Ordinance No. 20412 - Laserfiche WebLink

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urban development, and should generally be encouraged. The code amendment to allow underground parking as part of the FAR calculation also addresses these policies. Structured parking within a building's footprint currently counts towards the required density. The code amendment clarifies the existing code language but does not change existing code prOVISIons. Downtown Plan The Downtown Plan is the applicable refinement plan for the downtown area. The Downtown Plan contains numerous policies supporting mixed use and density in downtown. Specific relevant policies include the following: I1. Downtown development shall support the urban qualities of density, vitality, livability and diversity to create a downtown, urban environment. II 2. Use downtown development tools and incentives to encourage development that provides character and density downtown. V 1. Stimulate multi-unit housing in the downtown core and on the edges of downtown for a variety of income levels and ownership opportunities. The intent of the code amendments is to implement the Downtown Plan by insuring that appropriate zoning and code regulations are in place to set the stage for desired dense, mixed-use downtown development. The code amendments address these policies. Currently the density requirement in the core of downtown is 2.0 FAR; no change is proposed to this requirement. The area proposed for reduction in the required density from 1.0 FAR to .65 FAR includes property downtown outside of the core area as well as neighborhood areas outside of the Downtown Plan area. The intended purpose of the reduction is to provide a wider range of allowable densities to facilitate desired development given the current economic climate and the public testimony indicating that development is occurring outside the /TD zone and not within it. Public testimony also indicated that inappropriately high FAR requirements actually result in less area density by discouraging development; appropriately set FAR requirements, even if at a lower level, can therefore result in more density. West University Refinement Plan and Jefferson Far West Refinement Plan The code amendment to areas zoned C-3 Major Commercial impacts property within the West University Refinement Plan area. The code amendments to the /TD Transit Oriented Development Overlay Zone affect property within the West University Refinement Plan area as well as the Jefferson Far West Refinement Plan area. Policies in both of these refinement plans do not specifically address the code amendments. However, the following policy in the Neighborhood Economic Development Element of the Jefferson Far West Refinement Plan lends general support to the amendments, although it does not constitute a mandatory approval criterion: 3.0 Take actions to continue to attract investment by the private sector in the central city. Exhibit A-I 0