Council hears staff plan for two-tier Regional Commercial zoning, biosafety rules and a programmatic EIR

Deputy Community Development Director Laura Russell briefed the City Council on proposed amendments to the Regional Commercial (RC) zoning district on April 22, recommending a two-tier approach, clearer use rules for research-and-development (R&D) and life-science facilities, and a city-initiated programmatic environmental impact report (EIR) to streamline future reviews.

Russell said the 2017 General Plan created a Regional Commercial land-use classification east of U.S. 101 intended for community-serving commercial uses and, more recently, had seen market interest from R&D and life-science developers. To balance growth and community objectives, staff proposes: (1) an RC‑1 tier that preserves the district’s existing standards (floor-area ratio 1.8 and a 55-foot height baseline for most of the area), and (2)…