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Now on to monthly update on city's sequel to the Corridor Plan
In August the city council killed the Corridor Plan, which would have brought higher density housing to busy intersections along Mission St., Ocean St., Soquel Ave. City has set up Oct. 2 meeting, w/ Affordable Housing Now, 2 developers, YIMBY, COPA, Save Santa Cruz
City planning to come back on Oct.22 with update, by that time will know more about potential impact of SB330. Brown: In terms of meeting on Oct. 2, wants to know format. Include invite to Branciforte Action Committee. Fleming: Thought BAC was blended with Save Santa Cruz.
Brown: Wants to know format of meeting, what plan was, what's the goal, make sure it's to bring the General Plan and zoning into alignment. Fleming: Agenda in the works now, but want the 1st meeting to be lots of listening.
Brown: I appreciate that goal, but I do hope that there's some structure to move twd perspectives on how to achieve council objectives, which I think were pretty clear.... "resolving existing inconsistencies"
..and objective to protect neighborhoods and encourage "appropriate" housing development, specifically affordable housing development
Fleming: What would make sense is first half, questions on what had happened, second half, how to move forward. What do you think? Brown: want to be clear that these meetings be productive in achieving the objective.
Glover: Is Oct. 2 meeting open to public? Fleming says no. Makes more sense to have one-on-one candid organic conversation. Then when return to council, have direction from council on next steps. Fleming expects conversation to be "robust" and process to be transparent moving fwd
Glover: Asks Brown, what was your hesitation on not talking about the past? Brown: Oh, I'm not suggesting that, but rather than spending time on old plan, would prefer to have productive conversation on how do we achieve these objectives the council has given us
Meyers: Asks on SB330, we're operating in diff world than 3 years ago. Will you be informing these groups so that the context is available? How do you see that conversation going forward? Fleming: Depending on what governor does, if there's solid info we'll share it.
ICYMI: We dived into this in last week's episode: santacruzlocal.org/2019/09/17/san…
Mathews: Would be great to have info session at council, on new state legislation. Fleming says you'll hear about it, for example with ADU bills, when they come up at council meeting. We could maybe have informative memo.
Mathews: I was around during development of General Plan 2030. Idea of increasing density along transportation corridors was among many ideas that was developed. Corridor Plan was discrete project to move forward. Disappointing. So much time has passed, ppl have moved on. ...
Mathews: Big picture has vanished from ppl's consciousness. She says protecting neighborhoods is contradictory to encouraging mixed use development along with affordable housing. Seems like, to me, that's the Corridors Plan. So good luck.
Mathews: Seems like community group participation is Eastside-heavy, with Save Santa Cruz.
Watkins: What are the opportunity costs here, now that you're working on this? Fleming: Analysis of fees for ADUs and potentially lowering those. Housing strategy to include wide variety like SROs, jr ADUs, standards to allow those things on same lot,
Fleming continues: Updates to parking requirements to facilitate ADU development, need to update zoning to allow permitting of unpermitted...
Krohn wants to know where the chair and vice chair of Corridor Advisory Committee live. Eastside or Westside? Fleming: No idea.
Krohn: 14 members of the original CAC group were from Westside, zero from Eastside. Yet most of development was going to be on Eastside. That's where brush fire started.
Only 1 public comment: @rgbkrk : When amenities like groceries closer, less cars on road. Consider how city's current policies are creating sprawl. Legalize denser housing.
Brown: Planning commissioners also want updates on process. Hoping for update after Oct. 2 meeting on planning commission agenda. Butler recommends not bringing it to Oct. planning commission meeting, bec outcome of SB330 will change the process likely.
Butler: Makes more sense to bring it to planning commission after the Oct. 22 council meeting.
Krohn: is it too late for cities to oppose SB330? Fleming: Don't know. It could be signed at any point. By the time council to agendize that, draft a letter, etc., it may be too late.
Krohn: For the record, the meeting on Oct. 2, how staff can best develop proposal General Plan and zoning ordinance changes to preserve and protect neighborhoods and biz as city's highest priority, and find "appropriate" locations for affordable housing development
