document, the ARSP provides the overall policy direction (in this Section, Section 3.0, Land Use Plan, and Section 4.0, Public Facilities Plan) as well as the particular planning tools (Section 5.0, Design Plan, and Section 7.0, Zoning and Development Standards) needed to ensure that these goals are achieved as development of the ARSP area proceeds. ---PAGE BREAK--- The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan 2.0 Planning Context 2-4 2.3 Authority and Scope of the Specific Plan The City of Anaheim's authority to prepare, adopt, and implement specific plans is assured by California Government Code, Article 8 Specific Plans, Section 65450 through Section 65457. Procedures for the adoption, implementation, and amendment of specific plans are provided in Chapter 18.72 Specific Plans, of the Anaheim Municipal Code. The Planning Commission must hold a public hearing before it can recommend the adoption of a specific plan by the City Council. The City Council may then adopt the specific plan by ordinance. As required by Chapter 18.72 of the Anaheim Municipal Code and California Government Code Sections 65450 et. seq., this document and the associated environmental impact reports that have been prepared for the ARSP, Master Environmental Impact Report No. 313 (MEIR No. 313) and Supplemental Environmental Impact Report No. 340 (SEIR No. 340), specify the following in detail: The nature, location, density and size of all existing and proposed land uses, including open space. Vehicular and pedestrian circulation within the project and surrounding area. The provision of essential urban services including, but not limited to, energy, public safety, public utilities, sewage, solid waste disposal, storm water drainage, water, recreation and other essential facilities which may be needed to support proposed development. Land use and other regulations that will implement the specific plan. Programs, public works projects, and financing measures to implement the specific plan. A statement of the relationship of the specific plan to the General Plan Chapter 18.72 also requires a development schedule setting forth phasing of development and target dates for completion. The ARSP is intended to provide guidelines and regulations for the future development of the ARSP area and does not contain any proposals for specific developments other than the Public Facilities Plan. As such, it does not contain a phasing plan, which establishes a precise sequence, time, and level of development. Development of the ARSP area will likely be spread over a number of years as individual landowners renovate their property, or replace existing buildings with new ones. SEIR No. 340 has assumed thresholds of development for modeling purposes in Year 2030 and contains mitigation measures to ensure that infrastructure improvements will be required commensurate with development. In addition, this document addresses subjects, such as urban design, which are necessary and desirable for implementation of the General Plan. Further, this document provides information that specifies how the proposed ARSP is in conformance with the following findings, which the Planning Commission and the City Council are required to make prior to approving or amending a specific plan: That the property proposed for the specific plan has unique site characteristics such as topography, location or surroundings which are enhanced by special land use and development standards; ---PAGE BREAK--- The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan 2.0 Planning Context 2-5 That the specific plan is consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan and with the purposes, standards and land use guidelines therein; That the specific plan results in development of desirable character, which will be compatible with existing and proposed development in the surrounding neighborhood; That the specific plan contributes to a balance of land uses; and, That the specific plan respects environmental and aesthetic resources consistent with economic realities. 2.4 Relationship to City Planning Documents and Regulations This section describes the relationship of the ARSP to other relevant City planning documents and regulations. 2.4.1 Relationship to the General Plan As previously mentioned, the ARSP is consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan. Section 6.0, General Plan Consistency, includes a discussion of each of the applicable General Plan Element's goals and policies, and how they are implemented through the ARSP. 2.4.2 Relationship to the Zoning Ordinance The ARSP defines zoning districts, regulations, and development standards that will apply to the ARSP area. In cases where the ARSP does not address a particular situation, the regulations and development standards contained within Title 18 of the Anaheim Municipal Code will apply. To the extent the two differ, the ARSP's policies, design guidelines, regulations, and development standards will apply. 2.4.3 California Environmental Quality Act Requirements The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that local agencies, prior to taking action on projects over which they have discretionary approval authority, consider the environmental consequences of such projects. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is a public document designed to provide the public, responsible/trustee agencies, special districts, and local and State government agency decision- makers with an analysis of the potential environmental consequences of project implementation in order to support an informed decision. Pursuant to local and State CEQA Guidelines, the City of Anaheim certified The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan Master EIR No. 313 (State Clearinghouse No. 91091062) in support of the adoption of The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan No. 92-2 in September 1994. Master EIR No. 313 evaluated impacts associated with the establishment and implementation of the ARSP and created a Mitigation Monitoring Program (MMP No. 0085) in order to mitigate impacts associated with ARSP area development. Since being certified in 1994, two Validation Reports have been prepared (1999 and 2004) to evaluate the continued relevance and accuracy of Master EIR No. 313 and its ability to be used as a Master EIR for all projected development within the boundaries of the ARSP area. In December 2012, the City certified Supplemental EIR No. 340 to reevaluate all the environmental changes that have occurred in and around The Anaheim Resort and to evaluate an expansion of the Convention Center. ---PAGE BREAK--- The Anaheim Resort Specific Plan 2.0 Planning Context 2-6 In addition to addressing the potential environmental impacts that would result from the ARSP Update and the Anaheim Convention Center Expansion, Supplemental EIR No. 340 serves as the primary environmental document for all future entitlements associated with the ARSP, including all discretionary approvals requested or required to implement the ARSP. 2.4.4 Relationship to The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan The City of Anaheim adopted The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan (Specific Plan No. 92-1) and certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR) No. 311 on June 29, 1993. The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan provides for the development of an international multi-day vacation destination resort encompassing approximately 489.7 acres of The Anaheim Resort. The Plan permits the development of a new theme park, additional hotels and entertainment areas, new parking facilities, and an internal transportation system. In addition, the Plan permits the existing Disneyland theme park to continue to be modified with new attractions and other im- provements. Although they are separate projects, preparation of the ARSP and The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan were coordinated to ensure planning consis- tency, and to ensure that elements of the plans are complementary (for example, definition of planning area boundaries, the design of the streetscape improvements and the provision of adequate infrastructure). Where appropriate, references or descriptions of the programs proposed as part of The Disneyland Resort Specific Plan are included within this document in order to provide the reader with a better understanding of the relationship between the planning concepts and programs proposed as part of each of the two Specific Plans. 2.4.5 Relationship to the Hotel Circle Specific Plan On August 16, 1994, the City of Anaheim adopted the Hotel Circle Specific Plan (SP 93-1) for the remaining 6.8 acres of The Anaheim Resort. This specific plan allows for the development of up to 969 hotel rooms. All of the parcels within the specific plan area are developed with a total of 818 hotel rooms.