HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Agenda Statement 10-6-1992AGENDA iTATEMENT
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
OCTOBER 6, 1992
SUBJECT: Eastern Dublin Draft Specific Plan
PREPARED BY: 'Brenda A. Gillarde, Project Coordinator
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Draft Specific Plan, dated May 27, 1992, sent under
separate cover
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Hear Staff presentation
2. Receive public testimony
3. Continue public hearing to October 12, 1992
FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None
BACKGROUND
The Eastern Dublin Planning Study consists of three documents: the Draft General
Plan Amendment, the Draft Specific Plan and the Draft Environmental Impact
Report. This agenda statement focuses on the second document, the Draft Specific
Plan, dated May 27, 1992. The other two documents have been discussed in
previous staff reports, dated September 21, 1992 and September 23, 1992.
PI $CUSSIOAj
As mentioned in a previous staff report (Draft EIR Staff Report, dated September
21, 1992), the Eastern Dublin Study began in 1987 in response to proposals for
development of the Dublin Ranch property, which lies within the Eastern Extended
Planning Area. The City Council determined that a comprehensive planning study
should be undertaken of eastern Dublin prior to taking action on individual
development proposals.
The Draft Eastern Dublin Specific Plan is one of the results of the study process
that began in 1987 to determine future growth and development in eastern Dublin.
A series of public workshops were held before the Commission and Council from
1989 to 1991 to present various aspects of the project and gain consensus on which
options should continue to be studied.
The draft Specific Plan provides a planning framework to guide future land use and
development decisions in eastern Dublin. It should be noted that the Specific Plan
only pertains to approximately 50 percent of the total Eastern Dublin Planning
Area. While land uses are shown for the area outside the Specific Plan boundaries,
specific policies and development guidelines are lacking and a subsequent specific
plan may be required to provide the necessary planning framework for this area.
(Note: The entire Eastern Dublin Planning Area is contained within the boundaries
for the Eastern Dublin General Plan Amendment. Planning issues associated with
ITEM NO.
COPIES TO: Applicant
Owner
Address File
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this amendment were addressed in a previous Planning Commission agenda
statement, dated September 23, 1992.)
Approval of the Specific Plan also does not mean approval of any specific
development project applications for the area covered by the Specific Plan.
Approval of individual applications will occur separate from and subsequent to
approval of the Specific Plan. Each individual application will have to stand on its
own merits and be evaluated against the Specific Plan for consistency. If found
consistent, the application could be approved; if found inconsistent either the
application or the Specific Plan would have to be modified.
The draft Specific Plan is organized into eleven chapters. The first three are
mostly descriptive, sum marizing the Plan, the planning context and the existing
setting. Subsequent chapters contain more specific information such as policies,
standards, guidelines and implementation measures which set forth where and what
kind of development should occur in the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan area.
Beginning with Chapter 4 - Land Use, the following paragraphs describe the major
features of the Specific Plan. Key policies and programs are highlighted; for full
coverage of all topics addressed in the draft Plan, the reader is encouraged to read
the actual document (available from the City Planning Department). Critical issues
that will need to be considered by the Planning Commission are noted in bold
typeface.
Chapter 4 - Land Use
This chapter creates the land use- framework for the Specific Plan area. It
establishes what, where and how much development should occur in the various
subareas of the specific plan planning area. Considerable time was spent to
carefully integrate the land uses so that a high quality, economically viable
com munity would emerge out of the flatlands and rolling hills of eastern Dublin.
Such a community would complement and enhance not only central Dublin but the
entire Tri-Valley region.
1. Land Use Sum m ary
A land use summary, by acreage, is provided on page 24 of the Specific
Plan. The approximate percentage of total area for each major land use
group is provided below:
Residential 52%*
Commercial 21%
Public/Semi-Public 3%
Schools 5%
Parks 7%
Open Space 12%*
100%
Note: Approximately 24% of the residential category is
designated at rural densities which allows for clustering
development, thus creating additional passive open
space/recreation/habitat area.
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2. Residential
Approximately 12,500 units could be built within the Specific Plan area. The
goal is to provide a wide diversity of housing opportunities to meet the
social and economic needs of future residents. Housing types would range
from custom homes, typical suburban single family units, townhomes and
apartments. This diversity reflects the spectrum of housing needs today and
in the future. More and more, traditional family units are not the norm and
single -parent, childless couples and "empty -nesters" are comprising a large
segment of the residential market.
3. Commercial
Approximately 10.9 million square feet of commercial space could be built
within the Specific Plan area. This is equivalent to Hacienda Business Park
at buildout. The goal is to create an hierarchy of commercial uses that
serves the business, shopping and entertainment needs of Dublin residents as
well as those in surrounding communities. The types of commercial
development envisioned include regional retail, large and mid -size office
buildings, a walkable business and shopping area (known as the Town Center)
and some light industrial areas.
4. Employment and Jobs/Housing Balance
The draft Specific Plan would create approximately 28,300 jobs covering a
full spectrum of incomes. In response to the diverse jobs/incomes
anticipated in the planning area, the draft Specific Plan has also provided for
a wide range of housing types that would be affordable to future workers in
the area.
The term "jobs/housing" balance refers to the relationship between jobs and
housing for these workers (employed residents). The most commonly used
benchmark is a 1:1 ratio; i.e. one job for each employed resident (not one
job for each housing unit). Dublin households today average 1.61 workers per
housing unit. A formula for calculating the numerical jobs/housing ratio is
provided below (see SP, p.3.2-11):
number of housing units x 1.61 e employed residents
jobs —' employed residents = jobs/housing ratio
Jobs/housing balance is not just achieved by having an equitable number of
jobs and employed residents; housing must also be affordable to the range of
incomes earned by the various workers. Thus, future housing must be a mix
of upper -end executive homes, traditional single-family production units,
smaller -lot single-family homes, attached dwellings, duplexes and apartments.
Jobs/housing balance has become a key concern in the Bay Area and Tri-
Valley because trafficways are becoming increasingly congested as workers
travel greater distances to work centers. In response, community planning
has begun to focus on creating developments wherein residents can live close
to work and avoid long-distance commuting.
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The jobs/housing balance within the Specific Plan area would result in more
jobs than workers; however, when compared to buildout of the entire General
Plan Amendment area, an almost exact balance is achieved. When looking at
the future City of Dublin (western, central and eastern Dublin), a surplus of
employed residents is anticipated. Given the current surplus of jobs in the
Tri-Valley, the anticipated surplus of employed eastern Dublin residents could
help offset the job imbalance in the sub -region.
5. Subareas
The planing area is divided into ten (10) subareas, each having a distinct
character and function as defined by the uses within the subarea (refer to
Figure 4.2 in the Specific Plan). Two subareas are highlighted below because
of their unique qualities and importance to the overall planning framework
for the Specific Plan. (The reader is referred to pages 34-42 of the Specific
Plan to a complete discussion of all the subareas.)
a. Town Center
This subarea includes both commercial and residential land uses and is
the centerpiece of development in eastern Dublin (Specific Plan, Figure
4.2). It spans both sides of Tassajara Road and serves a critical
function as the pedestrian -friendly commercial core or "Town Center"
for the planning area, imparting a sense of place to eastern Dublin
and distinguishing it from just another typical suburban development.
At the core of the Town Center, east of Tassajara Road, a cluster of
community -serving uses is envisioned such as a performing arts center,
library, community center, post office and other similar community
facilities. These uses would adjoin a public plaza where public
ceremonies, outdoor concer-ts, art/crafts shows and other less formal
public gatherings could occur.
Stretching east and west of the civic -oriented core will be a
pedestrian -oriented neighborhood commercial area comprised of shops
and small businesses. This area is intended to cater to the daily
needs of the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
At the far western edge of the Town Center subarea is a general
commercial area which extends north/south along Tassajara Road. This
area would have its primary orientation to the motoring public and
include uses such as large office buildings, larger department stores,
restaurants and a shopping center with a major supermarket and drug
store.
Another major component of the Town Center is a mixture of high,
medium and single-family density housing. Apartments and other
higher density housing would be located adjacent to the neighborhood
commercial area, feathering out to single-family dwellings on the west
side of Tassajara Road.
To help offset the expanse of urban -type development within the Town
Center two major community/city parks are located, comprising some
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130 acres for active and passive recreation uses. Sports grounds and
fields would be accommodated to serve the entire Dublin community.
Other smaller neighborhood parks and squares would provide additional
"green spaces" for recreation and relaxation.
b. Village Centers,
There are two additional clusters of commercial and residential uses
beyond that provided in the Town Center. These are located at two
future key roadway intersections - Fallon/Tassajara (Tassajara Village)
and Fallon/transit spine (Fallon Village). The villages have been
situated to take advantage of convenient vehicular access but they
have also been designed to accommodate pedestrian access.
At the center of each village is a compact, well-defined 8-12 acre
commercial area accessible by auto, transit and foot. The Village
Centers will accommodate such uses as grocery stores, gas stations,
drug and hardware stores, restaurants, branch bank offices and other
such uses needed by local residents. Also included within this core
area will be public buildings such as schools, neighborhood parks, fire
stations, a community center and other similar uses.
The Village Centers are located within close distance to the more
traditional single-family homes which surround them. In addition,
higher density housing, such as duplexes, apartments and townhomes, is
located directly adjacent to the commercial core within each village.
This land use pattern will encourage a reduction in daily vehicle miles
travelled by local residents.
In summary, land uses within the proposed Specific Plan are oriented toward a
diverse, highly integrated full -service community, with a particular focus on
pedestrian- accessibility to work, shopping and recreation. A town center surrounded
by higher density housing is envisioned as well as two satellite retail/residential
centers- of a more intimate scale. The policies in this chapter are geared toward
creating this type of environment. If this is not the direction the City desires, the
policies as well as the land uses would require modification.
Chapter 5 - Traffic and Circulation
Roadway improvements in eastern Dublin have been planned to fully facilitate
vehicular traffic while also accommodating transit and non -vehicular modes of
transportation. The roadway system is based on a grid pattern which disperses
traffic over a greater number of streets and facilitates an open neighborhood
feeling. In contrast, a curvilinear system funnels traffic onto a few major
thoroughfares and creates closed, isolated neighborhoods. The grid system is also
much more "pedestrian friendly" in that streets do not dead end in cul-de-sacs and
are generally two or four lanes wide.
The major trafficways planned for eastern Dublin are summarized below with
anticipated lane widths (also see SP pg. 57, Figure 5.1). The north/south and
east/west travelways are expected to carry primarily vehicular traffic with the
exception of the Transit Spine which is designed to facilitate public transit,
pedestrian travel and moderate volumes of vehicular traffic.
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Traffic ways Planned Lanes Rivht of Wav
North/South
Hacienda Drive
Tassajara Road
Fallon Road
4 to 6 lanes
4 to 6 lanes
4 to 6 lanes
6 to 8 lanes
6 to 8 lanes
6 to 8 lanes
East/West
Dublin Boulevard 6 lanes 8 lanes
Gleason Road 4 lanes none
Transit Spine 2 to 4 lanes none
The remaining streets in eastern Dublin will be two and- four lane local -serving
streets. Transit stops -with bus pullouts, transit shelters, pedestrian paths and other
amenities will be provided throughout the planning area.
The Draft EIR for Eastern Dublin identified several traffic impacts that cannot be
mitigated to a level of insignificance. These impacts would occur under buildout of
the entire General Plan Amendment planning area in Year 2010 and under
cumulative development in the Tri-Valley area. These unavoidable impacts are
identified below -together with land use alternatives that would reduce them to a
level of insignificance.
Proiect Impacts Alternatives
I-580 Freeway: I-680-Hacienda Drive
No Project (DEIR p. 4-5)
Reduced Planning Area (DEIR, p. 4-11)
Reduced Intensities (DEIR, p. 4-19)
No Development (DEIR, p. 4-19)
Secondary effects of mitigation to No Project
Santa Rita/I-580 eastbound ramps No Development
Cumulative Impacts Alternatives
I-580 west of I-680
I-580 east of Airway
Dublin Boulevard/Hacienda Drive
Dublin Boulevard/Tassajara Road
No Project
No Development
No Project
No Development
No Project
Reduced Land Use Intensities
No Development
No Project
Reduced Land Use Intensities
No Development
Tassajara Road/Fallon Road No Project
No Development
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Cumulative Impacts
Tassajara Road/Gleason
Tassajara Road/Transit Spine
Alternatives
No Project
No Development
No Project
No Development
The Planning Commission may want to consider modifying the Specific Plan to
address some of these traffic impacts. Impacts that remain significant after
mitigation will require a Statement of Overriding Considerations. However, the
presence of such impacts does not preclude approval of the Specific Plan as
currently proposed.
It should be noted that impacts on Tassajara are primarily caused by traffic from
the anticipated connection from Dougherty Valley to Tassajara and full buildout of
Tassajara Valley. The Specific Plan currently shows Tassajara being widened to
four lanes to provide both vehicular and pedestrian access to the high density Town
Center commercial/residential uses on either side of Tassajara. Tassajara at four
lanes would be similar to Dublin Boulevard in downtown Dublin.
Widening Tassajara to six lanes would create a travel way similar to Hopyard Road
in northern Pleasanton. While this configuration would mitigate identified traffic
impacts, it would tend to divide the Town Center area and greatly limit pedestrian
access between the development areas planned on either side of this road.
As previously mentioned, a grid -type street system is envisioned for the Town
Center area of the Specific Plan (see Figure 7.1). - Such a system allows traffic to
disperse over a number of mostly two-lane streets, rather than being concentrated
on fewer, typically four --lane arterials. Design speeds on two lane streets are
generally slower which makes it more inviting and safer for pedestrians to walk
along and cross. Grid -streets intersect, thus providing direct access to most areas
within the system. In contrast, a curvilinear system tends to isolate areas by
having many streets dead end in cul-de-sacs.
The grid -street system in the Town Center area was discussed during the joint
Council/Commission study sessions. It was indicated as the preferred system for
this area because it would accommodate vehicular traffic while also facilitating
pedestrian activity. The traffic policies in the proposed Specific Plan have been
designed to support -this type of street network in the Town Center. If this is not
the type of system desired by the City, the policies and roadway system would
need to be modified. Any major modification will require substantial time on the
part of Staff and the consultants to revise the land - use scheme, recalculate the
buildout numbers and revise text and maps accordingly.
Chapter 6 - Resource Management
This chapter establishes an integrated open space system for the long term benefit
of planning area residents, the Dublin com munity, visitors and the natural wildlife
of the area. There are three major components of the resource management
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system for eastern Dublin: 1) open space; 2) natural resources; and 3) conservation
and safety.
1. Open Space
Open space is defined as land designated for no development (412 acres, 12
percent of the planning area) or very limited development (1 unit per 100
acres; 409 acres, 12 percent of the planning area). These open space areas
may be in public or private ownership and are intended for passive human
use (hiking or visual resource). These areas also represent important habitat
for the area's native plant and animal life. Conservation of these areas is
supported by Specific Plan policies for open space (Draft SP, page 62).
2. Natural Resources
The planning area contains numerous natural resources which have been a key
determinant in establishing a framework for where development should and
should not occur. Several different categories of natural resources are
protected by Specific Plan policies: a) biological; b) cultural; and c) visual.
a. Biological Resources
Included in this category are Tassajara Creek, riparian woodland along
Fallon Road, several small freshwater marsh areas adjacent to
drainages in Tassajara Creek and Fallon Road, and other smaller
wetland areas associated with seeps, springs and man—made stock ponds
occurring throughout the Specific Plan area (Draft SP, Figures 6.2 and
6.3).
Reference is also made to special status wildlife species that are
known to inhabit the planning area or for which habitat exists in the
planning area. Such species include the red -legged frog, western pond
turtle, golden eagle, northern harrier, burrowing owl, American egret
and San Joaquin kit fox (not found physically on the site but suitable
habitat does exist within the Specific Plan area). Policies in the Plan
place high priority on protection of these biological resources (Draft
SP, pages 63-67).
b. Cultural Resources
Included in this category are the prehistoric and historic artifacts/sites
found within the planning area. Specific Plan policies are oriented
toward protection and documentation of these resources (Draft SP,
page 68).
c. Visual Resources
The ridgelines and ridgelands of eastern Dublin are the focus of this
section. Plan policies direct that no development may occur on the
most prominent ridgeline which wraps around the north and east sides
of the planning area (Draft SP, page 69, Figure 6.3). On the lesser
but still visually sensitive ridgelines/ridgelands, Specific Plan policies
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permit some development potential that would be carefully guided by
grading policies for hillside areas (Draft SP, page 70).
3. Conservation and Safety
This section of the resource management plan addresses geotechnical hazards
(slope stability, slide potential) and noise guidelines. Policies detail allowable
development in different slope categories (Draft SP, page 71) and adequate
mitigation of potential noise impacts along I-580 (Draft SP, page 72).
The policies for the Resource Management chapter of the Specific Plan will create
an open space system -that protects major biological features, major
ridgelines/ridgelands, curtails development on slopes with a certain percentage and
requires adequate mitigation for noise along I-580. If this is not the type of
system desired by the City or if certain elements of the system are not
acceptable, the text and accompanying maps would have to be modified.
The Draft EIR states that all visual impacts can be mitigated to a level of
insignificance except for alteration of the site's inherent visual character. Any
modifications to the Resource Management policies will require environmental
review by Staff to determine if additional analysis would be needed, thereby
requiring revisions to the Draft EIR.
Chapter 7 - Community Design
This chapter provides development and design guidelines which implement the Plan's
goals and policies for a coordinated, cohesive community in eastern Dublin. Design
features of the com munity include thoughtfully designed buildings, carefully
integrated public/semi-public facilities, pedestrian -scaled streets and public open
spaces. The guidelines are meant to provide a design framework while still
allowing for individual builder creativity.
The guidelines are organized by planning subarea and address both structures and
the circulation system. Figures illustrating the design concepts are included in the
Specific Plan for the purpose of showing how a particular subarea might develop.
Other site design layouts can be considered but they must be consistent with the
principles and guidelines contained in the Community Design chapter of the Specific
Plan.
The following paragraphs summarize the design theme for key planning subareas.
The reader is directed to Chapter 7 for a full discussion of the design guidelines.
Town Center - Commercial
Guidelines are directed toward developing a compact commercial core in the Town
Center, and minimizing reliance on the auto by creating a pedestrian -friendly
environment with access to transit, retail/commercial services, parks and schools.
The physical form of the Town Center Commercial area is governed by the grid
pattern street network and buildings are oriented to create a continuous edge along
the streets. Along Tassajara Road, buildings can be up to six stories high; in the
Neighborhood Commercial area along the Transit Spine, three stories would be the
maximum in order to maintain the pedestrian scale and "main street" character of
this area.
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Town Center - Residential
This subarea is envisioned as a relatively urban housing district composed of
apartments, duplexes, townhouses and small -lot single family homes. All would be
located within walking distance of the Transit Spine (maximum 1/4 mile or
plus/minus five minutes). Residential units would be grouped to form neighborhoods
and parks and pedestrian areas provided for public activity and neighborhood
identity.
Building height would range from two to four stories. Entries would be designed to
promote sidewalk activity and social interaction between neighbors.
Village Centers
These centers are located in the outlying areas of the Specific Plan but are
intended to create some of the intimacy associated with the Town Center.
Commercial and residential uses are grouped to promote a lively pedestrian
environment while still providing optimum vehicular access.
The focus of each village is a central open space (village green) surrounded by
commercial and residential development. Building height would be predominantly
two stories with a maximum of three stories. Parking would be behind buildings
which front the shopping street and village green.
Foothill Residential
Most of the traditional single-family development will occur in this subarea.
Because the terrain is often sloping, the design emphasis is on minimizing disruption
of the hillside environment and achieving a sense of development set within the
natural landscape. Development is to be concentrated on the floor and sides of
valleys rather than on ridgelines; clustering is promoted and stepped, split-level
buildings encouraged to reduce grading and maintain open views of the surrounding
area.
Gateways
The Specific Plan denotes three gateways: Tassajara, Fallon and Hacienda. Daily,
thousands of visitors will pass through these areas, taking with them an image of
eastern Dublin. Key design goals for these subareas include locating buildings to
create entryways into eastern Dublin, situating parking areas so they do not
dominate views from the street, and providing a pedestrian pathway system to
connect different uses within the subarea.
Building height would be up to six stories; buildings would be oriented to avoid
blocking views of the background hills and cutting off pedestrian access.
Circulation System
The remainder of the design guidelines in Chapter 7 define the size and character
of streets and pedestrian/bike paths. Street standards are in conformance with
current City standards.
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The design guidelines were developed to create the environment envisioned by the
Specific Plan land use map and policies. The Specific Plan will not develop all at
once but in increments. The design guidelines are necessary to ensure that each
individual project will be developed in a manner consistent with the overall -
community design envisioned for eastern Dublin. Without this type of direction,
buildings are likely to occur in a disjointed, disconnected fashion, with little or no
design compatibility.
If the design guidelines detailed in Chapter -7 are not the direction the City wishes
to pursue, they should be modified accordingly. One area the Planning Commission
may want to consider- is the addition of language to the height guidelines for the
Town Center Commercial and Gateway subareas to permit buildings greater than six
stories under special circumstances. If the Commission wishes to pursue this, the
floor area ratios may need to be adjusted to accommodate a higher story limit.
Chapter 8 - Community Services and Facilities
This section of the Specific Plan describes the various services and facilities that
will be required in eastern Dublin including schools, police services, fire protection,
solid waste disposal, a library, and postal service. During preparation of the
Specific Plan, substantial discussion ensued regarding the number and location of
schools.
To clarify, the number of schools was determined by using the following student
generation factors for each type of anticipated residential dwelling in the Specific
Plan area. These factors are based on Livermore School District standards (similar
data was not available -from Dublin School District). Once the total number of
students was estimated, the number of schools was determined based on Livermore
School District capacity criteria for each type of facility (similar data was not
available from Dublin School District).
Calculations for Eastern Dublin Specific Plan Schools
Number of Number of
Student Generation Rate Students Generated Schools Reauired
Elementary School
Single family: .3/unit 719
Multi -family: .1/unit 1,060
Junior High School
Single family: .15/unit 360
Multi -family: .05/unit 503
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2
High School 1
Single family: .2/unit 480
Multi -family: .07/unit 704
The location of schools was based on a number of factors including California State
locational criteria, the student generation potential within residential areas, the
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developability of a potential school site, accessibility from the surrounding
neighborhood and student safety relative to automobile traffic.
If any of the school site locations are altered, it may also require adjustments to
surrounding land uses since the schools have been strategically placed in response to
the above described criteria.
Chapter 9 - Water. Wastewater and Storm Drainage
Conceptual water, wastewater and storm drainage systems have been designed to
accommodate development of the Specific Plan. (Pipe sizes and locations are
detailed in Figures 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3 of the draft Specific Plan.) These systems
would be phased concurrently with future development and built according to Dublin
San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) standards. Per direction from DSRSD, the
water- distribution system has been sized to accom modate development of Dougherty
Valley. This reflects the District's intention to also provide water to this future
development area.
A recycled water system has also been designed for the Specific Plan. DSRSD
strongly advocates wastewater -recycling and reuse in the Tri-Valley and has stated
that the Specific Plan area would be an ideal location to plan for wastewater reuse
through- landscape irrigation (Draft SP, page 127). Construction of such a system
will help conserve existing and future water supplies.
The policies and programs of the Spec-ific Plan- support the development of
adequately- sized water, wastewater and storm drainage systems. In addition, it
strongly supports the use of recycled water for landscape irrigation- in the Specific
Plan area. If these - policies- are not in alignment with City desires, they would
need to be modified, possibly resulting in changes to the conceptual layouts.
It- should also be noted that the Draft EIR identified the sizing - of the water
system to accommodate development in Dougherty Valley as a growth -inducing
impact that remains significant after mitigation. A Statement of Overriding
Considerations would be required if the Specific Plan is approved as proposed.
Chapter 10 - Financing,
This chapter of the Specific Plan serves a two -fold purpose: 1) to detail how
infrastructure costs will be financed; and 2) to demonstrate that proposed measures
for infrastructure financing will not affect existing City resources.
Estimated infrastructure costs for Eastern Dublin are:
Streets, highway interchanges,
mass grading
Water and wastewater systems
Public facilities, impact fees
$136 million
235 million
160 million
$531 million
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Based on City policy, no General Fund monies will be used to finance infrastructure
for new development. The burden, therefore, falls to the developer. Given the
scale- of development in eastern Dublin, the developers will not be able to assume
the full burden in advance of sales. Therefore other mechanisms must be put into
place to create the necessary upfront money for infrastructure and other public
improvement costs.
The Specific Plan describes a number of financing mechanisms that are available in
today's market to assist in the financing of new development. The most commonly
used are Mello -Roos District, Marks Roos Bonds, Special Assessment Districts,
Dublin impact fees and school impact fees (AB 2926). Based on the fiscal analysis
prepared for the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan, the project would meet the
necessary criteria to make it fundable via the methods described above (Draft SP,
page 148). The City would, however, have to initiate developer agreements and
create the necessary districts (special assessment, Mello -Roos or others) to ensure
financing of needed improvements.
Policies in -this -chapter of the Specific Plan- support the formation of special
districts and other mechanisms to ensure that the burden of financing infrastructure
costs- does not fall upon- the -City. The action programs also recommend -creation
of severalimpactfeesystemsto offset infrastructure costs (Draft SP, page 149).
If the City does not wish to pursue this course of action, the polices and programs
in the- Specific - Plan should be revised. Any alterations to the program should be
carefully evaluated for impacts on the finaneibility of the project.
Chapter 11 - Implementation
This chapter summarizes the steps needed to make the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan
a reality on the ground. Approval of the Plan itself is only the first step; -
subsequent actions include prezoning, annexation, preparation of a services plan,
submittal of planned development plans and other actions (Draft SP, page 157-159).
There are no policies or action programs in this chapter.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
1. Staff recom mends that the Planning Commission thoroughly review the Draft
Specific Plan keeping in mind that the Plan is geared toward the creation of
a fully integrated community centered around a pedestrian -oriented Town -
Center with -more traditional -single-family housing located in the outer lying
areas. The -goals, policies and action programs fully support implementation
of the land use map shown in Figure 4.1 of the Plan. Because the different
components of the Plan have been carefully interlinked (i.e. transportation,
open space, recreation, resource management), any changes are likely to have
a ripple effect and should be carefully evaluated before making a decision.
2. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission hear Staff's presentation and
then open the public hearing to receive public comments on the Draft
Specific Plan, chapters 1.0 through 5.0, or beyond, if time permits.
3. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission continue the public hearing
to October 12, 1992.
s/edspoct6
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