The Planning Commission reviewed this application on August 23, 2018. The Commission took action recommending that the Board of Supervisors approve GPA18-002 and ZA18-0003 by a vote of 4-0.
The Area 2 application identifies four specific sites (Sites 7-10) 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 site’s 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 Suburban Residential (SR) and is zoned Interim Rural Residential (IR) and Designated Floodway (F-1). The Area 2 location is within the Redding Urban Center and South Central Planning Area.
Access & Services - There are three existing access points to the Area 2 project site. Access to the northern portion of the parcel is from Old Oasis Road at the northwestern corner of the property. Access to the southern portion of the site is from Charles Drive (at the southwestern corner) and George Drive (southern property boundary). The City of Redding provides water, sewer service, electricity, and solid waste disposal to the Area 2 project site. Natural gas service in the area is provided by Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
Project Analysis - The Area 2 sites are located west of Interstate 5 (I-5) and south of Old Oasis Road in unincorporated Shasta County, within the City of Redding’s 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. Areas to the north of the project site consist of rural single family residential units. Vacant undeveloped land adjoins the site to the east. Land to the south of the proposed project site consists of the partially built out Mountain Lake Industrial Park.
A number of site constraints are present within the Area 2 location which limit the developable area of the parcel. Areas of 100-year and 500-year flood hazards zones along Buckeye Creek are identified on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps in the northern portion of the parcel. The area of 100-year flood hazard zone is identified by the F-1 district and remains unchanged. To avoid potential development within the 500-year flood hazard zone, the identified area would be rezoned to the Open Space (OS) district. In addition, some natural drainages areas are found on the parcel and steep slopes exceeding 30 percent slopes have been identified and are also within the area that would be rezoned to the OS district.
To provide the required capacity to accommodate affordable housing units as mandated by State housing law, approximately 10.2 acres of undeveloped land (Sites 7 through 10) to the R-3-25 district. The development on the 10.2-acre proposed project site would yield a minimum of 204 multiple-family units based at the realistic capacity of 20 dwelling units (du) per acre and a maximum of 255 multiple-family units based on maximum capacity of 25 dwelling units per acre. For the purpose of meeting the state mandated housing requirements, the County would only be credited for the 204 dwelling units at the realistic capacity density.
The designs and locations of future developments within the Area 2 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 and zoning amendments, no specific development proposals are associated with this project. Future multiple-family housing development would 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.
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).
The Planning Commission resolution is attached for the Board’s consideration.