Employment trends are changing - employees and employers are seeking places where employees can live and work in proximity, in communities with a vibrant, urban character; multistory, mixed use buildings with retail, office, and residential integrated both horizontally and vertically. Recent business site selection activities, such as the Amazon HQ2 project, highlight these trends. Further, the impacts of COVID-19 are causing some employers to rethink where their employees work and create limits on the overall demand for office building square footage.

In 2014, the City approved the Southeast Policy Area (SEPA), a strategic plan that identified a large land area for a traditional, suburban employment center. Development would occur in multistory, single use buildings that would be supported by large parking fields. SEPA is located along the Kammerer Road Corridor and is adjacent to the Lent Ranch planning area (the Promenade Corridor where the Mall was to be located) and the South Study Area, where development would occur in the decades to come.

Because of these changing trends, the City is re-envisioning the Kammerer Road corridor. Where could mixed use development occur and what would it look like? How would development integrate with Kammerer Road and its role as a regional connector?

Based upon the City Council direction, the City is completing amendments to the General Plan to implement the vision report. In addition to implementing the vision report (through the creation of the new Livable Employment Area (LEA) Community Plan, the proposed amendments also address updates to the City’s traffic model and Vehicle Miles Traveled thresholds and make other land use, transportation, and policy revisions throughout the document.  An initial draft of the revisions were released in June 2023 and comments and edits have been incorporated. 

The Planning Commission received an overview of these changes at their September 7, 2023 meeting.  The report and draft revisions are available at the link below.

• Planning Commission Materials - September 7, 2023
  • Planning Commission Report and Draft Materials 
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Video

The Planning Commission continued their review at their September 21, 2023 meeting.  Materials from this meeting are below.

• Planning Commission Materials - September 21, 2023
  • Planning Commission Report and Additional Public Comments
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Video

The Planning Commission continued their review at their October 19, 2023 meeting.  Materials from this meeting are below.

• Planning Commission Materials - October 19, 2023
  • Planning Commission Report, Supplemental Materials, and Additional Public Comments
  • Presentation
  • Meeting Video

The next Planning Commission meeting will be on November 16, 2023.

• Planning Commission Materials - November 16, 2023
  • Planning Commission Report

Part of this work includes the preparation of a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report, which will analyze the potential impacts of the amendments. On February 18, 2022, the City released a Notice of Preparation (below). Public comment on the Notice of Preparation closed in March 2022.  The Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report was released on June 2, 2023 and the comment period closed July 17, 2023.  On August 18, 2023, the City released the Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report.  All documents are available below.

Notice of Preparation of a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report

Draft Subsequent EIR Document

• Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report

Sections

• Cover and Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Project Description
• Chapter 3: Approach to Environmental Analysis
  • Chapter 3.1: Aesthetics
  • Chapter 3.2: Air Quality
  • Chapter 3.3: Archaeology
  • Chapter 3.4: Energy
  • Chapter 3.5: Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change
  • Chapter 3.6: Noise
  • Chapter 3.7: Population and Housing
  • Chapter 3.8: Public Services
  • Chapter 3.9: Transportation
  • Chapter 3.10: Utilities
  • Chapter 3.11: Environmental Impacts in Previous EIRs
• Chapter 4: Cumulative Impacts
• Chapter 5: Alternatives
• Chapter 6: Other CEQA
• Chapter 7: Report Preparers
• Chapter 8: References

Appendices

• Appendix A: Notice of Preparation and Scoping Comments
• Appendix B: General Plan Amendments
• Appendix C: Fehr & Peers VMT Memo
• Appendix D: Air Quality, Energy, and Greenhouse Gas Modeling Data
• Appendix E: Cultural Resources Recorded Sites
• Appendix F: Noise Modeling Data
• Appendix G: Comprehensive Mitigation Measures from Community Plans
• Appendix H: Water Supply Assessment for Livable Employment Area Community Plan
• Appendix I: Biological Resources Database Search Results

Revised Final Subsequent EIR Document

• Revised Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (November 2023)

Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations

• Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations

Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program

• Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program