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C.100

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	December 8, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

General Plan Amendment Study Request for Property Located at 2424 Olympic Boulevard, Saranap Area

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 12/08/2015

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Will Nelson, (925) 674-7791

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: December 8, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

1. AUTHORIZE a General Plan Amendment (GPA) study to consider changing the land use designation for the 1.02-acre parcel located at 2424 Olympic Boulevard in the Saranap area, Assessor's Parcel No. 185-220-023, from Single-Family Residential – Medium Density (SM) to Single-Family Residential – High Density (SH).

2. ACKNOWLEDGE that granting authorization for this request does not imply any support or endorsement for the application to amend the General Plan, but only that this matter is appropriate for study.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None. If authorization is granted, the applicant will pay fees to cover the cost for a GPA (General Plan amendment) study.

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Conservation and Development is in receipt of a letter (Attachment A) from Dilip Kishnani, Principal, Sterling Consultants, requesting a GPA study involving property located at 2424 Olympic Boulevard in the Saranap area. The subject parcel is currently designated SM on the Land Use Element Map, Contra Costa County General Plan (2005-2020) and zoned R-10 Single-Family Residential District. As indicated on the preliminary site plan (Attachment B), the property owner wishes to develop the site with seven single-family residences, necessitating the land use designation change from SM (3.0-4.9 units/net acre) to SH (5.0-7.2 units/net acre). Attached for the Board’s consideration under Attachment C are maps and aerial photos of the site and its surroundings, showing the existing and proposed General Plan land use designations. If the Board authorizes the GPA study, then the applicant will also file applications for a rezoning to Planned-Unit (P-1) District, major subdivision, and final development plan.

In addition to this request for authorization of a GPA study, the property owner has filed an application for a minor subdivision to develop four residences under the current zoning and General Plan designations. The minor subdivision is the fallback option should the GPA study not be authorized.

The subject site is a long, flat, narrow strip of land fronting Olympic Boulevard for approximately 448 feet. The site is approximately 200 feet west of the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Boulevard Way/Tice Valley Boulevard. Between the site and the intersection is a small strip mall. Immediately north and west are single-family residences. Across Olympic Boulevard to the south are a gas station, additional single-family residences, and an undeveloped hillside. The site is developed with one single-family residence and contains numerous mature trees, mostly oaks.

Mr. Kishnani’s letter explains that developing the site at its current General Plan density level is “economically challenging” because of its location along a busy arterial roadway and proximity to retail and commercial uses. He also suggests that a higher-density project would be more affordable and a good transition from the commercial properties at the intersection to the less-dense single-family residences to the north and west.

Staff believes that the request for a GPA study to consider changing the land use designation from SM to SH is reasonable. The subject site is underutilized, as it is slightly over one acre and occupied by only one residence. The County approved a three-lot minor subdivision on the site in April 2004, but the project was never implemented. In the intervening years there has been a shift towards emphasizing infill and increasing densities in already-developed areas. Additionally, a higher-density project may be more appropriate immediately adjacent to a commercial cluster and a high-volume arterial such as Olympic Boulevard. Therefore, staff recommends that the General Plan Amendment study be authorized. Authorization for this study, however, does not imply support or endorsement for the application to amend the General Plan, but only that this matter is appropriate for study.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the Board does not authorize the GPA study, then an application to amend the General Plan cannot be filed and the site will retain its SM land use designation. The property owner will then move forward with an application to subdivide the property into four lots instead of seven.