The Planning Commission reviewed this application on August 23, 2018. The Commission took action recommending that the Board of Supervisors approve GPA18-0001 and ZA18-0002 by a vote of 4-0.
The Area 1 application identifies six specific sites (Sites 1-6) as part of the overall Housing Element Rezone Program which originally included a total of 13 sites to be rezoned to the R-3-25 district. The selection of the 13 sites was based on the sites’ location within designated Town Centers, or adjoining designated Urban Centers, all of which are served by, or have access to, urban services including community water and sewer. Additionally, the property owners of these sites voluntarily cooperated with the County and support the project applications.
General Plan & Zoning - The property is designated Commercial (C) and Suburban Residential (SR) by the General Plan Maps and is zoned Community Commercial (C-2), Commercial Light Industrial (C-M), and Interim Residential (IR). The property is located within the Redding Urban Center and South Central Planning Area.
Access & Services - Access to the Area 1 sites are from Collyer Drive (Sites 1-5) and Old Oregon Trail (Site 6). Bella Vista Water District provides water to the area. The Area 1 project sites adjoin the City of Redding’s sewer main system along Collyer Drive and Old Oregon Trail. Electricity and natural gas service in the area is provided by Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Waste Management provides solid waste disposal services.
Project Analysis - The Area 1 sites are in close proximity to, and immediately west of Shasta College, east of the future Bethel Church campus, and northeast of Simpson University. Area 1 adjoins the City of Redding’s jurisdictional boundary and is within its designated Sphere of Influence (SOI). The City’s SOI represents the logical pattern of ultimate development within the City based on the availability of supporting infrastructure. The area is designated by the City of Redding General Plan as Residential Multiple-Family-10 to 20 units per acre, which indicates the area is planned for high density residential development. The County's proposed land use designation and zoning are consistent with the City's anticipated build out of the area.
To provide the required capacity to accommodate affordable housing units as mandated by State housing law, approximately 33.3 acres of undeveloped land on sites 1 through 6 will be rezoned to the R-3-25 district. The potential development of the 33.3-acre site would yield a minimum of 646 multiple- family units based on the realistic capacity of 20 dwelling units per acre and a maximum of 807.5 multiple-family units based on a maximum density of 25 dwelling units per acre. For the purpose of meeting the state mandated housing requirements, the County would only be credited for the 646 dwelling units at the realistic capacity density.
The designs and locations of future developments within the rezone sites are unknown at this time. The purpose of this project is to rezone sufficient land to meet the County’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). While future housing development may occur as a result of the proposed General Plan Land Use Map and Zoning Map Amendments, no specific development proposals are associated with this project. Future multiple-family housing development will be market-driven and will be subject to review and compliance with all site development procedures and standards contained in Shasta County Code Section 17.36.060, and would be undertaken in coordination with the City of Redding.
An area of approximately one acre was identified on site 5 as having slopes exceeding 30 percent. This area is not suitable for multiple-family housing development and has been excluded from the total acreage for the purpose of accounting for potential housing units to meet the County’s RHNA. Sites 1 and 3 are currently developed with non-conforming single-family residences and both parcels have recently transferred ownership to a common owner whose express intent is to relocate or remove the residences and develop the sites as high density residential.
Environmental Determination - This project is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with the provisions of Government Code section 65759, which establish, in relevant part, that CEQA does not apply to any action necessary to bring an agency’s general plan or relevant mandatory elements of the plan into compliance with any court order or judgment. Although this project is not subject to CEQA, an initial study is required to determine the environmental effects of the proposed project and to prepare an environmental assessment if as a result of the initial study the County determines that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
The Planning Division has prepared an initial study in accordance with Government Code section 65759, and determined that the project may have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, an Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared for this application, the content of which substantially conforms to the required content for a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR).