Community Workshop #3: Reviewing Planning Concepts
- Date: April 22, 2003
- Time: 6:30-8:30 PM
- Location: Sylvan Middle School
- Time: 6:30-8:30 PM
Community Workshop #3
On April 22, 2003, approximately 15 interested residents, property, and business owners attended the third of three community workshops to develop a preferred planning concept for Auburn Boulevard. The purpose of the workshop was to review the overall status of the planning process and discuss the direction given to the planning team by the City Council and Planning Commission at the April 9, 2003, Joint Study Session. Because several of the people had not attended previous workshops, more time was spent discussing the specific plan scope and process.
Summary
A brief presentation of the Concepts and Options Report, direction from the Planning Commission and City Council, and case studies were followed by a two-part discussion. The first part allowed attendees to share some general questions, concerns, and perspectives. The second focused on overall planning concepts.
General Issues Summary:
- Medians may cause additional cut-through traffic in residential side streets
- Workshop times and locations should be coordinated with neighborhood association meetings
- The web site was not updated
- Medians are a problem for existing small individual business but OK in larger "village" developments
- Grand Oaks and K-Mart areas make sense as locations for new investment
- Widening sidewalks may impact existing businesses' parking areas
- New zoning will be required
- Opposed to light rail transit on Auburn Boulevard
- Favored landscaped medians
- Concerned about low income apartments
- Get rid of the billboards
- What impact would new residential development have on schools?
- Is Citrus Heights ready for up-scaled housing and live-work?
- Would the schools be part of the "village" environment? Would they also be improved?
- What will happen to vacant sites next to creek?
- What is the timing of the roadway project?
- Will Roseville share the costs of mitigating traffic impacts on Auburn Boulevard due to their
- development?
- Will road noise be an issue for new residential development?
Planning Concepts Feedback
The City Council and Planning Commission provided direction regarding overall planning concepts. Generally, they favored a hybrid of Option 2 (Housing and Mixed-use Village Emphasis) and Option 3 (Regional Commercial Emphasis). They felt small businesses were appropriate south of Antelope but would make way over time for opportunities to consolidate sites. In the Grand Oaks area, they wanted to explore a mixed-use project -- either a residential village or commercial and live-work emphasis. In the northern part of the Boulevard around the existing K-Mart site, they wanted to test the feasibility of developing a business hotel and conference facility in a commercial or residential mixed-use context. In any case, the planning team should assume the City and Redevelopment Agency were going to be actively involved in facilitating development of catalyst projects.
In response to the direction, the planning team prepared two variations on a mixed-use approach. Each created 30-acre mixed-use districts around the Grand Oaks and K-Mart sites. The first approach assumed some Agency participation with a greater emphasis on employment and some live-work around the Grand Oaks area. The second would likely require more Agency participation with more of an emphasis on mixed-use villages. Case studies and "factors for success" were presented for each approach.
Attendees provided some feedback and asked questions about the overall planning direction.
- Who would live and/or work in the villages? Is there market support?
- Can we move Smart and Final to the Grand Oaks area?
- How can we assemble smaller parcels to make the villages work?
- What happens to smaller parcels and business outside the two village areas?
- The hotel should be viewed as a valuable featured in any approach.
- Auburn Boulevard has always been a travel route, not a destination.
- The Council wants to make Auburn Boulevard a destination with a distinctive sense of place.
Closing Comments
The planning team discussed how they plan to take the process on the road to community organizations prior to the next study session with the Planning Commission and City Council. For example, the team will present to the Chamber of Commerce lunch on May 13th.