environment. Siting a ten-story building in an area primarily occupied by R-1 housing can dramatically <br />impact wind flow, and create serious loss of sunlight and privacy over a significant number of existing <br />homes1. <br /> <br /> <br />Proposed prohibited uses: There is limited commercially zoned land in the neighborhoods; many of <br />the lots along River Road offer prime opportunities for local business that support connection, <br />engagement, and provide daily needs. Currently, River Road is host to many car lots and Santa Clara <br />many storage facilities both of which have low foot traffic. There was no offer from staff to <br />differentiate between C-2 along the corridor or away from the corridor. In this case, the carve out for <br />properties along River Avenue is a reasonable compromise that allows those businesses to plan for <br />their future while still promoting uses desired by residents closer to the anticipated increase in <br />residential density. <br /> <br />Repeal of the RR/SC urban facilities plan: We support keeping the River Road Santa Clara Urban <br />Facilities Plan land use diagram, subarea maps, and policies that guide implementation of those <br />diagrams until the city adopts lot-specific zoning maps. Although those maps do not have the clarity <br />of lot-specific diagrams, they are more refined than the Metro Plan which controls zoning city wide. <br />Teresa Bishow’s River Road – Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan Land Use Decision Impact Analysis <br />submitted 10/17/23 shows that the maps in our current Urban Facilities Plan guided decisions of <br />compliance 714 times to date. Additionally, not all the policies in the RRSCUFP are relevant today. <br />We ask to have the opportunity to review and comment on which of the policies will be retained or <br />deleted as we move forward. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Incentives: Work done by consultants for the RR Corridor Study suggested that C-2 zoned property <br />along River Road will likely be developed with housing and not for commercial uses, given the current <br />market. This is an outright permitted use in existing C-2 zones and would move the neighborhood <br />farther from its goals instead of closer. We appreciate staff’s suggestion that taller first floors may <br />allow for later conversion to commercial usage, but question whether that would be possible and/or <br />feasible (for instance, load bearing walls cannot be moved). We need tailored incentives to help <br />develop the C-2 lots as mixed use with commercial on the ground floor for local business <br />development. We do not know what tools will work and ask the Planning Commission for your <br />expertise to help identify mechanisms and opportunities to realize this goal. <br /> <br />Finally, we request you discuss the value of having the City find a way to enforce on-street parking <br />regulations on the numerous county streets in our two neighborhoods. <br /> <br />1 See https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309269820_High- <br />Rise_Buildings_Aspects_and_Significant_Impacts_in_Urban_Areas <br /> <br />49