CITY OF EL CENTRO

WELCOME
CITY OF EL CENTRO
Public Workshop – January 31, 2012
Purpose of the Public Workshop
We want to hear what you think about the
proposed amendments recommended under
Project SHAPE and ensure that the proposed
amendments meet the needs of the Downtown
Commercial Area.
What is Project SHAPE ?
Marcela Piedra, Economic Development Director
Deborah Harrold, Community Development Specialist II
Project SHAPE Recommendations
Already Implemented in Zoning Ordinance
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Retained residential zone around the CD zone
Increased building height from 35’ to 60’
Allow multi family residential
Residential units on the second floor and above first
floor of commercial uses in the CD zone
Project Area
Zone: CD
What are the proposed amendments?
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Amendments include changes to the City’s
Zoning Ordinance and City’s General Plan
ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT
AMENDMENT NO. 11-02
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Adding Definitions
New Uses
Increasing Floor Area Ratio
Reducing Requirement for Off-Street Parking
Landscape Requirement Modifications
Eliminating Requirement for Truck Loading Space
Establish Design Standards
Definitions
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Brownfield Site
 An
abandoned, idled or underused industrial or
commercial site/facility where expansion or
redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived
environmental contamination.
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Greyfield Site
 An
abandoned or underused commercial site on which
establishments such as shopping centers, big box retail
buildings, strip malls or commercial buildings are built.
They do not contain contaminated soil like brownfield
sites.
Definitions Continued
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Shared Parking
A
tool through which adjacent property owners share
their parking lots and reduce the number of parking
spaces each would provide on their individual
properties. If adjacent land uses have different peak
hours of parking demand, then they can share the sum
of the same parking spaces. In the CD zone, it may
also allow for shared parking in a comparatively
limited number of parking facilities because business
can be conducted by parking once and walking to
multiple destinations, but must be within 500 feet of the
subject site.
New Uses to be Allowed in the CD Zone
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Currency Exchange Houses
Check Cashing Facilities
Audio and Video broadcasting and recording
Breweries, including on and off premise consumption
with proper ABC license
Child Day Care Center
Ice Cream manufacturing, with CUP
Laboratories: medical, dental and research
New Uses Continued
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Neon sign manufacturing and renovations
Sign painting shops
Silk Screening
Storage facility (indoor or mini-storage), with CUP
Bars, night clubs, cabarets, with CUP
Increasing Floor Area Ratio
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Currently 1.5:1
Proposed 3:1
Off-Street Parking
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Eliminate Off-Street Parking Requirement along
Main Street
Reduce off-street parking requirement ratio by half
the standard required along State Street and
Broadway Avenue
Eliminate off-street parking requirement for
brownfield and greyfield sites
Allow the Planning Director the flexibility to
incorporate special parking provisions for new uses
to accommodate special situations.
Off-Street Parking Continued
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Update Figure 29-130.1 Area Exempt from
Required Parking
Off-Street Truck Loading Space
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Exempt the CD, downtown commercial zone from
this requirement.
Shared Parking Facilities
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Site Plan Review required
 Approval
 Peak
Granted If:
hours do not coincide within uses
 Parking is equal or exceeds the level that can be expected
if collective parking is not provided.
 Runs with existing uses only
 Requires the recordation of a reciprocal parking and access
agreement
 Maximum of 20% off-street parking reduction is permitted
for each site but at no time shall the total # of spaces be
less than 1 per 400 sq.ft. of gross floor area.
Landscaping
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Include reference to Design Standards
Allow the Planning Director the flexibility to
incorporate special landscaping provision for new
uses to accommodate special situations.
Exempt the CD zone from the 80% minimum
landscaping provision required in areas visible from
a public street.
Design Standards
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Pedestrian connections
Pedestrian activity areas
Site lighting
Street trees
Parking lot location, lighting, screening
Screening of site service elements
Ground level details
Prominent pedestrian entrances
Massing and articulation
Roof Expression
General Plan Amendment No. 11-01
Amending Land Use Element
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Increase floor area ratio from 1.5:1 to 3:1
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Adding reference to the Downtown Design
Standards
Traffic Impact Study
Concluded: After150 Dwelling Units
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Two Options Available to mitigate impact
Option No. 1: One way for Broadway going westbound and
State Street one way going eastbound
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Cost to Mitigate Impact: MFR $34.05/DU, Retail $226.92/KSF,
Office $56.37/KSF
Option No. 2: Signalize N. 4th Street and Broadway
intersection and provide a southbound left turn lane at
intersection
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Cost to Mitigate Impact: MFR $102.08/DU, Retail $680.31/KSF,
Office $169/KSF
Other Ideas:
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One way westbound on Broadway from N.
4th Street to N. 5th Street only with a raised
median along 4th Street allowing the
southbound left turn lane only.
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LET’S TALK.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
City of El Centro – Department of Planning & Zoning