75D - PH - 2525 N MAIN - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

2525 North Main Street October 28, 2019 Page 12 District Centers with high intensity, mixed -use urban villages and pedestrian oriented experiences. Finally, the project would be consistent with Policy HE-2.4 to facilitate diverse types, prices and sizes of housing. The project would also be consistent with goals of the Land Use Element, including Goal 1 to promote a balance of land uses to address basic community needs, and Goal 6 to reduce residential overcrowding to promote public health and safety. The proposed project will provide additional market rate housing in the City, thereby assisting in addressing the shortage of available housing within the region. The project will also provide additional housing options for those seeking housing within the jobs rich northern area of the City. The upscale multi -family development will also support Urban Design Element Goal 1 to improve the physical appearance of the City through development of a district that projects a sense of place, positive community image, and quality environment. Amendment Application Currently, the zoning designation for this site is Professional (P) which permits a variety of business uses that aim to create a professional business environment and prohibits residential uses. To allow the construction of a multi -family residential development and parking on this parcel, an amendment application (zone change) request to change from Professional (P) to a Specific Development No. 93 (SD-93) designation is required. The SD designation will allow a residential development (Zone 1) and parking (Zone 2) with all other uses prohibited, this will ensure consistency between zoning and the General Plan, assuming the associated general plan amendment is approved (Exhibit 4). 16 When considering a zone change it is important to look at the surrounding land uses and economic factors. The jobs to housing balance is evaluated by comparing project -generated jobs and housing units to forecasts of employment and housing. An imbalance in the ratio, either too much housing or too many jobs, can result in longer commutes and the air quality and traffic problems associated with commuting. Based on SCAG profiles and projections, Santa Ana is a jobs rich area with 2.06 jobs per housing unit. SCAG considers an area as balanced when the jobs -housing ratio is 1.36, therefore providing more housing would reduce the ratio to 2.05. Furthermore, in the second quarter of 2019, the City's office occupancy rate was 12.72 percent, which remains higher than the neighboring central cities of Orange (10.64%) and Tustin (10.37%) and the County as a whole (11.4%), with the exception of Anaheim which currently has a higher vacancy rate (16.34%). Therefore, the change from Professional to Specific Development would not be a significant impact to professional office districts. In addition, use of the site for residential development is supported as the location has elements to make the site a viable residential development. The elements include having regional access to freeway and transportation systems, the site is within close proximity to educational, cultural activities, employment centers, and retail and commercial shopping opportunities. Furthermore, several nearby properties and properties along Main Street are designated as Specific Developments. The property would be developed at a higher density than the nearby single-family residential uses. However, multi -family uses are often used in planning and zoning practice to buffer higher intensity uses like commercial or industrial uses from single-family residential uses and multi -family and single-family uses are more compatible in nature to each other.