Brief Notes re E. Riverside Corridor Working Group meeting of 10/12/11
The ERC Regulating Plan is expected to be posted online by COB today on the
www.eastriversidecorridor.com website. Jan and I have copies of the Regulating Plan draft, which, obviously, we have not had time to review. Highlights from last night’s meeting are:
Restrictive Covenants: Both public and private restrictive covenants will remain in place. These will not be removed as part of the plan.
Conditional Overlays (“COs”): Most COs will be removed as part of the plan. Staff will try to carry forward the COs limiting heights, but remove the other COs. Particularly troubling is the removal of the COs prohibiting multifamily. Most of these locations will instead now be required to have an “active edge” as part of the project. Having an active edge requires that some of the project’s space must be used commercially. Impacted locations are the house at the SE corner of Summit and E. Riverside (owned by the Bazaar/Sullivans), some lots at E. Riverside and Kirksey or Kenneth, the Willow Creek development where the CO was negotiated, and a couple of other locations. (So much for the CO developed specifically to address EROC’s overabundance of apartments and lack of commercial opportunities.)
New Drivethroughs: Prohibited.
Minimum Heights: Minimum height of 2 stories required for all Corridor Mixed Use properties.
Density Bonus Plan: Back to the drawing board. Staff will have a public briefing on this subject for City Council at one of their work sessions sometime in November. The work sessions are usually held on Tuesdays. After considering feedback from both for-profit and non-profit affordable housing providers, it was determined that the previously proposed density bonus plan is not feasible. The concern is that there simply is no market for buildings higher than 60 ft. on E. Riverside, and the cost of construction above 60 ft. is too costly. (Basically, the City gave away in upzonings during the EROC neighborhood planning process any chance of offering property owners upzonings in return for providing an affordable housing component.)
More info to follow by Monday, such as upcoming important dates, etc.
Toni House
EROC/SRCC Member
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