75A - PH - MED OFFICE 402 EUCLID

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GPA No. 2019-02, VAR No. 2019-04 August 26, 2019 Page 3 Proiect Analvsis General Plan Amendment The applicant is applying for a general plan amendment in order to re -designate the property proposed for development to General Commercial (GC). According to the General Plan, the General Commercial designation applies to commercial corridors and areas that are highly visible and are critical arterial transportation corridors. The subject property is proposed to be changed from a Low - Density Residential (LR-7) land use designation to GC. The change will make the property's General Plan land use designation consistent with the current zoning of the site, which is C-1. Currently, the Euclid Street corridor has properties with inconsistent general plan designations and zoning districts but are developed with commercial uses. This amendment will create consistency with those additional properties in the vicinity that are already developed with a commercial use and eventually through a comprehensive general plan amendment, those inconsistencies will be clarified. In addition, these properties are currently improved with commercial uses including professional and medical office buildings, eating establishments, and mixed retail and service uses that provide neighborhood facilities and services to the nearby residential properties to the east and west of the Euclid Street corridor. The general plan amendment will provide consistency with the existing uses and will make the properties consistent with the zoning district. Variance for Reduced Lot Size and Front Yards Pursuant to SAMC Section 41-632 (a) (2), a variance application can be filed from the development standards of the zoning district. Variance requests are governed by Section 41-638 (2) of the SAMC. Variances may be granted when it can be shown that there exists a special circumstance related to the property, is necessary for the preservation and enjoyment of substantial property rights, will not be detrimental to the public or surrounding property, and will not adversely affect the General Plan. In analyzing the multiple variance requests, staff believes that the following analysis warrants staff's recommendation of approval for the variance. The zoning code requires a 15-foot landscaped setback along both Euclid Street and Fourth Street. The subject property is already deficient in available land in order to meet the minimum lot size required for development in the Community Commercial (C-1) zoning district. Pursuant to Sec. 41- 373 of the SAMC, lots in the C-1 zoning district require a 15,000 square foot minimum size to develop. The deficiency for the site is by 141 square feet, which equated to less than one (1) percent. Through the review of the project, staff identified that the final design of the building and lot would suffer losses to the size of the building if the 15-foot requirement for the front yard setback was applied. In order forthe applicant to preserve as much property rights to develop the site to its full potential, staff worked with the applicant to design a project that would offer different front yard setback distances. Special consideration would be taken to architectural design of the building, articulation on a vertical and horizontal plane, in order to gain a physical appearance that the building is not located directly on the property line. In some locations the yards will be reduced to 5 feet, requiring a variance. The final 75A-11