75A - 3417 W FIFTH STREET - Laserfiche WebLink

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Responses to Environmental Checklist For CEQA Compliance No Impact The project site is currently vacant, but was previously developed with a commercial development oriented towards an arterial street. The new development will continue the existing development pattern and will not divide existing neighborhoods. The proposed project is located in an urbanized setting and no locally designated species or natural communities are known to exist in the project area. The site is not part of any habitat conservation plan or natural community preservation plan. Therefore, there would be no impact. B. Conflict with any applicable land use plan, policy, or regulation of an agency with jurisdiction over the project adopted for the purpose of avoiding or mitigating an environmental effect? Less than Significant Impact The existing General Plan land use designation for the proposed project site is Open Space (OS), and the site is zoned North Harbor Specific Plan (SP2), Open Space land use category. Medical offices are not a permitted use in an Open Space zone. A General Plan Amendment (GPA) would be required to re- designate the 0.45 acre site from Open Space to General Commercial. A Zoning Ordinance Amendment to modify the North Harbor Specific Plan would also be required. The modifications to the Specific Plan would include a modification to Figure 3.1 Emphasis zones, to change this property from Open Space land use category to General Commercial land use category. As proposed, the project would be developed with a 6,002 square foot, two story medical building. The Open Space land use category in the SP2 covered existing parks and included this parcel as a potential site for expansion of the existing parks. The City's ability to acquire land and develop it into parkland in the last 15 years since SP2 was adopted has been severely constrained. As mentioned earlier, the project site was previously developed with a restaurant use since the 1970's, which was destroyed by fire in 2004. This site is the only vacant site in the entire block and has resulted in a disruption of the commercial development of Fifth Street. While the proposed project would result in a minor decrease in the City's inventory of open space, it would not be in conflict with land use policies included in the Land Use Element of the City's General Plan. The project would be consistent the following Goals and Policies: _ General Plan Pommies proj~ consrstexy LAND USE ELEMENT Goal 2 Promote land uses which enhance the city's economic and fiscal viability Policy 2.10. Support new development which is harmonious in scale and character with existing development in the area. Proposed development would be designed in a manner which is harmonious in character and scale with existing development in the area. The design of the proposed medical building is contemporary which enhances the commercial corridor, and it is two stories in height, which is in scale with the adjacent commercial building and the single family uses to the north. The proposed project would not conflict with this policy. 75A-48