San Luis council approves rezoning for 3.13 acres at 6th Avenue and Urduzuastegui after neighbor concerns
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Summary
After public comment from nearby residents and business owners about traffic and privacy, the San Luis City Council approved a minor amendment and rezoning that changes about 3.13 acres at 6th Avenue and Urduzuastegui from mixed-use to medium-density residential, with conditions including a developer-funded traffic study and one-story limits along the northern property line.
The San Luis City Council on Jan. 24 approved a minor amendment to the 2040 general plan and adopted an ordinance rezoning roughly 3.13 acres at the northwest corner of 6th Avenue and Urduzuastegui Street from mixed-use activity center to medium-density residential.
Staff presented the request from the developer (identified in the hearing materials as Comite) and recommended approval after finding the proposal met state law, city code and the goals of the general plan. Jose Guzman, director of development services, told the council the rezoning does not itself change zoning on all portions of the parcel; it sets the land use designation that would allow certain zoning categories in later approvals.
Neighbors and local business owners pressed the council during the public hearings. Eric Jones, a business owner in the San Luis Industrial Park, warned the development’s entrance at 6th Avenue could create traffic congestion that would impede access to storage and fueling businesses and pose safety risks for pedestrians, including school bus crossings. Jonathan Piseno, a resident within 300 feet of the site, raised parking and privacy concerns tied to potential future multistory buildings and noted the zoning commission had recommended against proceeding with rezoning.
Council members and staff responded by explaining the project is phased: the current approvals cover phase 1 townhomes only and the portion of the land where apartments had been proposed will retain its existing R-R A-10 zoning; any future apartment proposal would require a separate rezoning process with additional notifications and hearings. Guzman said the rezoning recommendation includes explicit, enforceable conditions: submission of a traffic study during subdivision or site-plan review, developer-funded construction of any roadway improvements the study requires, compliance with subdivision and building codes, and a one-story height limit for townhomes adjacent to the northern property boundary to protect neighbor privacy.
Council member Luis Cabrera framed the vote in fiscal terms, noting development fees had helped secure approximately $2.5 million in funding for expansion of Cesar Chavez Boulevard and arguing that some projects provide needed affordable-homeownership opportunities in San Luis.
The council voted to adopt the minor amendment (resolution 23-88) and to approve Ordinance 475 (rezoning) by roll call; votes recorded five ayes and two abstentions (Council member Lizette Cervin and Council member Javier Vargas). Mayor Nieves Rydell declared the motions carried.
