The City Council on Jan. 15 approved a rezoning request that will allow a 17-story mixed-use residential and retail project on a parcel in the Fremont East Entertainment District, changing the site27s form-based designation from T5 (Main Street) to T6 (Urban Core).

Project developers said the building would include 338 apartments and about 9,230 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and emphasized high walkability and transit access. Architect Tom Walker described the unit mix as largely one-bedroom apartments and noted the development team intended green-building measures and streetscape landscaping.

Staff and several planning commissioners had expressed concern that the parcel had been treated differently from nearby blocks and warned against spot zoning. Council members discussed those concerns before moving to approve the rezoning with a performance condition: the site-development-review approval will be void one year after the notice of final action unless construction documents for the primary structure are submitted during that year. If construction documents are submitted within the year, the approval remains effective for two years; extensions may be requested.

Councilwoman Olivia Diaz, who represents the ward, said the condition was intended to prevent entitlements from being banked indefinitely and to ensure timely progress. Developer representatives said they could meet the one-year threshold and accepted the condition on the record.

Planning staff had recommended denial in part because the requested intensification was not supported by community growth factors; the council majority concluded that the parcel27s proximity to existing T6 blocks and the downtown context supported the rezoning with the timing condition.