Document elcerrito_gov_doc_25b877ad61

1 AMENDMENTS TO THE 1999 GENERAL PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE SAN PABLO AVENUE SPECIFIC PLAN These amendments supersede the text in the 1999 General Plan AMENDED 2014 CHAPTER 2: STRATEGIC APPROACH Page 2-4 5. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Page 2-6 Primary Action Strategies: San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Page 2-12 5. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan … The San Pablo Avenue Corridor contains El Cerrito’s main north-south arterial, with extensive commercial development based on automobile access. This development pattern is consistent with development along San Pablo Avenue as it continues through the neighboring communities of Richmond, Albany, and Berkeley. The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, including Form-Based Code, Complete Streets Plan and Infrastructure Analysis, provides direction for the enhancement of existing business and the development of new business opportunities. These improvements will create an attractive and functional development pattern that meets today’s retail and office needs. The Form Based Code addresses transit-oriented mixed-use commercial development, high-density residential uses, public spaces, and streetscapes design. Plan guidelines address density and development intensity, parking, multimodal access and circulation, signage, open space and setback requirements, land use buffer areas, and building design and image characteristics. Complete Streets guidelines recommend the use of landscaping, street furniture, and lighting to improve the experiences of pedestrian, bicycle, transit and automobile users of San Pablo Avenue. The pedestrian experience will be further improved by creating public open spaces such as pocket parks, plazas, midblock connections, greenways, and repurposed and temporary open spaces, and creating a stronger buffer between the sidewalk and automobile traffic. Streetscape design guidelines include standards for pedestrian crossing and intersection design, sidewalk widths, street tree planting, and other functional issues such as ease of movement, pedestrian safety and security, and accessibility. Responsible Organization: City of El Cerrito Participating Organizations: City of Richmond ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 Caltrans West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC) AC Transit Time Frame: Mid-Term (3-5 years) Potential Funding Sources: City of El Cerrito Caltrans Various regional, State and federal grants CHAPTER 4: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN Page 4-4 Growth Strategy This General Plan calls for a balanced growth strategy with emphasis on retail and office uses. In 1999, the Plan assumes that all commercial growth and most residential growth will take place within the San Pablo Avenue corridor. Specifically, the Plan assumes 189,350 square feet of additional retail space, 166,570 square feet of additional office space, and 775 new housing units. More specifically, in 2014, the development regulations of the San Pablo Specific Plan would result in a net new development capacity of 1706 new dwelling units and 243,112 square feet of new commercial space by the year 2040. The only development assumed to be outside the Specific Plan area are 90 housing units, which represent a combination of accessory units and infill of vacant lots. Page 4-6 footnote to Table 4-1: Land Area by Type of Use, **In 2014, the 174. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area in El Cerrito includes: 29.4 acres of Residential, 108.5 acres of Commercial, 5.2 acres of Mixed-Use, 12.2 acres of Public, 4.9 acres of Parks, 10.6 acres of Parking and 3.2 acres of vacant land. The Plan re-zones all parcels within the Plan area to Transit-Oriented Mixed-Use and includes reduced automobile parking standards and privately-owned public open space requirements. Page 4-12 San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan articulates a vision for the future of San Pablo Avenue, identifies improvements, and adopts context-sensitive regulations that can be applied along its length and to adjacent areas. The Plan’s Form-Based Code regulates land use and development standards based on Transect Zone, Transit-Oriented High-Intensity Mixed Use (TOHIMU) and Transit- Oriented Mid-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOMIMU), designed to encourage vertical and horizontal mixed-use. The TOHIMU zone emphasizes commercial uses on the ground floor with upper residential uses to activate the pedestrian right-of-way and cluster services near transit nodes. The TOMIMU zone allows for “flex” spaces on the bottom floors to accommodate ground floor ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 commercial where needed, but emphasizing mid-intensity residential uses to increase housing along the transportation corridor to encourage walking, biking and public transit use. Page 4-13 Development Densities and Intensities The density and intensity ranges for the above land use categories are as shown on Table 4-2. Residential and mixed-use projects shall comply with both the floor-area ratio (FAR) requirements and the density requirements, except that the FAR for projects built pursuant to state-mandated density bonuses may be increased beyond the city’s allowable limits if necessary to accommodate the increased density. Projects located within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area will not have to comply with FAR requirements, but will instead be regulated by form-based regulations including a maximum building height, ground floor and upper floor setbacks, and open space requirements. Projects consistent as an affordable housing project as defined by State law are eligible for a height increase. Page 4-14 For purposes of interpreting Table 4-2, the following definitions apply: • Density is the number of permanent residential dwelling units per total net acre of land in the development site, except in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area where density is defined in terms of height. • Floor area ratio (FAR) is the gross floor area, excluding the area devoted exclusively to parking, divided by the total net area of the development site. • Incentives may include density bonuses, FAR bonuses, and other benefits that the City may grant in return for special benefits provided by the development project to the City; density and FAR bonuses may only be given pursuant to the criteria contained in the City’s zoning or other land use regulations. In order to convert density expressed in units per acre to density expressed in persons per acre, multiply by 2.32, the 1998 estimate by the California Department of Finance for the average number of persons per household in El Cerrito. Space Intentionally Left Blank ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 The City has an incentives program in place (Zoning Ordinance Chapter 19.23, adopted 1977, amended 2008). Under the program, development incentives may be granted for a project where the incentives will promote closer adherence to City objectives. Incentives may include increased density reduced parking, greater building height, or other deviations from regular zoning standards. In exchange for such incentives, the City will require desirable features, such as exceptional design, creative design of off-street parking, enhancements to public amenities, environmental benefits such as creek restoration, and similar benefits to the community. The program most frequently has been used for minor density increases in projects ranging from 5 to 20 dwelling units, never exceeding 40 units per acre. The program has allowed more substantial density increases for projects for the elderly and disabled, up to 76 units per acre. Some of those projects have also been granted increased height, reduced parking, and reduced setbacks. Appendix G is a tabulation of the results of Table 4-2: Density and Intensity Ranges Density (du/acre) Intensity (FAR) Normal Range With City Incentives per Zoning Ordinance Section 19.23 With State- Mandated Density Bonuses Normal Range With City Incentives Residential Very Low Density Up to 6 NA Up to 7.5 NA NA Low Density 7-10 NA 7-12.5 NA NA Medium Density 11-20 11-25 11-25 NA NA High Density 21-35 21-45* 21-45 NA NA Mixed-Use Commercial General Up to 35 Up to 45* Up to 45 Up to 2.0 Up to 3.0 Neighborhood Commercial Up to 20 Up to 25 Up to 25 Up to 1.0 NA San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area Transit-Oriented High Intensity Mixed-Use (TOHIMU) Transit-Oriented Mid-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOMIMU) Up to 65’** Up to 55’** NA** NA** Up to 85’** Up to 65’** NA NA Parks and Open Space NA NA NA Up to 0.1 Up to 0.5 Institutional and Utilities NA NA NA Up to 1.0 Up to 2.0 *Within the High Density Residential and Mixed-Use Commercial land use categories, up to 70 dwelling units per acre may be allowed through a city density-bonus incentive program for housing for elderly and handicapped persons where there is a commitment to provide services such as congregate care, onsite counseling, or medical services for residents. **The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan includes a Form-Based Code that does not prescribe building densities based on dwelling units per acre, but instead regulates the physical form of the building. Within the Plan Area, there is a building height limit of 65’ in the Transit–Oriented Higher Intensity Mixed Use Transect and 55’ in the Transit–Oriented Mid- Intensity Mixed Use Transect. Height bonuses may be allowed through a Tier IV Entitlement Process or through the State-Mandated Density Bonus program. ---PAGE BREAK--- 5 applying the Incentives Program from 1983 through 1997. Projects within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area should refer to the Administration of the Regulating Code section of the Specific Plan for further information on development incentives. Page 4-16 – 4-23 Amend Land Use Goals and Policies to: Goal LU1: A high-quality residential character within El Cerrito. LU1.5 Suitable Housing. Promote suitably located housing and services for all age groups within the city. Within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area, allow ground floor residential development and increased land use intensity close to existing transit infrastructure to promote residential infill development and catalyze mode shift. • Development Regulations (zoning) • Housing Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan LU1.7 Maximum Density. Maintain the maximum multifamily density at 35 dwelling units per acre, except in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area and as otherwise provided in this Plan. • Development Regulations (zoning) Goal LU2: A land use pattern and mix of uses that contribute to the financial health and stability of the community. LU2.1 San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area. Promote retail, office, and mixed uses within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area to provide more tax revenues to the city. • Developm ent Regulation s (zoning) • Economic Developm ent Strategy • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan LU2.5 Maximum FARS. Allow a maximum floor-area-ratio of 2.0 in all commercial areas except the neighborhood commercial centers where the maximum is 1.0 and the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area where FARs are not defined and except as otherwise provided in this Plan. • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 Goal LU3: A development pattern that enhances a strong sense of community. LU3.1 Commercial/Residential Interaction. Encourage easy access and a strong sense of place to local businesses as focal points for neighborhood social interaction. • • Development Regulations (zoning) • Development Review LU3.2 Midtown. Attract additional mixed-use residential development with enhanced pedestrian and bicycle connectivity within the civic and community-oriented Midtown zone of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area. • Development Regulations (zoning) • Capital Improvements Program • Economic Development Strategy • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal LU4: A safe, attractive, and interesting community LU4.3 Street Frontages. Encourage attractive and accessible street frontages that contribute to the retail vitality of all commercial or mixed-use centers. • Development Regulations (zoning) • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal LU5: A land use pattern and types of development that support alternatives for the movement of people, goods, and ideas. LU5.1 BART Station Areas. Encourage higher densities and a mix of uses near the city’s two BART stations to take advantage of the transit opportunities they provide. • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan LU5.2 Mixed-Use Centers. Encourage mixed-use centers along San Pablo Avenue – including development along Fairmount Avenue, Stockton Avenue and Moeser Lane, between San Pablo Avenue and the Ohlone Greenway – that provide the • Development Regulations (zoning) • Economic ---PAGE BREAK--- 7 opportunity for people to walk among businesses, employment, and residences. Development Strategy • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan LU5.3 Mixed-Use Projects. Encourage mixed uses, especially offices or housing over ground-floor retail uses, where commercial uses are allowed. • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan LU5.5 Pedestrians, Bicycles, and Access. Ensure that business areas have adequate and attractive pedestrian and bicycle facilities and accessibility for persons with disabilities, and that easy connections to transit are available wherever possible. • Development Regulations (zoning) • Development Review • Capital Improvements Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan LU5.6 Development Along the Ohlone Greenway. New or substantially altered development abutting the Ohlone Greenway will be evaluated with respect to how the development enhances the aesthetics and ambiance of this important linear recreational and transportation facility, and how the development contributes to the security of users of the Greenway. The City will expect frontage along the Greenway to be treated as if it were public street frontage, with commensurate attention to design quality and access. The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan designates the Ohlone Greenway as a Street Type within its Regulating Plan. Projects within the Plan Area abutting the Greenway are subject the development standards of this Street Type. • Development Regulations (zoning) • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal LU6: Development patterns that promote energy efficiency, conservation of natural resources, and use of renewable rather than nonrenewable resources. LU6.2 Circulation Alternatives. To the extent possible, encourage alternatives to the use of private automobiles. Encourage a full range of transportation options – driving, transit, walking and • Development Regulations (zoning) ---PAGE BREAK--- 8 biking – without allowing any one to preclude the others. On San Pablo Avenue, in many constrained right-of-ways, it is not possible to provide optimum facilities for all user groups and in the event that trade-offs are necessary, transit users and pedestrians are the highest priority. • Redevelopment Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Page 4-29 The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area centers on the portion of San Pablo Avenue, State Route 123, that extends for approximately two and one-half miles from El Cerrito Plaza and the border with the City of Albany in the south and continuing to Baxter Creek Gateway Park in the north. The Avenue carries both heavy regional through-traffic and local traffic accessing the Avenue’s mix of commercial services, civic uses and BART stations. At the southern end of the Plan Area, the boundary extends east to include the El Cerrito Plaza BART station and west along Central Avenue to the interstate 80. While most of the parcels within the Plan Area are within the City of El Cerrito, some on the west side of San Pablo Avenue and in the northern part of the Plan Area are within the City of Richmond. The Specific Plan supports the community vision to create a vibrant, walkable, sustainable and transit-oriented corridor that respects surrounding neighborhoods by identifying and providing design strategies for three unique destinations within the Specific Plan Area: Downtown, Midtown, and Uptown. A variety of transportation options, including mass transit, automobiles, walking and biking, contribute to the character of the San Pablo Avenue corridor. Besides being a high-traffic vehicular thoroughfare, the Plan Area is well-served by transit including two BART stations, numerous AC Transit bus lines and other regional bus connections. The del Norte BART station serves as a major bus transit hub with multiple regional and local bus lines converging at the station. The majority of the Plan Area is bordered to the east by the Ohlone Greenway, which serves as a major north-south bicycle and pedestrian circulation spine with dedicated pockets of open space that connects El Cerrito with the neighboring cities of Albany and Richmond. Several recent public and private investments have enhanced the Avenue including the Ohlone Greenway improvements, San Pablo Avenue streetscape improvements, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects, a new City Hall, the restored Cerrito Theater, and new residential and commercial developments. Page 4-30 Uptown (Del Norte Area) Uptown is a mixed-use commercial area that serves as the northern gateway to the City. Positioned within a ½ of the del Norte BART Station, a regional multi-modal center, this district is characterized by larger lots and building footprints. The area has potential to be humanized to be a stronger neighborhood that is more walkable and bikeable, while still serving as a transportation hub. Significant opportunities exist to: improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity and close circulation gaps on large blocks; encourage a sense-of-place through active ground floor commercial uses and ---PAGE BREAK--- 9 public open spaces; and, construct higher density development on large underutilized lots in proximity to the BART station. Downtown (El Cerrito Plaza) Downtown is an entertainment/theater and shopping district that serves as the southern gateway to the City. Positioned within a ½ mile of the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station, this district is characterized by constrained lots, the El Cerrito Plaza shopping center and adjoining residential. New development potential primarily includes smaller infill projects with “fine grain” character, as well as the El Cerrito Plaza BART surface parking lot or eventual redevelopment of the El Cerrito Plaza shopping center. Significant opportunities exist to: create an identifiable green southern gateway to the City where Cerrito Creek meets San Pablo Avenue; encourage a sense-of-place through active ground floor commercial uses and public open spaces; connect destinations to the Bay Trail through pedestrian and bicycle improvements; construct higher-intensity mixed-use developments in proximity to the BART station; and, improve connectivity to San Pablo Avenue and through the El Cerrito Plaza shopping center. Midtown (City Center) Midtown is a civic and community-oriented zone with two neighborhood-scale commercial nodes at Stockton and Moeser. Characterized by longer blocks next to BART tracks, the district has both recent and planned mixed-use and residential investment. The area has strong potential to attract additional mixed-use residential development with enhanced pedestrian and bicycle connectivity. Significant opportunities exist to: provide midblock connections to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity on large blocks; enhance the Moeser and Stockton neighborhood commercial nodes to promote economic activity; construct a mix of mid-density residential and mixed-use developments along the corridor; and, create a continuous cycle track to improve bicycle safety, access and connectivity. Page 4-35 Three Major Activity Centers The San Pablo Avenue corridor provides virtually all the development opportunities for new office work places and shopping. Recent development trends reflect that retail development forms are shifting from suburban strip commercial and community malls to more pedestrian friendly, transit oriented villages. El Cerrito’s unique location provides an opportunity to take advantage of these changing marketing trends. El Cerrito has the potential to create three major centersDowntown (the El Cerrito Plaza Area), Uptown (the Del Norte Area), and a Midtown Area. These three major activity centers are envisioned as pedestrian friendly, mixed-use villages, with ground floor retail uses and upper floors of office and residential uses. Both El Cerrito Plaza and Del Norte Center take advantage of their regional location next to the BART stations. These three major centers are connected along San Pablo Avenue, BART and the Ohlone Greenway with additional office, retail, and housing uses in between. Each center has its own unique character and function. The Plaza provides an opportunity for smaller, “fine grain” retail infill projects. Del Norte provides an opportunity for new regional large-scale commercial opportunities provided by ---PAGE BREAK--- 10 proximity to the freeway and office, retail and residential mixed-use developments. The Midtown Center provides an opportunity to cluster development around new civic functions and neighborhood-serving commercial districts. Page 4-37 to Page-47 Goal CD1: A city organized and designed with an overall attractive, positive image and “sense of place.” CD1.2 Design Concept. Plan and construct development within development activity centers and neighborhood commercial centers according to an overall design concept for each center. • Grant Funds • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD1.3 High-Quality Design. Encourage higher-quality design through the use of well-crafted and maintained buildings and landscaping, use of higher-quality building materials, and attention to the design and execution of building details and amenities in both public and private projects. • Development Review • Development Incentives • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD1.6 Entrances to the City. Improve the major entrances into the city with landmark entry features, signs, and gateways to enhance the sense of community and improve the City’s image. • City Entry Design Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD1.7 Views and Vistas. Preserve and enhance major views and vistas along major streets and open spaces, providing areas to stroll and benches to rest and enjoy views. • Development Regulations (zoning) • Beautification Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD1.9 Building Design. A variety of attractive images will be achieved by encouraging a variety of building styles and designs, within a unifying context of consistent “pedestrian” scale along streets and compatibility among neighboring land uses. • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal CD2: A city with attractive, safe, and functional streets, parking areas, and pedestrian walkways. CD2.1 Street Frontages. Encourage street frontages that are safe, by allowing for surveillance of the street by people inside buildings and elsewhere, and are interesting for pedestrians. Require buildings in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area to be directly abutting sidewalks, with window openings, entries and high levels of transparency along the pedestrian frontage. • Development Review • Development Regulations (zoning) • Grant Funds • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 11 CD2.2 San Pablo Avenue. Implement the improvements and context-sensitive regulations identified in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan to create an overall coordinated image and character of the street from north to south. • Parking Districts • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD2.4 Multi-Modal Transportation Network. Ensure that streets, paths, and bikeways contribute to the system of a fully connected transportation network to all major destinations in the City. The design of these streets and pathways should encourage pedestrian and bicycle uses by being spatially defined by buildings, trees, lighting, and street furniture. Pedestrian and bicycle pathways and auto routes should be compatible. • Design Guidelines • Street Tree Program • Beautification Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD2.6 Parking Layout. Encourage the development of common parking areas and common access for adjoining lots. • Parking Districts • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD2.7 Accessible Design. Site and building design must meet basic accessibility needs of the community and not be exclusively oriented to those who arrive by car. • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD2.8 City Sidewalk and Pedestrian Walkways. City streets and pedestrian walkways should be designed to be safe, accessible, convenient, comfortable, and functionally adequate at all times, including the design of pedestrian crossings, intersection design, sidewalk widths, street tree planting, street furniture, and signal timing. • Streetscape Improvement Program • Street Tree Program • Beautification Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal CD3: A city with attractive landscaping of public and private properties, open space, and public gathering spaces. CD3.2 Usable Open Spaces. Require the provision of usable open space in the form of ground-floor patios, upper- floor decks, and balconies, as well as common recreational facilities and amenities. • Development Regulations • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD3.3 Site Landscaping. Improve the appearance of the community by requiring aesthetically designed screening and landscaping on public and private sites. Ensure that public landscaping includes entry areas, street medians, • Development Regulations (zoning) • Development Review • Capital Improvements ---PAGE BREAK--- 12 parks, and schools. Require landscaping for all private sites, yard spaces, parking lots, plazas, courtyards, and recreational areas. Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD3.8 Public Spaces. Require projects within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area to provide on-site public and private open space to: incentivize development of multifunctional new public open space; encourage urban open spaces; allow private open space for residential buildings; customize the design of open space to site context; and, increase safety by providing more “eyes on the street”. • Development Review • Development Incentives • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD3.9 Ohlone Greenway. Enhance the usability and aesthetic appeal of the Ohlone Greenway by integrating it into the fabric of the City. Design buildings with entries, yards, patios, and windows to open onto and face the Ohlone Greenway. Avoid blank walls, backs of buildings, and large parking lots adjacent to the greenway. • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD3.11 Streetscape Design. Streetscape design (street trees, lighting, and pedestrian furniture) should be used to lend character and continuity with commercial districts and residential neighborhoods. • Streetscape Improvement Program • City Entry Design Program • Sign Ordinance • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal CD4: Well designed buildings that are compatible with their surroundings. CD4.1 Compatibility in Building Scale. Avoid big differences in building scale and character between developments on adjoining lots. • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan CD4.2 Building Articulation. Ensure that buildings are well articulated. Avoid large unarticulated shapes in building design. Ensure that building designs include varied building facades, rooflines, and building heights to create more interesting and differentiated building forms and shapes. Encourage human scale detail in architectural design. Do not allow unarticulated blank walls or unbroken series of garage doors on the facades of buildings facing the street or the Ohlone Greenway. • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 13 Goal CD5: A design process that achieves design objectives while being efficient and allowing for flexibility. CD5.3 Design Guidelines and Regulations. Make development and design regulations more understandable with use of illustrations, photos, drawings, diagrams, or other graphic and visually oriented regulations, such as a “form code.” • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal CD6: An urban form that sustains a vital commercial community to meet the diverse needs of the local and regional population. CD6 Affordable Commerce. El Cerrito’s urban form should allow site opportunities for commerce by local entrepreneurs – small business spaces in close proximity to other businesses with easy visibility from the street and close to abundant pedestrian traffic. • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Page 4-54 Certain areas of the city need to be planned comprehensively, but in more detail than can be done in a general plan. A specific plan can integrate land use, design, transportation, utilities and other issues into an action strategy. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan: The purpose of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, including a Form- Based Code, Complete Streets Plan and Infrastructure Analysis, is to articulate a vision for the future of San Pablo Avenue from the southern entrance to the northern entrance of the City, east to the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station and west along Central Avenue to Interstate 80. The Plan identifies public improvements and context-sensitive regulations to create a multimodal corridor that provides a multitude of opportunities for living, working and community life. ---PAGE BREAK--- 14 2013 GROWTH MANAGEMENT ELEMENT UPDATE Page 4-51 The Growth Management Element establishes a comprehensive, long-range program that matches demand for public facilities generated by new development with policies and standards for traffic level of service (LOS) and performance criteria for fire, police, parks, sanitary facilities, water supplies, and flood control; in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area, this includes a multi-modal level of service (MMLOS). The Growth Management Element is concerned with maintaining defined urban service levels; it is not intended to limit growth or to direct growth into certain areas of the community on a priority basis. Most importantly, the Element’s policies ensure that new development impacts that threaten to degrade established traffic performance or public service thresholds are mitigated through project modification, capital improvement programming, or contributions to improvements. Page 4-55 San Pablo Avenue In El Cerrito, San Pablo Avenue is an urbanized thoroughfare between the southern City limits at Cerrito Creek near Carlson Boulevard to the northern city limits just south of McDonald Avenue with two lanes in each direction. San Pablo Avenue serves as the primary transit spine of the region, traveling through all of the West County cities where in many cases it functions as “Main Street”, and is the alternative primary reliever route to the I-80, providing a variety of transportation options during periods of heavy freeway congestion. From its southern extent to Cutting Boulevard, the Avenue is part of State Route (SR) 123 and is operated and maintained by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). At most intersections there are left turns operating with left-turn signal phasing. The speed limit is 30 MPH. Average daily traffic volumes on San Pablo Avenue are greatest at its southerly extreme in the County. Near Cutting Boulevard, the highest average daily volume is 29,900 vehicles. During the AM peak period, the highest volumes occur near Potrero Avenue at 2,275 vehicles per hour. The highest PM peak hour period volumes occur near Barrett Avenue in Richmond, and frequently cause traffic backup into El Cerrito. Page 4-56 Regional Action Plans Local jurisdictions participated in the development of programs to control regional traffic impacts on these routes through a series of Action Plans approved by one of the Regional Transportation Planning Committees created under Measure C. El Cerrito has been working closely with the WCCTAC (West Contra Costa County Traffic Advisory Committee to update to the West County Action Plan, which has been transmitted to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority for incorporation into the 2014 Countywide Comprehensive Transportation Plan. It is anticipated that the updated West County Action Plan will be formally adopted by WCCTAC at the end of 2014. Both the current (adopted in 2009) Action Plan and the updated Action Plan call for cooperation between partner agencies to improve traffic congestion on San Pablo Avenue, and emphasize the importance of better serving all corridor users by enhancing transit services, including the Rapid Bus, and improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Both the current and the updated Action Plans specify that the multi-modal transportation service objective (MTSO) for San Pablo Avenue is to maintain ---PAGE BREAK--- 15 LOS E or better at all signalized intersections. In addition, the updated Action Plan specifies that this LOS MTSO will not be applied within ½-mile of a BART station, and instead the performance measures in the relevant specific plan(s) for the area will be followed. Additional objectives from the updated Action Plan include: • Enhance local and regional transit service, particularly in terms of connections to BART. • Increase the use of active transportation modes. • Implement Complete Streets enhancements identified in local plans. • Actively manage growth to support regional land use and transportation goals. Basic Routes All roads not indicated on the map of Routes of Regional Significance are Basic Routes. Although Measure J no longer requires the adoption of Level of Service standards for Basic Routes (non‐regional routes), the City is maintaining LOS standards for Basic Routes in this chapter until alternative performance measures for correlating the circulation element with the land use element of the General Plan are developed. Pages 4-61 – 4-70 Amend text to Growth Management Goals and Policies Goal GM2: Compliance with applicable level of service standards. GM2.1 Application of Standards. Strive to maintain the minimum V/C performance standard for each signalized intersection on Basic Routes as described in Table 4-4. Level of Service Standards are considered to be met if measurement of actual conditions at the intersection indicates that operations are equal to or better than the specified minimum performance standard, or if El Cerrito’s Capital Improvement Program includes projects which, when constructed, will result in performance better than or equal to the specified minimum standard. Refer to Transportation and Circulation Element for other standards related to the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area. • Capital Improvements Program • Development Regulations (zoning) GM2.2 Achieving Level of Service Standards. Consider amendments to the General Plan Land Use Element or Map, Zoning Ordinance, or other relevant plans and policies to alter land use intensity or vehicle trip activity so that any Basic Route signalized intersection which does not meet the minimum service level standard in Policy GM2.2 can be brought into compliance with said standard. Alternately, consider amendments to the Capital Improvement Program or other relevant programs and policies which will improve the capacity or efficiency of intersections not meeting the service standards through • Development Regulations (zoning) • Capital Improvements Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. ---PAGE BREAK--- 16 physical construction and improvements. Refer to Transportation and Circulation Element for other standards related to the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area. Goal GM6: Support land use patterns that make more efficient use of the transportation system GM6.2 Mixed-Use Centers. Encourage mixed-use centers along San Pablo Avenue – including development along Fairmount Avenue, Stockton Avenue and Moeser Lane, between San Pablo Avenue and the Ohlone Greenway – that provide the opportunity for people to walk among businesses, employment, and residences. (LU5.2) • Development Regulations (zoning) • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan GM6.3 Pedestrians, Bicycles, and Access. Ensure that business areas have adequate and attractive pedestrian and bicycle facilities and accessibility for persons with disabilities, and that easy connections to transit are available wherever possible. (LU5.5) • Capital Improvements Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan GM6.4 Circulation Alternatives. To the extent possible, encourage alternatives to the use of private automobiles. Encourage a full range of transportation options – driving, transit, walking and biking – without allowing any one to preclude the others. On San Pablo Avenue, in many constrained right-of-ways, it is not possible to provide optimum facilities for all user groups and in the event that trade-offs are necessary, transit users and pedestrians are the highest priority. (LU6.2) • Transportation Demand Management • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan GM6.5 Multi-Modal Transportation Network. Ensure that streets, paths, and bikeways contribute to the system of a fully connected transportation network to all major destinations in the City. The design of these streets and pathways should encourage pedestrian and bicycle uses by being spatially defined by buildings, trees, lighting, and street furniture. Pedestrian and bicycle pathways and auto routes should be compatible. (CD2.4) • Capital Improvements Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan GM6.6 Balanced Transportation System. Create and maintain a balanced transportation system with choice of transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and private automobile modes, including on regionally significant arterials such as San Pablo Avenue. In many constrained right-of-ways, it is not possible to provide optimum facilities for all user groups • Capital Improvements Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 17 and in the event that trade-offs are necessary, transit and pedestrians are the highest priority for San Pablo Avenue. (T1.1) GM6.7 Transit System. Encourage transit providers to improve and increase existing transit routes, frequency, and level of service. Encourage a public transit system that provides convenient transfers between transit services and other modes of travel. On San Pablo Avenue, provide transit shelters with benches, lighting, bike racks and crosswalks (on San Pablo Avenue) such that transit amenities represent a ‘High’ Built Environment Factors (BEF) throughout the corridor. Facilitate transit flow along San Pablo Avenue such that transit corridor travel time is reduced by 5 percent relative to current conditions. Where possible, provide far- side transit stops at signalized intersections with bus bulbs such that transit vehicles stop in-lane, thereby reducing transit delay associated with re-entry into traffic. (T1.2) • Capital Improvements Program • Intergovernmental Coordination • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan GM6.8 Bicycle Circulation. Create a complete, interconnected bicycle circulation system. Provide a bicycle system that serves commuter as well as recreational travel. Improve bicycle routes and access to and between major destinations. On San Pablo Avenue, improve local bicycle access, including access on San Pablo Avenue and adjacent roadways. Provide a ‘Medium’ to ‘High’ BEF for bicyclists on San Pablo Avenue. Through transit and pedestrian MMLOS is the main priority, bicycle facilities should not be allow to remain ‘Low’ if measures to improve them to ‘Medium’ are available. Emphasize the placemaking qualities of bikeways, particularly separated bikeways/cycletracks. Though no delay-based bicycle LOS metric is identified, seek to reduce bicycle delay at signalized intersections and when considering changes to intersections, consider bicycle delay. (T1.3) • Capital Improvements Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan GM6.9 Pedestrian Circulation. Provide a safe, convenient, continuous and interconnected pedestrian circulation system throughout the City. Ensure safe pedestrian access to local schools. Improve crossing opportunities, enhance crosswalks, and improve sidewalks to maintain a consistent ‘High’ Pedestrian BEF on San Pablo Avenue. Emphasize the placemaking qualities of the streetscape, including sidewalk and curb extensions. Though no delay-based pedestrian LOS metric is identified, seek to reduce pedestrian delay at signalized intersections and when considering changes to intersections, consider pedestrian • Capital Improvements Program • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 18 delay. (T1.4) Page 4-72 10. Development Review The development review process includes discretionary review by the Planning Commission and the Design Review Board, based on consideration of General Plan objectives and policies, and criteria established by the zoning and subdivision ordinances and other city regulations and adopted guidelines. Most discretionary actions are subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The development review process also includes administrative review of projects to verify compliance with Planning Commission and Design Review Board requirements, as well as standards set by the City through adoption of building and fire codes, engineering standards, and other regulations and ordinances. Development review should be used to assess the impact of new development on the demand for transportation and public facility improvements and to implement mitigation measures and other mechanisms to help finance needed improvements. Use the multi-modal level of service calculation sheets for developers to determine the existing and proposed level of service for pedestrians, transit users, and bicyclists in the vicinity of the development parcel. Page 4-75 24. Specific Plans Certain areas of the city need to be planned comprehensively, but in more detail than can be done in a general plan. A specific plan can integrate land use, design, transportation, utilities and other issues into an action strategy. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan: The purpose of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, including a Form-Based Code, Complete Streets Plan and Infrastructure Analysis, is to articulate a vision for the future of San Pablo Avenue from the southern entrance to the northern entrance of the City, east to the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station and west along Central Avenue to Interstate 80. The Plan identifies public improvements and context-sensitive regulations to create a multimodal corridor that provides a multitude of opportunities for living, working and community life. Page 4-76 28. Travel Demand Management (TDM) Support and promote TDM measures to reduce the percentage of person trips made by automobile and to reduce the annual vehicle miles of travel. Reduce the percentage of trips made by automobile and provide the opportunity and facilities to divert trips from automobiles to other modes. Encourage small businesses in areas of employment concentration to form cooperatives that can collectively provide effective TDM options to employees. Require new developments along San Pablo Avenue to provide basic TDM measures for residents and businesses as appropriate; additional TDM measures may be required where adjustments to the parking requirements are proposed to incentivize alternative modes of travel. ---PAGE BREAK--- 19 CHAPTER 5: TRANSPORTATION AND CIRCULATION Page 5-4 Multimodal Transportation Operations Figure 7 identifies existing and projected (under General Plan build-out conditions) daily traffic volumes on area streets and highways. The operation of transportation facilities (freeways, roadways, intersections) is classified in six “level-of-service” categories. Level of service (LOS) is defined in terms of a letter grade ranging from A to F. LOS A is the best level of operation, representing free flow conditions, and LOS F is the worst level of operation, representing excessive delays, long vehicle queues, and generally intolerable conditions. The City of El Cerrito policy calls for achievement of LOS D or better conditions except for San Pablo Avenue as indicated below. The City of El Cerrito has traditionally maintained a standard of LOS D for signalized intersections along San Pablo Avenue. However, the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan includes Multimodal Level of Service (MMLOS) standards to evaluate the impacts of development projects and roadway improvement projects on all modes of transportation including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users. The MMLOS methodology instead provides a Built Environment Factors (BEF) Assessment and Person Delay Calculations. This methodology takes a qualitative checklist approach to measuring the quality of service provided to users of the pedestrian, bicycle and transit facilities. This methodology measures the presence and, in some cases, quality of specific features of the built environment that benefit non-auto modes. Depending on mode, such features might include presence of a separated bikeway to provide comfortable, dedicated bicycle space; curb extensions to reduce pedestrian crossing distances; and bus bulbs to reduce delay for buses by allowing them to stop in the travel lane. As indicated above, traditional automobile LOS is assigned letter grades of A through F. For pedestrians, bicyclists and transit, the BEF metric consolidates those six letter grades into three categories based on a 0 to 10 point scale that corresponds to three ratings: either ‘High’ (8-10 points), ‘Medium’ (6-7 points), or ‘Low’ (5 or fewer points). A designation of ‘No Facilities’ applies where there are no facilities available, which allows the City to distinguish between this condition and a ‘Low’ condition, where some facilities may be provided even if they are not sufficient to reach a Medium or High rating. Built environment factors are not assessed for automobiles under the assumption that the existing roadway meets the minimum design standards for auto traffic. While consideration for all modes is important, transit and pedestrian modes are identified as the priority modes for San Pablo Avenue. This is due to the importance of the corridor as a transit route serving the City’s downtown and two BART stations, and its role as the City’s main commercial and mixed use corridor, where walking between residential, retail, and office uses as well as walking trips to BART should be promoted. Thus, a High rating is desired for these modes, and a Medium to High rating is the goal for the bicycle mode. Although transit and pedestrian MMLOS is the main priority, bicycle facilities should not be allowed to remain ‘Low’ if measures to improve them to ‘Medium’ are available. This is because the corridor functions as El Cerrito’s main street, with shopping and employment destinations all along the corridor; furthermore, as residential development occurs as part of the Specific Plan, more bicycle trips will originate on the corridor and many of these will take place entirely on San Pablo Avenue. ---PAGE BREAK--- 20 The Person Delay Calculation uses person-delay for autos (using an estimated auto occupancy), pedestrians (using pedestrian counts and the signal timing plan) and bicycles (based on bicycle counts and the signal timing plan). For transit riders, the transit person delay is not reported on an intersection-specific basis, but as a corridor-long travel time, for the northbound and southbound directions. This allows a more meaningful measure of the change in transit delay. As with the BEF metric, the Specific Plan prioritizes minimizing person delay for bus riders, pedestrians and bicyclists over drivers, with bus riders and pedestrians being the highest priority. Following are the person- delay standards: • Autos: LOS E / <80 seconds of delay, when achievable and in consideration of the goals and priorities for other modes • Pedestrian and Bicyclists: Person-delay calculated for information only, to assess impacts of vehicle capacity improvements on non-motorized delay, and to support the decision making process when weighing improvements benefitting different modes. • Transit: Reduce corridor travel time by 5 percent relative to the No Project case Most intersections in El Cerrito currently operate at LOS C or better. All City operated intersections (not along San Pablo Avenue) operate at LOS A. Traffic operation in the Del Norte area, other portions of San Pablo Avenue, and the Central Avenue Interchange can be as bad as LOS E or F conditions when an incident on Interstate 80 results in a higher-than-normal diversion of regional traffic and during weekend peak periods. As of 1999, traffic on Central Avenue can be quite backed up. The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan presents the current Multimodal Level of Service (MMLOS) conditions along San Pablo Avenue. Page 5-20 Amend text of Transportation and Circulation Goals and Policies to: Goal T1: A transportation system that allows safe and efficient travel by a variety of modes and promotes the use of alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle. T1.1 Balanced Transportation System. Create and maintain a balanced transportation system with choice of transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and private automobile modes, including on regionally significant arterials such as San Pablo Avenue. In many constrained right-of-ways, it is not possible to provide optimum facilities for all user groups and in the event that trade-offs are necessary, transit and pedestrians are the highest priority for San Pablo Avenue. • Transportation System Performance Measures • Travel Demand Management • Bicycle Master Plan • Pedestrian Circulation Plan • Development Review • Traffic Monitoring • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan T1.2 Transit System. Encourage transit providers to improve and increase existing transit routes, • Intergovernmental Coordination ---PAGE BREAK--- 21 frequency, and level of service. Encourage a public transit system that provides convenient transfers between transit services and other modes of travel. On San Pablo Avenue, provide transit shelters with benches, lighting, bike racks and crosswalks (on San Pablo Avenue) such that transit amenities represent a ’High’ BEF throughout the corridor. Facilitate transit flow along San Pablo Avenue such that transit corridor travel time is reduced by 5 percent relative to conditions without a development or transportation project Where possible, provide far-side transit stops at signalized intersections with bus bulbs such that transit vehicles stop in-lane, thereby reducing transit delay associated with re-entry into traffic. • Transit First Policy • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan T1.3 Bicycle Circulation. Create a complete, interconnected bicycle circulation system. Provide a bicycle system that serves commuter as well as recreational travel. Improve bicycle routes and access to and between major destinations. On San Pablo Avenue, improve local bicycle access, including access on San Pablo Avenue and adjacent roadways. Provide a ‘Medium’ to ‘High’ BEF for bicyclists on San Pablo Avenue. Though transit and pedestrian MMLOS is the main priority, bicycle facilities should not be allowed to remain ‘Low’ if measures to improve them to ‘Medium’ are available. . Emphasize the placemaking qualities of bikeways, particularly separated bikeways/cycletracks. Though no delay-based bicycle LOS metric is identified, seek to reduce bicycle delay at signalized intersections and when considering changes to intersections, consider bicycle delay. • Bicycle Master Plan • Pavement Management Plan • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan T1.4 Pedestrian Circulation. Provide a safe, convenient, continuous and interconnected pedestrian circulation system throughout the City. Ensure safe pedestrian access to local schools. Improve crossing opportunities, enhance crosswalks, and improve sidewalks to maintain a consistent ‘High’ Pedestrian BEF on San Pablo Avenue. Emphasize the placemaking qualities of the streetscape, including sidewalk and curb extensions. Though no delay-based pedestrian LOS metric is identified, seek to reduce pedestrian delay at signalized intersections and when considering changes to intersections, consider pedestrian delay. • Pedestrian Circulation Plan • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 22 Goal T2: A land use pattern that encourages walking, bicycling, and public transit use. T2.1 Land Use Patterns. Recognize the link between land use and transportation. Promote land use and development patterns that encourage walking, bicycling, and transit use. Emphasize high-density and mixed land use patterns that promote transit and pedestrian travel. Where feasible, emphasize the following land use measures: 1. Promote conveniently located neighborhood complexes that provide housing and commercial services near employment centers and within transit corridors. 2. Promote land use patterns that maximize trip- linking opportunities by assembling uses that allow people to take care of a variety of daily needs. 3. Encourage pedestrian-oriented land use and urban design that can have a demonstrable effect on transportation choices. 4. Direct growth to occur along transit corridors. 5. Encourage retail, commercial, and office uses in ground floor space in combination with upper- floor housing along San Pablo Avenue. • Development Review • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan T2.2 Project Design. Projects should be designed to include features that encourage walking, bicycling, and transit use. • Development Review • Transit First Policy • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Goal T3: A transportation system that maintains and improves the livability of the City. T3.1 Vehicle Circulation. Improve circulation in locations with high levels of congestion, but avoid major increases in street capacities unless necessary to remedy severe traffic congestion, and not at the expense of pedestrian circulation For signalized intersections, maintain LOS D or better based on vehicle delay except for the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area maintain LOS E. Also in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area for unsignalized intersections, maintain LOS E or better for all movements and where movements degrade to • Capital Improvement Program • Development Review • Traffic Monitoring • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan ---PAGE BREAK--- 23 LOS F consider signalization. If signal warrants are not met, LOS F may be considered acceptable if it does not increase delays for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users. Improve vehicle circulation in locations with high levels of congestion, but avoid increases in street capacities that would encourage speeds or degrade MMLOS for transit, pedestrians or bicycles. T3.6 Maintenance of San Pablo. Coordinate with Caltrans to ensure the timely maintenance of San Pablo Avenue. Review signal timing changes to assure they are consistent with the MMLOS metrics described above. • Intergovernmental Coordination Goal T4: A minimum amount of land used for parking and minimal parking intrusion in neighborhoods. T4.1 Parking Requirements. Develop parking requirements that are consistent with the goals for increased use of alternative transportation modes, and acknowledge shared parking opportunities. • Development Review • Parking Regulations • San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Page 5-27 4. Development Review. Undertake development reviews to ensure compliance with applicable local, regional, state, and federal laws and adopted policies. Use the multi-modal level of service calculation sheets for developers to determine the existing and proposed level of service for pedestrians, transit users, and bicyclists in the vicinity of the development parcel in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area. Ensure that developers contribute funding for on-site and off-site improvements, where the MMLOS does not meet the City standards. Adopt an ordinance requiring developers to do the following: a. Construct transportation improvements along their property frontages when appropriate; and b. Fund traffic impact studies that identify on-site and off-site effects and mitigation measures. Page 5-28 In addition to, and in support of, these regional key items, the following are City of El Cerrito interagency coordination positions: a. As opportunities present themselves, improve freeway access to El Cerrito, particularly around the Del Norte area and at the Central Avenue interchange. b. Oppose transportation projects that would diminish access to Interstate 80 from El Cerrito. ---PAGE BREAK--- 24 c. Oppose regional capacity enhancements to San Pablo Avenue except when the improvements serve local traffic and do not degrade bus, pedestrian and bicycle travel below the City MMLOS standards. d. Support physical enhancements to San Pablo Avenue to make it a transit, bicycle and pedestrian friendly multi-modal street. Encourage the City of Richmond and Caltrans to conduct a detailed operations analysis of the Central Avenue interchange and be an active participant in this study. This study should address an existing base year condition as well as a 20-year growth forecast including expected growth from development in El Cerrito, Richmond and Albany. It should also address weekday and Saturday conditions. It should be conducted using a detailed operations analysis such as and/or CORSIM. Page 5-29 Pedestrian Circulation Plan. Review existing pedestrian circulation within the City to identify constraints to walking, develop improvement plans at constrained locations (including pedestrian street crossings), and incorporate pedestrian enhancement projects into the City Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Encourage local access to BART stations by walking as an alternative to short-distance driving. Develop new sidewalk width standards consistent with the type and intensity of adjacent land use. Attention should be paid to the issue of tree damage to sidewalks and obstruction of sidewalks by signs. On San Pablo Avenue, maintain and create a ‘High’ Pedestrian MMLOS. Page 5-31 15. Transportation System Performance Measures. Develop a level-of-service standard for multi- modal operations that assesses service levels for all street users, including buses riders, pedestrians, and bicycles, as well as private automobile users. For areas outside of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area, consider modifying the City’s current LOS D standard to allow for higher levels of automobile congestion during peak hours in order to reduce the need for improvements that decrease opportunities for alternative transportation modes or reduce parking supply. Using a level of service standard worse than LOS D maybe considered acceptable where: e. Upstream or bottlenecks control the flow of traffic through an intersection such that capacity enhancements improvements) would have marginal benefit; f. Retaining a bottleneck would discourage regional or semi-regional traffic from using a facility; or g. Traffic capacity enhancements would degrade pedestrian, transit or bicycle conditions additional lanes increases pedestrian crossing distances). In order to maintain consistency with the Congestion Management Plan, LOS E is the worst level of service standard that could be adopted for San Pablo Avenue. For the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area, adopt multi-modal level of service (MMLOS) thresholds that use Person Delay and Built Environment Factors methodologies to determine level of service based on modal facility types, dimensions, and connectivity. ---PAGE BREAK--- 25 Page 5-32 17. Travel Demand Management (TDM). Support and promote TDM measures to reduce the percentage of person trips made by automobile and to reduce the annual vehicle miles of travel. Reduce the percentage of trips made by automobile and provide the opportunity and facilities to divert trips from automobiles to other modes. Encourage small businesses in areas of employment concentration to form cooperatives that can collectively provide effective TDM options to employees. Require new developments along San Pablo Avenue to provide basic TDM measures for residents and businesses as appropriate; additional TDM measures may be required where adjustments to the parking requirements are proposed to incentivize alternative modes of travel. Page 5-32 18. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. The purpose of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, including a Form-Based Code, Complete Streets Plan and Infrastructure Analysis, is to articulate a vision for the future of San Pablo Avenue from the southern entrance to the northern entrance of the City, east to the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station and west along Central Aveneue to Interstate 80. The Plan identifies improvements and context-sensitive regulations to create a multimodal corridor that provides a multitude of opportunities for living, working and community life. The Plan includes a multi-modal level of service (MMLOS) analysis to understand the impacts of proposed streetscape improvements on all users of the Avenue to better ensure that projects improve circulation within the Plan area. Space Intentionally Left Blank ---PAGE BREAK--- 26 2007-2014 HOUSING ELEMENT Housing Element Page 44 Designation Description Permitted Density San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan The Specific Plan’s Form-Based Code regulates land use and development standards based on Transect Zone, Transit-Oriented High-Intensity Mixed Use (TOHIMU) and Transit-Oriented Mid-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOMIMU), designed to encourage vertical and horizontal mixed-use. The TOHIMU zone emphasizes commercial uses on the ground floor with upper residential uses to activate the pedestrian right-of-way and cluster services near transit nodes. The TOMIMU zone allows for “flex” spaces on the bottom floors to accommodate ground floor commercial where needed, but emphasizing mid-intensity residential uses to increase housing along the transportation corridor to encourage walking, biking and public transit use. TOHIMU: maximum of 65’ TOMIMU: maximum of 55’ Housing Element Page 44 Add Land Use Control b. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan: b. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, adopted by the City in (date TDB), articulates a vision for the future of San Pablo Avenue, identifies improvements, and adopts context sensitive regulations that can be applied within the Specific Plan Area. The Plan’s key principles are to deepen a sense of place and community identity, attract private investment, strengthen partnerships, enhance the public realm, promote the everyday use of transit, walking, and biking and foster environmental sustainability. The Plan establishes a Form-Based Code that regulates land use and development standards based on Transit-Oriented High-Intensity Mixed Use (TOHIMU) and Transit-Oriented Mid-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOMIMU) Transect Zones Goals and strategies of the Plan include: • Maximize Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) potential along the corridor; • Allow ground floor residential development to provide flexibility and expand the Plan Area’s residential base; • Promote residential infill development through increased land use intensity close to existing transit infrastructure; and • Increase the supply, diversity and affordability of housing in proximity to existing or planned transportation investments. c. Zoning Code The Zoning Code is the primary tool for implementing the General Plan. It is designed to protect and promote public health, safety and welfare, as well as to promote quality ---PAGE BREAK--- 27 design and quality of life. The City of El Cerrito’s residential zoning designations control both the use and development standards of each residential parcel. Table III-2 summarizes permitted residential uses in residential districts. Residential zoning includes six main districts: RS, RD, RM, TOM, CC and CN and the TOHIMU and TOMIMU Transect Zones of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. The RS District is split into four separate subsets guiding the minimum size of each lot and other development standards such as minimum lot depth and width and setbacks—RS-5 would be a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet, RS-7.5 = 7,500 square feet, RS-10 = 10,000 square feet, and RS-20 = 20,000 square feet. Single-family units are permitted as a matter of right in all single-family residential districts. New single family uses are not allowed in the RM, TOM, CC, CN districts. Multiple family dwellings are permitted by right in the RM, TOM, CC, CN zones and San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Transect Zones. Multiple family dwellings are not permitted on the ground floor of the Theater Overlay Block of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. Housing Element Page 45 Zone Single- Family Detached Multi-family Second Unit Duplex Transitional or Homeless Shelter San Pablo Avenue Transit- Oriented High-Intensity Mixed- Use (TOHIMU) P P San Pablo Avenue Transit- Oriented Mid-Intensity Mixed- Use (TOMIMU) P P Housing Element Page 45 Residential Development Standards The City regulates the type, location, density, and scale of development through the General Plan, San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan and the Zoning Ordinance. Provisions in the Zoning Ordinance specify minimum lot areas, setbacks, coverage, FAR, height limits, and parking (see Tables III-2, III-3, and III-4). The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan specifies height, parking, setbacks, access and building length. El Cerrito regulations are comparable to those of similar cities. In addition to the base zoning districts described in the following tables, applicants can request rezoning to a customized Planned Development (PD) District that allows deviation from the normal regulations where a development project is consistent with the General Plan and meets other community objectives. El Cerrito’s zoning regulations are not restrictive and do not create a financial or physical constraint to residential development due to a wide range of densities permitted by the City and flexible parking requirements. ---PAGE BREAK--- 28 Housing Element Page 48 Amend Table III-4 Multi-Family Residential Development Standards in Commercial Zones CN CC TOM San Pablo Avenue TOHIMU San Pablo Avenue TOMIMU Minimum Lot Size (sq. ft.) 5,000 2,000 for commercial 5,000 5,000 Minimum Residential Density 35 units per acre within 300 feet of the BART stations Maximum Residential Density – lot area per unit (sq. ft.) (may be in addition to non-residential FAR) Base Density 20 units per acre 35 units per acre 35 units per acre NA NA Density for Mixed Use Development 35 units per acre NA NA Density with Incentives 25 units per acre 45 units per acre 45 units per acre; up to 70 du/ac for housing for elderly and disabled persons if services are provided. NA NA Density with State Affordable Housing Bonuses 27 units per acre 48 units per acre 48 units per acre; up to 70 du/ac for housing for elderly and disabled persons if services are provided. Affordable Housing Bonuses will be granted through height increases Affordable Housing Bonuses will be granted through height increases Maximum Building Height (ft.) 35 35, up to 50 with CUP 50, up to 65 with CUP in Del Norte & Plaza areas 35, up to 45 with CUP in Midtown node 65, up to 85 with State Affordable Housing Bonuses 55, up to 65 with State Affordable Housing Bonuses Minimum Building Height 2 stories, exceptions may be granted with a CUP 3 stories Residential (except constrained lots) 2 stories commercial (exceptions granted with CUP) 3 stories Residential (except constrained lots) 2 stories commercial (exceptions granted with CUP) ---PAGE BREAK--- 29 CN CC TOM San Pablo Avenue TOHIMU San Pablo Avenue TOMIMU Building Setback on Street Frontages 0 - 10 feet 0 - 10 feet, more with a CUP 0 - 10 feet 0 – 15, front setback is regulated by Street Type. See Section 2.04.01 Regulation by Street Type of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan 0 – 15, front setback is regulated by Street Type. See Section 2.04.01 Regulation by Street Type of the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Minimum Yard Requirements (ft.) – None unless adjacent to a residential district Building Transition Zone Adjacent to Residential Districts For any portion of a structure adjacent to a residential district boundary), the minimum required setbacks of the residential district shall apply. To protect privacy and minimize sunlight blockage, structures shall not intercept a 45- degree daylight plane inclined inward starting from a height of 35 feet above existing grade at the setback line. Exceptions to the above requirements are permitted for a one-story parking or garage structure that does not exceed 10 feet in height in a side or rear yard that does not front on a street. To minimize impacts of shadows on adjacent residential districts, buildings shall not cast shadows onto adjacent existing residential uses on December 21st greater than 14’ deep at 1:30 pm on adjacent parcels to the east. To protect privacy and minimize additional sunlight blockage, structures shall not intercept a 45-degree daylight plane inclined inward starting from a height of 35 feet above existing grade at the setback line. To minimize impacts of shadows on adjacent residential districts, buildings shall not cast shadows onto adjacent existing residential uses on December 21st greater than 14’ deep at 1:30 pm on adjacent parcels to the east. To protect privacy and minimize additional sunlight blockage, structures shall not intercept a 45-degree daylight plane inclined inward starting from a height of 35 feet above existing grade at the setback line. Required Off Street Parking RM & CC Zones: 2 spaces per dwelling unit for each unit of two or more bedrooms. TOM Zones: 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit for each unit of two or more bedrooms. At least one space per unit must be located in a garage or carport. In the TOM district, required parking reduced by 25% within ¼ mile of a BART station. Residential: up to 1 auto space/unit Commercial Buildings: < 3,000 sf - no parking required > 3,000 sf – up to 1 auto space/1,000 sf Residential: up to 1.5 auto space/unit Commercial Buildings: < 3,000 sf - no parking required > 3,000 sf – up to 1 auto space/500 sf ---PAGE BREAK--- 30 Housing Element Page 49 Use Classification Required Off-Street Parking Spaces Additional Regulations Single Family Dwelling 2 spaces per dwelling unit for each unit of two or more bedrooms. 1 space per studio or 1-bedroom unit. 19.06.030(N), Limitations on Parking and Garage Frontage. All required spaces must be located in a garage or carport. Second Unit 1 space for the Second Unit in addition to the spaces required for the primary dwelling unit. Section 19.20.190(D), Second Units. Two-Family Dwelling; Multiple Family Residential 1 space per unit for each studio or 1- bedroom unit. RD, RM & CC Zones: 2 spaces per dwelling unit for each unit of two or more bedrooms. TOM Zones: 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit for each unit of two or more bedrooms. 19.06.030(N), Limitations on Parking and Garage Frontage At least one space per unit must be located in a garage or carport. Transit-Oriented High-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOHIMU) up to 1 auto space/unit All projects include basic Transportation Demand Management (TDM). Projects proposing 0-0.5 auto spaces/residential unit may be required to perform a parking study and/or provide additional TDM measures. See San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan for Parking Standards Transit-Oriented Mid-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOMIMU) up to 1.5 auto space/unit All projects include basic Transportation Demand Management (TDM). Projects proposing 0-1 auto spaces/residential unit may be required to perform a parking study and/or provide additional TDM measures. See San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan for Parking Standards Group Housing 0.5 per Unit 19.06.030(N), Limitations on Parking and Garage Frontage. ---PAGE BREAK--- 31 Use Classification Required Off-Street Parking Spaces Additional Regulations Senior Citizen Housing 0.5 per unit 19.06.030(N), Limitations on Parking and Garage Frontage. Transitional Housing 0.5 per unit 19.06.030(N), Limitations on Parking and Garage Frontage. Housing Element Page 50 c. San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Projects within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area will be subject to the Administration regulations of the Specific Plan. The Plan Form-Based Code is designed to facilitate an increased intensity of residential development in proximity to transit. In the event that the development standards for the Transect Zones create an impediment to achieving multifamily residential development, the developer may submit an application for Site Plan and Design Review – Tier IV. The Tier IV Site Plan and Design Review process is meant to incentivize overarching community benefits, including affordable housing, as part of developments that would not otherwise be permitted under Specific Plan regulations but nevertheless comply with the intent of the Specific Plan. Approval Findings for Tier IV Site Plan and Design Review include the following: • That the project furthers the goals of this Specific Plan by encouraging practical and market-friendly development, ensuring return on investment, strengthening a sense of place, enhancing and humanizing the public realm, and catalyzing mode shift; • That the project provides a public benefit which is consistent with the goals of the Specific Plan and furthers an important goal(s) stated in adopted city policy documents as identified by the Community Development Director. These documents include, but are not limited to: o EL Cerrito Climate Action Plan o El Cerrito Strategic Plan o This General Plan, especially this Housing Element o El Cerrito Economic Development Action Plan o El Cerrito Urban Greening Plan o El Cerrito Active Transportation Plan • That the development will not have an undue adverse effect upon the Transect Zone in which it is located, and will be compatible with the design features and land uses permitted in the Transect Zone in which the project is located. • That the proposed development complies with the intent of the Specific Plan, and; • That the project implements applicable goals and policies of this General Plan. Housing Element Page 53 4. Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing and Single Room Occupancy Units In 2008, a new State law was adopted (Government Code 65583 requiring local jurisdictions to identify a zone or zones where emergency shelters are allowed as a permitted use without a conditional use or other discretionary permit. The City Zoning Ordinance allows emergency shelters as a permitted use under “Community Social ---PAGE BREAK--- 32 Service Facilities” within the Community Commercial (CC) zone. The definition of Community Social Service Facilities as listed in the City’s Zoning Ordinance is below: Community Social Service Facilities. Any noncommercial facility, such as homeless shelters, emergency shelters and facilities providing social services such as job referral, housing placement and which may also provide meals, showers, and/or laundry facilities, typically for less than 30 days. Specialized programs and services related to the needs of the residents may also be provided. This classification excludes transitional housing facilities that provide living accommodations for a longer term. As updated by the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, emergency shelters are also permitted in the TOHIMU and TOMIMU zones, subject to specified operational standards. The definition of Emergency Shelter as listed in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan is: Emergency Shelters. Housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to occupancy of six months or less by a homeless person or family. No individual or household may be denied emergency shelter because of an inability to pay. Medical assistance, counseling and meals may be provided. The City Zoning Ordinance allows transitional housing as a permitted use under “Transitional Housing” within the Community Commercial (CC) zone and as a conditional use in the Transit Oriented Mixed Use (TOM) zone. The definition of Transitional Housing as listed in the City’s Zoning Ordinance is below: Transitional Housing. Establishments providing temporary housing in a structured living environment and where residents have access to various voluntary support services, such as health, mental health, education and employment/training services to obtain skills necessary for independent living. Living accommodations are shared living quarters with or without separate kitchen or bath facilities for each room or unit. The occupancy period shall be at least 30 days. This category excludes temporary housing that does not include support services and community social service facilities such as emergency shelters. As updated in 2014 by the San Pablo Specific Plan, transitional housing and supportive housing are allowed in the TOHIMU and TOMIMU zones under the same standards as other types of permitted residential uses. The definitions of transitional housing and supportive housing contained within the San Pablo Specific Plan Land Use Definitions are: Transitional Housing. Buildings configured as rental housing developments, but operated under program requirements that require the termination of assistance and recirculating of the assisted unit to another eligible program recipient at a predetermined future point in time that shall be no less than six months from the beginning of assistance. ---PAGE BREAK--- 33 Supportive Housing, Housing with no limit on length of stay that is occupied by the target population, and that is linked to an onsite or offsite service that assists the supportive housing resident in retaining the housing, improving his or her health status, and maximizing his or her ability to live and, where possible, work in the community. The City Zoning Ordinance allows single room occupancy units (SRO) as a permitted use under “Group Housing” within the Community Commercial (CC) and, within the San Pablo Specific Plan Area, as an allowed use with an Administrative Use Permit in the TOHIMU and TOMIMU zones. The definition of Group Housing as listed in the City’s Zoning Ordinance and in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan is below: Group Housing. Shared living quarters without separate kitchen or bathroom facilities for each room or unit. This classification includes rooming and boardinghouses, dormitories, and private residential clubs, offering shared living quarters, but excludes hotels, residential care facilities and transitional housing facilities. Housing Element Page 59 For projects within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, see the Master Fee Schedule for permit and design review fees. Housing Element Page 59 For projects within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area, see Specific Plan Section 2.02 Administration of the Regulating Code for additional information on permit processing procedures. Housing Element Page 61 For projects within the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Area, see Specific Plan Section 2.02.08 Application for Discretionary Actions Requiring a Public Hearing for additional Design Review requirements. ---PAGE BREAK--- 34 Housing Element Page 74 to 90 Policy 5: Encourage the development of multi-family residential uses in mixed-use projects, in the redevelopment area, and near transit- oriented facilities to help meet ABAG’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation for El Cerrito and so that housing and commercial uses can complement and support one another. The City will encourage the construction of transit-oriented developments (TODs) that seek to maximize opportunities for the use of public transit and transportation corridors through high-density residential and mixed-use projects along those corridors in accordance with the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan and the City’s Incentives Program (Chapter 19.23 of the El Cerrito Zoning Ordinance Program 5.1: Maintain General Plan designations for mixed use and high-density residential housing, the Transit Oriented Mixed Use districts and implement the Transit-Oriented High-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOHIMU) and Transit-Oriented Mid-Intensity Mixed-Use (TOMIMU) Transect Zones of the Specific Plan in the development nodes of the City. Responsibility: Planning Division Time Frame: Ongoing Funding: General Fund Policy 19: Promote fair housing opportunities for all people. Program 19.4: To comply with Senate Bill (SB) 2 the City will continue to maintain appropriate land use definitions of emergency shelters, transitional housing and supportive housing to homeless individuals and families and allow those uses by in the CC (Community Commercial) and the TOHIMU and TOMIMU zones. Responsibility: Planning Division Time Frame: Ongoing Funding: General Fund Policy 23: Encourage the location of multi-family housing near transit centers where living and/or working environments are within walkable distances in order to reduce auto trips to work, roadway expansion and air pollution. Program 23.1: Continue to enforce the sections of the Zoning Ordinance that increase density, reduce parking requirements, and establish design and development standards to create inviting, mixed- use neighborhoods around transit. Enforce the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. Responsibility: Planning Division ---PAGE BREAK--- 35 Time Frame: Ongoing Funding: General Fund Appendix C Design and Development Guide of the General Plan is deleted. It is superseded by the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan.