Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: November 21, 2023
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: SUNAYANA THOMAS, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PREPARED BY: TAYLOR SAMUELSON, SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST SUBJECT: RAIL DISTRICT SPECIFIC PLAN UPDATE
SUMMARY
The City developed several housing development concepts in 2020 as part of an effort to complete the sixth Cycle Housing Element. One such effort proposed a Rail District Specific Plan concept, funded by a $200,000 Southern California Association of Governments grant.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
This item is presented as an update and for informational purposes based on the last City Council meeting.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
DISCUSSION
SCAG issued a $200,000 grant to the City of Fullerton for a specific plan concept as part of its transit development initiatives. SCAG, not the City of Fullerton, issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) following grant execution (Attachment 1). The City partnered, however, in the project deliverables. This grant would provide transit-oriented development planning, focusing on a 35-acre area south of the tracks abutting Truslow Avenue and neighboring communities.
The RDSP created a vision for this community aligned with City housing goals and revitalization efforts which included mixed-use housing with a retail component. The City included the plan in efforts to add additional housing units to comply with the 13,209 new units required in the City by the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The plan focused on expanded housing opportunities and balanced market demand for retail and other uses in the area.
JKA Consultants, who also subcontracted with an economist firm called Economic Planning Systems, completed market feasibility and a market studies assessment in conjunction with the draft plan. The original plan incorporated density bonus concepts for increased unit counts which would assist meeting City RHNA obligations. Staff attached the administrative draft from 2021 (Attachment 2).
The public and stakeholders provided feedback at various community workshops. One suggestion proposed including an aquaponic farm concept in the plan which resulted in the item remaining a draft RDSP since 2021. Feedback on the draft RDSP generally focused on a lack of retail prioritization. The City also received many comments regarding possible engagement and transparency lapses during the draft plan development process. JKA Consultants completed various engagement efforts identified in Attachment 3 including digital workshops, physical in-person meetings with community members and in-person meetings with property stakeholders.
The draft RDSP document included references to the former Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way (ROW) which The Fullerton Plan proposed to become the Union Pacific Trail and Bike Path. The City owns the former ROW which leads to Union Pacific Park. The draft document included the ROW but did not solely focus on that property. The draft document prioritized developing new housing units via mixed-use and residential buildings ranging from three to five stories, centered around a shared outdoor area linked to the Union Pacific Trail and Bike Path. The Housing Incentive Overlay Zone (HIOZ) draft already included the draft RDSP area in the original plan as many of the parcels have Commercial / Industrial zoning designations (Attachment 4). Any future planning efforts should focus on reducing duplicative efforts on this front.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – SCAG Request for Proposal
Attachment 2 – Original Draft Rail District Specific Plan (Administrative Draft 2021) Attachment 3 – Community Engagement Appendix B
Attachment 4 – Draft HIOZ Map (as of July 2023)
cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Rail District Specific Plan Update
November 21, 2023 - Page 2