Agenda Item: 3
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
NEW BUSINESS
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: December 12, 2023
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR MODIFICATION TO THE METROWALK SPECIFIC PLAN UNIT TYPES IN PLANNING AREA 1 AND PLANNING
AREA 2
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PRESENTER: Erika Iverson
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Receive staff presentation.
2. Direct staff to process the requested modification to the MetroWalk Specific Plan administratively through the Development Review and Architectural Design Review process.
BACKGROUND
In March 2021, the City Council approved a Zone Change and General Plan Amendment and adopted the MetroWalk Specific Plan (MWSP) for an approximately 20-acre parcel of vacant land at the southeast corner of Lost Canyon Road and Harriman Drive. The MWSP area is situated just south of the Vista Canyon Specific Plan area and the recently completed Vista Canyon Multi-Modal Center.
The MWSP allows the development of up to 498 residential units within four planning areas.
The planning areas consisted of a variety of housing types as follows:
• Planning Area 1 (PA-1), consists of 179 market-rate apartment units within two, four- story buildings.
• Planning Area 2 (PA-2), consists of 119 market-rate, senior apartments (for ages 55 and above) within a four-story building.
• Planning Area 3 (PA-3), consists of 49 deed-restricted, affordable (65% area median
income) senior apartments, and one manager unit within a four-story building. • Planning Area 4 (PA-4), consists of 150 for-sale townhome units and a nearly one-acre community park.
PROPOSED MODIFICATION
On October 27, 2023, staff received an application requesting a modification (Letter of Request provided as an attachment) to the MWSP, which would change the unit types in PA-1 and PA-2 from apartment to townhome, reduce the number of units in PA-1 and PA-2, and eliminate the market-rate senior apartment product type originally contemplated for PA-2. The requested modification would reduce the overall number of residential units in the MWSP from 498 to 337.
Specifically, the number of units and unit types for PA-1 and PA-2 would be modified as follows:
• Planning Area 1 (PA-1), to consist of 93, for-sale, townhome units. • Planning Area 2 (PA-2), to consist of 44, for-sale, townhome units.
The request does not modify PA-3 or PA-4, the deed-restricted affordable senior apartment building and the for-sale townhome units. It should be noted, that in all cases, the MWSP requires that the number of restricted affordable senior units is not less than 50 (inclusive of one manager unit).
Revisions to the Planning Areas are governed by the MWSP. The requested change in product type and the reduction in the overall number of units require a Development Review, however, the elimination of the senior market-rate apartment component is not regulated by the MWSP.
Staff received a request, accompanied by an application for a Development Review and Architectural Design Review, to process the modification to PA-1 and PA-2. This request is eligible for administrative review by the Director of Community Development (Director). Any determination by the Director will require that all parking, landscape, open space, setbacks, vehicle and pedestrian circulation, and architectural character required by the MWSP are satisfied. Upon direction from the City Council, staff is prepared to process the request administratively as a Director determination through the Development Review and Architectural Design Review process.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other actions as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
ATTACHMENTS
Letter of Request
Site Plan