23_10_17 Bacth2 Testimony - Laserfiche WebLink

The area of this request is designated in the Metro Plan and RRSC for medium density residential. As noted below at EC 9.8865(3) which is incorporated here by reference, the area is in proximity to existing or planned urban facilities. Public Testimony submitted by Marilyn Mohr notes that medium density sites should have easy access to transit, parks and commercial services and be sited on neighborhood collectors. Although this policy is not mandatory approval criterion due to the use of the word "consider ", staff notes that the area designated in the RRSC for medium density residential use does have nearby access to a community market, schools and a park. Transit access is available on Maxwell Road about a half mile to the east. While this area is not located directly on a collector street, the area is located on Maxwell Road a minor arterial which is designed to carry large volumes of traffic. As such, to the extent this policy is relevant the proposal is consistent. In addition to a Land Use Diagram and plan policies, the RRSC includes 12 subareas, which were identified in order to consider and suggest future land use in the Land Use Diagram component (see page 2 -22 of the RRSC). Each of these subareas contains a description and recommendations. As found by the Hearings Official in City File # Z 02 -19 (Merritt- Truax, Inc.), as these are listed under the heading of "recommendations" they do not constitute mandatory approval criteria. While not mandatory approval criteria, staff provides the findings regarding two of the recommendations below to demonstrate how the proposal remains consistent with these recommendations. The applicable Maxwell /Park Avenue Subarea recommendations (page 2 -28) are as follows: Recommendation 3: Concentrate medium - density development around the commercial node, with a transition to low- density, particularly at the northern and southern end of the subarea. Consistent with this recommendation, this proposal provides medium density zoning around the commercial core, which is located just to the east and southeast. This provides a transition to the low density residential subdivisions to the north. Recommendation 4: Apply site review for parcels fronting the Northwest Expressway and the Southern Pacific Railroads tracks. While this property fronts the Northwest Expressway, the /SR Site Review overlay zone is not requested by the applicant or recommended by staff to be added. It appears that the intent of the site review would be to address the relationship of the development site to the Northwest Expressway and the railroad, including noise and visual impacts. In this instance the applicant has already submitted a tentative subdivision for the subject property (see City File #ST 10 -2). The tentative subdivision includes criterion (at EC 9.8515(4)) that requires compliance with adopted plan policies. The RRSC includes plan policies (codified at EC 9.9610) regarding minimization of the impacts of the expressway and railroad, which must be addressed through the tentative subdivision application. As such, the addition of the site review adds no public benefit that will not be achieved through the subdivision. In the event that the applicant does not subdivide the land and instead proposes multi - family development, the multi - family development standards (at EC 9.5500), which Staff Report (Z 10 -3) July 2010 4 HO Agenda -Page4 439