Title
RESOLUTION Amending the General Plan Land Use Designation for Approximately 12 Acres of the San Leandro Shoreline Development Project (PLN2012-00040)
Body
WHEREAS, as part of a public/private partnership, the City of San Leandro and Cal Coast Development, LLC propose to redevelop an approximately 75-acre area including 52 acres of land area and 23 acres of water area (both owned by the City) which encompasses the San Leandro Marina and surrounding properties. The Project proposes a mixed use development with residential, office, commercial and public recreational uses. The development would build new features including an approximately 150,000-square-foot office campus, a new 200-room hotel, an approximately 15,000-square-foot conference center, up to 354 housing units, 3 new restaurants totaling approximately 21,000 square feet, a new parking structure and related improvements. A variety of public amenities would be installed, including a new approximately 2,500-square-foot community library/community meeting space, an aquatic center/dock, bocce ball courts, outdoor recreational areas, picnic areas, a perched beach, pedestrian piers, two miles of public promenade, a natural shoreline element along the interior of the harbor basin, a pedestrian/bicycle bridge, a boardwalk/lookout pier, several small finger piers, and refurbishment of existing public restrooms on site. Implementation of the Project would remove several existing structures and uses, including the 462 existing boat slips, the El Torito restaurant building, the harbormaster’s office, and the San Leandro Yacht Club building, among others. The harbor would only be open to non-motorized watercraft, so the Project includes the construction of a small boat launch, a kayak storage building, and an aeration fountain in the harbor basin to aid in water circulation; and
WHEREAS, the Project includes applications 1) to amend the General Plan land use designation from Parks and Recreation to Medium Density Residential for approximately 12 acres for proposed residences on the 9-hole golf course; 2) to rezone approximately 12 acres from Commercial Recreation to RM 2000(PD) Residential Multi-Family, Planned Development overlay consistent with the General Plan amendment and rezone approximately 40 acres from CR Commercial Recreation to CC(PD) Community Commercial, Planned Development Overlay; 3) site plan review, tentative map, development plan and design guidelines; and 4) development agreement. The Project is being processed in two stages. The first processing stage will consider the General Plan amendment and rezoning applications; the second processing stage will consider the development permits at future hearings, including but not limited to site plan review, tentative map, and Planned Development plan. The development described above and related applications are collectively known as the "Project"; and
WHEREAS, the Project site is approximately 75 acres, generally located along both sides of Monarch Bay Drive between Marina Boulevard and Fairway Drive. The site includes Mulford Point to the north and Pescador Point to the south and the boat harbor, businesses, various structures and parking lot between; portions of the existing 9-hole Marina Golf Course; and the existing Mulford-Marina Branch public library; and
WHEREAS, the General Plan Land Use Diagram currently designates the Project site west of Monarch Bay Drive as Commercial General (CG) and the Project site east of Monarch Bay Drive as Parks and Recreation (PR); and
WHEREAS, the Project proposes to amend the General Plan land use designation for approximately 12 acres from Parks and Recreation to Medium Density Residential to allow residential uses on the 9-hole golf course, as shown in attached Attachment 1, incorporated herein by reference. The General Plan land use designations for the rest of the Project site would remain unchanged; and
WHEREAS, consistent with California Government Code section 65352.3, the City obtained a contact list of local Native American tribes from the Native American Heritage Commission and notified the tribes on the contact list of the opportunity to consult with the City on the proposed General Plan Amendment. None of the contacted tribes requested a consultation within the 90- day statutory consultation period and no further action is required under section 65352.3; and
WHEREAS, the City prepared a Draft EIR and Final EIR, collectively “EIR”, for the Project, including the proposed General Plan amendment; and
WHEREAS, a staff report dated June 18, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference, described and analyzed the proposed General Plan amendment for the Planning Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on the General Plan amendment on June 18, 2015, at which time all interested parties had the opportunity to be heard; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission considered the EIR (including comments and responses) and all of the above-referenced reports, recommendations and testimony prior to making a recommendation on the General Plan amendment. Following the public hearing, the Planning Commission adopted Resolution No. 2015-01, recommending that the City Council certify the Project EIR, and Resolution No. 2015-02 recommending that the City Council approve the General Plan amendment and related rezoning. The resolutions are dated June 18, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference; and
WHEREAS, a staff report dated July 20, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference, analyzed the EIR for the Project, including the General Plan amendment. On July 20, 2015, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing on the EIR and following the public hearing, the City Council adopted Resolution _____, certifying the EIR for the Project (which includes the general plan amendment), making required environmental findings and adopting a Statement of Overriding Considerations and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, which resolution is incorporated herein by reference; and
WHEREAS, a staff report dated July 20, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference, described and analyzed the proposed General Plan amendment for the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the City Council held a noticed public hearing on the General Plan amendment on July 20, 2015, at which time all interested parties had the opportunity to be heard; and
WHEREAS, the City Council considered the certified EIR and all above-referenced reports, recommendations and testimony prior to taking action on the General Plan amendment.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the above recitals are true and correct and made a part of this resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council hereby approves the amendment of the General Plan land use map as shown in Attachment 1, based on the following findings and considering the staff report and the whole of the record related to the Project:
1. The General Plan amendment is in the public interest in that it will provide new opportunities for additional housing, consistent with the General Plan Housing Element and will improve economic access to housing in the City through a density that will allow a range of housing types and prices. More specifically, the proposed General Plan land use map amendment will provide a mix of residential development types at the Shoreline, including single-family homes, and multi-family residences such as condominiums and townhomes. The City’s Zoning Code will require inclusionary housing (affordable units) within the development. The General Plan land use map amendment will provide new housing in portions of the nine-hole golf course that are underutilized by shortening some of the holes on the course, however, there will be no reduction in the number of holes. The future residential sites will be adequately served with infrastructure, access and road capacity. The sites are not constrained by freeway or railroad. With proper site planning and design, the sites would have no conflict with the golf course; thus the public-owned land can be developed to a better and higher use. In fact, the golf course architect and the architect for the proposed project have stated that it is a current practice and a typical standard to incorporate residential uses when master planning a golf course. In today’s housing market, it is desirable to reside adjacent to a golf course.
2. The amendment will not render the General Plan internally inconsistent in that the amendment is consistent with and supports General Plan goals 3 and 9 and related policies and actions, including existing policies for development and enhancement of the Marina and also Housing Element policies to increase housing opportunities in the City. Table 4.9-1 in the Draft EIR assessed Project consistency with the General Plan and identified no inconsistencies.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution shall take effect thirty days after the date of adoption.