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Capitola Planning Commission reviews zoning package for Capitola Mall redevelopment, sets targets for hotel, retail and open space
Summary
At a Nov. 19 Planning Commission meeting, staff previewed draft zoning amendments and incentives for the Capitola Mall redevelopment—including a qualifying mixed-use path that requires 20% on-site affordable housing, a minimum 85-room hotel with 3,500 sq ft meeting space, and a commercial minimum (commissioners discussed raising 25,000 sq ft to 40,000 sq ft); staff will return Dec. 4 with objective design standards and an updated draft.
The Capitola Planning Commission on Nov. 19 reviewed draft zoning-code amendments intended to implement the city’s housing element and to guide redevelopment of the Capitola Mall site, focusing on density, heights, commercial floor-area, parking and fiscal analysis.
Staff and consultants described a two-track approach: a set of incentives for a "qualifying mixed-use" project and a separate standards track for other residential or mixed-use projects. Ben Noble, a planning consultant, said the qualifying path would require on-site residential that meets a 20% affordable target, include a hotel of at least 85 rooms with 3,500 square feet of meeting space, and provide a minimum amount of new commercial space (the draft text used 25,000 square feet). "The goal with the qualifying mixed use project is to incentivize a mixed use redevelopment project consistent with the vision that the city has for the property," Noble said.
Why it matters: the changes are designed to meet Capitola’s regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) and avoid reducing residential development capacity while steering redevelopment toward a mix of housing, hotel and retail that the city says will produce more net revenue than large amounts of low-performing retail alone.
Key details and debate
- Density and capacity: Staff said the Mall area is identified in the housing-element sites inventory with an assumed maximum density of 48 dwelling units per acre (used in the city’s capacity calculations) and discussed a realistic unit…
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