On November 2, 2017, the Planning Commission recommended adoption of a Negative Declaration and approval of General Plan Amendment No. GPA-002-2017(B) to City Council by a 6-0 vote.  Other than the applicant, no one spoke in favor of or in opposition to the request. The Planning Commission also approved Site Plan No. SP-038-2017 to construct a ten (10) unit, three-story apartment building with a 35 percent affordable housing density bonus for low-income households.

The subject property is located on the north side of 11^th Street, between Brookhurst Street and Kerry Street, at 9841 11^th Street.  The property is located in an area improved with single-family and multiple-family developments, a care facility, and the Islamic Society of Orange County.  The property abuts R-3 zoned properties to the north, east, and west, and R-1 (Single-Family Residential) and R-3 zoned properties to the south across 11^th Street.  Directly to the east is an intermediate care facility, a multi-family development to the west, and a rehabilitation care facility to the north.  The site consists of a net lot area of 19,125 square feet and is currently developed with two unoccupied and vacant residential dwelling units.  

The subject site is zoned R-3 (Multiple-Family Residential) and has a General Plan Land Use Designation of Civic/Institutional.  The Civic/Institutional designation was added for the first time in the current General Plan 2030, adopted in 2008.  The R-3 zoning is not consistent with the Civic/Institutional General Plan designation.   

A General Plan Amendment is required to change the General Plan Land Use designation from Civic/Institutional to Medium Density Residential to allow the development of the apartment building.  The Civic/Institutional Land Use designation was added for the first time in 2008 when the current General Plan 2030 was adopted.  This new designation is intended for educational uses, such as, elementary, middle, and high schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, and governmental facilities.  Planning staff has reviewed the history and determined that a mapping error occurred that included the subject parcel in the newly added Civic/Institutional General Plan designation in 2008.  Only Merton E. Hill Elementary School to the west, across Kerry Street, should have been included in the Civic/Institutional designation.

The subject property has a General Plan Land Use designation of Civic/Institutional.  With the proposed residential development under the subject request, a General Plan Amendment to change the Land Use designation from Civic/Institutional to Medium Density Residential is necessary to make the General Plan Land Use designation and the zoning designation of the property consistent, return the parcel to its previous Land Use designation, and allow the property to be developed with the milti-family residential development.  This proposed General Plan Amendment is being processed concurrently with proposed General Plan Amendment No.  GPA-002-2017(A) to also change the General Plan land use designations of the surrounding properties within the block back to Medium Density Residential. 

None.

• Conduct a Public Hearing; and

• Adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration; and

• Adopt the attached resolution approving General Plan Amendment No. GPA-002-2017(B).

By:    Mary Medrano, Assistant Planner