PRINCIPLES #1: SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Applicable General Plan Policies (Growth and Design)
• Policy LU-1.1 Encourage retail businesses and housing development in mixed-use developments along regional transportation routes and in areas that serve local residents.
• Action LU-1.1B Evaluate the City's parking policies and amend the Development Code to provide more flexibility as appropriate to facilitate mixed-use redevelopment. • Action LU-2.2A Amend the Development Code to provide more flexibility for residential development to be feasible, including through a streamlined residential development permit process, and to contribute to the "charm" of the Downtown. • Action LU-2.2B Establish Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zones around the Robert J. Cabral ACE Train Station and the San Joaquin Street Amtrak Station to promote high-density residential, including affordable and mixed-income housing and other TOD.
• Action LU-2.2D Discourage urban development at the edges of the city that would detract from or compete with the housing goals of the Greater Downtown. • Policy LU-2.5 Promote Downtown Stockton as a primary transit node that provides multi- modal connections throughout the city and region.
• Action LU-2.5A Improve transit, bicycle, and pedestrian connectivity between the Downtown and local colleges and universities.
• Policy LU-3.3 Maintain or expand the currently available amount of public park and open space area in each neighborhood.
• Policy TR-2.2 Connect housing and employment development in areas with good transit access through open and inclusive processes where appropriate.
Applicable General Plan Policies (Public Health and Equity) • Policy LU-6.3 Ensure that all neighborhoods have access to well-maintained public facilities and utilities that meet community service needs. • Policy SAF-2.5 Protect the community from health hazards and annoyance associated with excessive noise levels.
• Action SAF-2.5E Require all new habitable structures to be set back from railroad tracks to protect residents from noise, vibration, and safety impacts. • Policy CH-1.2 Promote healthy retail food choices within and adjacent to residential areas.
• Action CH-2.2D Collaborate with non-profit partners and San Joaquin Public Health Services to attract medical clinics, mental health facilities, and pharmacies in areas that lack access to health care.
• Policy CH-2.3 Focus on reducing the unique and compounded environmental impacts and risks in disadvantaged communities.
• Policy CH-3.2 Encourage neighborhood-serving commercial uses in areas where frequently needed goods and services are not widely available, especially for those areas with no availability within a 2-mile radius.
• Action CH-3.2B Consider options and develop an ordinance to restrict mini markets, gas stations, fast food restaurants, check-cashing establishments, and tobacco stores in areas with high existing concentrations of similar establishments and continue to restrict over-concentrations of liquor stores through the City's Alcohol Ordinance. To inform the development of this ordinance, create a map that identifies the locations of current Attachment A
establishments of these types and regularly maintain it so that it continues to aid in decision-making about such uses.
Possible Solutions for Recommendation
➢ Zoning Designation Intent
o CG (Commercial General) allows more commercial uses but also allows more auto-oriented uses (auto maintenance, drive-throughs, etc.). o CN (Commercial Neighborhood) is like CG but more pedestrian-oriented and does not allow many auto-oriented uses.
o CL (Commercial Large) like CG but intended for Big-Box and large regional shopping centers. Does not currently allow residential mixed-uses like other commercial designations.
➢ Maintain City Resources/Use (Included in Series 1 and 2) o Public school site = INT/PF (General Plan=Institutional and Zoning=Public Facility)
o Bike/ped infrastructure along levee, creek, etc. = PF (Public Facilities) o Levee with no formal transportation infrastructure = OS (Open Space) o Agency property: PF vs. CG (Public Facility vs Commercial General) o Formal park = PR/PF (General Plan=Parks and Recreation and Zoning=Public Facility)
➢ Deter Truck traffic from neighborhoods and pedestrian's friendly areas. ➢ Undevelopable land-primarily serving as a floodplain, conservation, or preservation = OS ➢ CG along major thoroughfares/high traffic counts, shopping centers, and in areas transitioning away from industrial areas.
➢ CN along non-residential collectors and in areas where pedestrian activity is desired; lower capacity streets.
➢ Within downtown area (Greater and Core): If a parcel/area could be appropriate for either residential or commercial, generally defer to commercial zoning to allow for a greater mix of uses, while still allowing for similar residential intensities. ➢ Where zoning has long been RH (Residential-High Density), but General Plan shows Low-Density Development, both zoning and GP should become medium density residential to reflect current densities and lot sizes and balance existing neighborhood growth patterns.
➢ When applicable, place Land Use and Zoning on roadways that can accommodate intended intensity. This includes:
o Predominantly Auto Servicing Streets for Auto Oriented Zones ▪ Freeways/Hwys: are high-speed facilities that move inter-city or regional traffic.
▪ Arterials: are high-volume facilities that connect the regional roadway network to the local roadway network.
o Predominantly Neighborhood Servicing (Multimodal Focus) ▪ Collectors: streets connect residential and local-serving commercial areas with the arterial system.
▪ Minor Streets: find description- mostly local streets for two-lane access.
PRINCIPLES #2: STRENGTHEN PROPERTY RIGHTS
Applicable General Plan Policies
Attachment A
• Policy LU-2.1 Promote the Downtown and waterfront as a hub for regional commerce and entertainment, with high-quality housing to complement commercial activity and to infuse the area with daytime, evening, and weekend activity. • Action LU-2.1B Amend the Development Code to provide flexibility for redevelopment of historic structures in the Downtown to meet the needs of modern users while maintaining the overall historic value.
• Action LU-2.4C Partner with the Downtown Stockton Alliance to market the Downtown to attract businesses that complement the Downtown's multi-modal connectivity by appealing to the needs of travelers and providing shopping and recreation opportunities for visitors and commuters alike.
• Policy LU-6.2 Prioritize development and redevelopment of vacant, underutilized, and blighted infill areas.
• Action LU-6.2A Develop and implement an infill incentive program that encourages infill development through expedited permitting, changes in fee structures, prioritizing infrastructure improvements in infill areas, property owner and/or landlord incentives to maintain property and reduce blight, and/or other strategies. As part of this program, define and prioritize categories of infill types based on land use, and residential density or non-residential intensity.
• Action CH-3.2A Work with property owners to develop corridor-specific strategies for attracting and retaining businesses that will provide synergistic opportunities and improve the availability of goods and services adjacent to residential areas.
Possible Solutions for Recommendation
➢ In general, the General Plan Land Use Designation should be maintained if feasible, as it reflects the most recent direction from the community and City Council. ➢ The General Plan Land Use Designation and Zoning Designations should reflect the reality of land uses on the ground by not creating nonconforming uses. ➢ Strive to minimize the creation of legal nonconforming. ➢ Encourage designation that provides flexibility of development. ➢ Approve zoning that transitions land uses intensity to avoid conflict. ➢ Encourage higher densities in Downtown Core but transition high intense uses from surround Greater Downtown Area.
PRINCIPLES #3: STREAMLINE HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT
Applicable General Plan Policies
• Action LU-2.1E Develop and implement a public/private strategy for mixed-use high-end development along both sides of the Stockton Channel/San Joaquin River Corridor. o A public promenade along the North Channel to Louis Park and the South Channel to Mormon Slough.
o Mixed-use development and re-use of historic structures. • Policy LU-2.2 Facilitate the development of at least 4,400 new housing units in the Greater Downtown by 2040.
• Policy LU-6.2 Prioritize development and redevelopment of vacant, underutilized, and blighted infill areas.
• Action LU-6.7A Work with community-based organizations to develop and implement a comprehensive and accountable long-term strategy to engage the Stockton community in planning decisions.
Attachment A
• Action SAF-4.1B Use the results of the Health Risk Assessments required by the California Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Act to establish appropriate land use buffer zones around any new sources of toxic air pollutants that pose substantial health risks. • Action CH-1.2D Prioritize pedestrian and active transportation improvement projects in low income/disadvantaged communities that connect residential areas to retail locations that sell healthy food.
• Action CH-3.2C Work with regulators, service providers, and employers to ensure the provision of safe, affordable, and high-quality childcare services. • Action CH-2.3A Build strong ties with disadvantaged communities to ensure that local residents can make significant contributions to planning decisions. • Action LU-6.2C Ensure prioritization of development and redevelopment of vacant, underutilized, and blighted infill areas be considered through strategies such as zoning changes and strategies to avoid gentrification.
• Action LU-6.4C Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) per household by planning new housing in closest proximity to employment centers, improving and funding public transportation and ridesharing, and facilitating more direct routes for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Action TR-1.1A Direct truck traffic to designated truck routes that facilitate efficient goods movement and minimize risk to areas with concentrations of sensitive receptors, such as schools, for example, by disallowing any new truck routes to pass directly on streets where schools are located and vulnerable road users, like pedestrians and bicyclists.
Possible Solutions for Recommendation
➢ See Vision #1 Principles
➢ Encourage CN (Commercial Neighborhood) on corner lots to encourage neighborhood- serving retail, activity nodes, and community-gathering. ➢ Deter commercial trucks from traveling through predominantly residential areas. ➢ Along or at key neighborhood corridors or nodes, commercial zoning is generally preferable over office to encourage the provision of daily-needed services and goods in close proximity to residents.
RESOURCES USED:
• Current 2018 General Plan (aka 2040 Plan)
o Supportive Documents
▪ Master Parks Plan
▪ Master Bike Plan
▪ Climate Action Plan
▪ Housing Element (Housing Capacity Sites)
▪ Safety and Community Health Elements
o Policies (See Above)
• Past General Plan Land Use Map (For Reference in Growth Patterns) o 1957 General Plan
o 1978 General Plan (aka 2000 Plan)
o 1990 General Plan
o 2007 General Plan (aka 2035 Plan)
• Zoning Codes (For Reference in Growth Patterns)
Attachment A
o Pre-Development Code (Zoning before 2004)
o Past inconsistency effort research
• Past Approvals (For Vested Rights to Development)
o Master Development Plans (MDP)
o Specific Plans (Roadways and Land Use)
o Subdivision and Planned Unit Residents Developments (PURDs) o Design Review, Use Permits, and Building Records
• County Tax Assessor Information (existing land use and building information) • Past Districts and Community Plans (For Reference in Community Preference) o 2035 GP Districts (2007 adopted)
o Gleason Neighborhood Plan (1999 adopted)
o Greater Downtown Stockton Housing Strategy (2007 accepted) o Stockton Waterfront and Fremont Park Neighborhood Plan (2009 accepted) o University Neighborhood Renaissance Plan (2010 accepted) o Gleason Park Neighborhood (1999 adopted)
Attachment A