HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-038 General Plan Community Design Element
AGENDA STATEMENT
PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION: July 29, 2008
SUBJECT:
ATTACHMENTS:
RECOMME~
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
P A 07-038 - General Plan Community Design Element
Report prepared by Jeff Baker, Senior Planner
1) Draft Community Design Element.
2) City Council/Planning Commission Study Session Staff Report dated
April 1, 2008.
3) City Council/Planning Commission Study Session Minutes dated
April 1 , 2008.
4) Village Policy Statement.
5) Village Action Plan.
Receive presentation and provide Stafr and the Consultant with feedback
and direction regarding the Goals, Policies and Implementation Measures in
the draft Community Design Element, and provide further direction
regarding the concept of a combined Community Design and Sustainability
Element.
Background
The Fiscal Year 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 City Council Goals and Objectives include, as a high priority
goal, the preparation of a General Plan Community Design Element. On June 19,2007, the City Council
adopted a Resolution (Resolution 105-07) approving a Consulting Services Agreement with RBF/UDS
Consulting to prepare the Community Design Element and authorized the City Manager to sign the
Agreement on behalf of the City.
Each city and county in California is mandated to adopt a General Plan with seven required "elements".
Each jurisdiction is allowed to adopt additional optional elements as they see fit. The proposed
Community Design Element would be an optional element and induded as Section lOin the Dublin
General Plan.
The proposed Community Design Element will provide a guiding vision for the character of future public
and private improvements throughout the City. The Community Design Element will be a graphically
based document that illustrates design principles related to site plarning, architecture and landscaping.
Planning theorist and author Kevin Lynch provides a commonly used model for community design which
divides the city into functional areas, which contribute to distinctiv,~ design. Lynch's functional areas
have been refined to create unifYing principles of community design for Dublin.
COPY TO: File
ITEM NO.
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G:IPA#\2007107-038 Community Design ElementlPlanning CommissionlStudy Session 7.29.08Ipcsr 7.2'1.08 Study Session. doc
A joint City Council/Planning Commission Study Session was held on April 1, 2008 to discuss the
unifying principles of community design. The City Council and Planning Commission identified the
principles they value for Dublin. Staff and RBF/UDS Consulting used these principles to form the
framework of the draft Community Design Element and to refine the proposed Goals, Policies and
Implementation Measures in the draft document.
ANALYSIS:
The team from RBF/UDS Consulting will provide the Planning Commission with an overview of the
unifYing principles of community design that are the framework of the Community Design Element. This
overview will include an introduction to the proposed Goals, Policies and Implementation Measures of the
draft document. These Goals, Policies and Implementation Measures focus on the design/development
character throughout the community. This includes site planning, architecture, and landscape design in
both public and private improvements.
The following is a description of the design principles that provide the framework for the Goals, Policies
and Implementation Measures of the Community Design Element:
a. Positive Regional Identity - The visual character of public alld private improvements adjacent to
roads of regional significance including major arterials and Interstates 580 and 680;
b. Sense of Arrival - The desi!,'11 of public and private improvements to create a sense of arrival at
entrances to the City.
c. Design of the Built Form - Elements that create and enhance high quality, safe, attractive,
residential, commercial, office, industrial, and mixed use neighborhoods and villages;
d. Connections and Linkages -- Streets, sidewalks, paths and trails that enhance connectivity within
and between separate properties, the public right-of-way and open space; and
e. Sustain ability - Techniques to provide a high quality of life and preserve energy, water and other
natural resources, with attractive and integrated design.
Village Policy Statement
The City Council's 2003/2004 Goals and Objectives included the development policies that define village
characteristics as a Planning tool and to identify opportunities to create new villages in Dublin. Staff
conducted research and prepared a background study of village concepts for use in creating a Village
Policy Statement (Attachment 4). The Village Policy Statement identifies the characteristics that
comprise a village in Dublin. On September 7, 2004, the City Council adopted the Village Policy
Statement and directed Staffto identify potential village sites.
Staff analyzed potential village sites using the criteria established ill the Village Policy Statement and
created a Village Action Plan (Attachment 5). The Village Action Plan includes measures to achieve
villages consistent with the Village Policy Statement. The City Coundl approved the Village Action Plan
on August 16,2005, and identified the following six potential village locations:
.
Dublin Village Historic Area
Downtown Dublin
Camp Parks
Transit Center
Dublin Ranch Town Center
Fallon Village Center
.
.
.
.
.
The concepts of the Village Policy Statement and Village Action Plan are incorporated into the draft
Community Design Element (Section 10.7.3.7). This includes identification of village locations, and
policies to ensure that the village characteristics are incorporated intouture development of these areas.
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Sustain ability Element
Sustainability was identified as a unifying principle of community design, as noted above. The draft
Community Design Element includes extensive Policies and Implementation Measures related to
Sustainability (Section 10.9). The concept of Sustainability has come to the forefront of planning in
recent years. In fact, some local jurisdictions have adopted a Sus:ainability Element in their General
Plans. Because of the importance of this issue and the number of policies related to this topic, the
Planning Commission may want to consider adopting the proposed document as a combined Community
Design and Sustainability Element. Adopting this document as a combined Element will provide further
weight to the importance of sustainability in Dublin.
CONCLUSION:
This Study Session will provide an opportunity for the Planning Commission and the public to provide
comments and feedback regarding the draft Community Design Elem~nt. Staff and RBF/UDS Consulting
will use this information to further refine the draft document.
The draft Community Design Element will be brought forward to the Planning Commission for review
and recommendation to the City Council at a subsequent Public Hearing. The City Council will then have
the opportunity to review and consider adopting the Community Design Element.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission receive presentation and provide Staff and the
Consultant with feedback and direction regarding the Goals, Policies and Implementation Measures in the
draft Community Design Element, and provide further direction regarding the concept of a combined
Community Design and Sustainability Element.
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