San Carlos’ East Side Vision Plan moving forward

Commissioners offered unanimous support for an East Side Innovation District Vision Plan, a $500,000 study of East Side San Carlos in response to substantial development interest in the area.

A total of 10 projects, largely from life science developers, have been submitted for city approval. Once alerted to the interest, councilmembers agreed to pause most project reviews for roughly nine months to pursue a holistic vision for the district.

Through the plan, the city would aim to address transportation and environmental concerns while pushing for developers to accommodate various sought-after community benefits. As drafted, the plan focuses on “10 Big Moves” developers will be tasked with helping bring to life.

The moves include creating more open space, establishing a Green Boulevard down Industrial Road, promoting environmental stewardship of Pulgas Creek, integrating recycled water infrastructure, supporting distinct district subareas, developing activity hubs, growing an inclusive business environment, investing in multimodal streets, reducing traffic congestion and adopting a shared district parking plan.

Despite the broad scope of the plan, commissioners, councilmembers and the community pointed out a major hole in the document, its lack of reference to housing. With all of the development destined for the district, officials estimate the projects could bring in up to 8,000 new jobs over the next few years.

The growth has been a concern for officials who worry the city would be unable to meet housing needs even after welcoming 2,700 new homes by 2030, as mandated by the state through the Housing Element update.

Initially, staff was going to focus on upping the density and heights of housing developments in areas already zoned for residential uses, Planning Manager Lisa Porras has said. The tactic would also allow for the city to protect industrial uses within its limits.

But following the feedback, the vision plan now includes references to future studies that would review the potential of adding mixed-use residential developments along Old County Road and Terminal Way.

Before voting to recommend the council approve the plan, commissioners agreed with a request by Commissioner Kristen Clements to add additional language that would encourage housing studies of other parts of the district.

“We don’t yet know if we can meet our [Regional Housing Needs Allocation] numbers in a way that’s acceptable to the state so it’s nice for me to see this opportunity is there for more discussion should we need it for additional housing,” Commissioner Ellen Garvey said. “We may not need it but at least the placeholder is there.”

One other change to the plan was the addition of stronger language around addressing remediation, a process for removing toxins from soils. The plan would require new development proposals to be reviewed for legally required remediation responsibilities to identify whether the old property owner, new property owners or owners of adjacent properties are responsible for treating the soils.

Now nearly complete, every East Side project that has not been approved by the commission or council will be subject to adhering to the plan once formally adopted, Al Savay, Community and Economic Development director, said. The City Council is expected to vote on the plan Monday, Oct. 25.

Additional changes could be made to the plan after it’s put into use, Savay said. Staff will also be working on bringing portions of the plan to life, including the various studies and recommendations mentioned throughout the document.

“This plan is intended to be a dynamic plan,” Savay said. “If something needs to change, it can be changed.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106