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Officials review commercial-site pipeline; Black Angus site remains entitled for a hotel while others lack entitlements
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Summary
City staff told the committee the Black Angus parcel is vacant but has vested entitlements (PUD allowing a hotel emphasis); other sites are raw undeveloped land or pre-application status (In‑N‑Out pre-app), and engaging property owners who prefer to hold land remains a challenge.
Staff and committee members spent significant time on the city’s commercial-site inventory and how to move long-vacant parcels toward occupancy.
Brett Street said he will use the term 'commercial sites' to avoid confusion with planning definitions of "opportunity sites." Staff highlighted that some parcels — notably the Black Angus property — are vacant but have entitlements under a PUD that emphasizes hotel use, while other parcels (for example the Hoxton Buskirk site) are undeveloped raw land with no entitlements.
Committee members pressed staff on outreach to property owners who have shown little interest in developing. Staff said the city has made repeated contact, adjusted land-use designations (including mixed-use to increase value) and tried other incentives, but ultimately property owners retain discretion and may choose to hold land for tax or business reasons.
On project status: staff confirmed a pre-application was filed for an In‑N‑Out restaurant (public record) but no formal application or vested entitlements; the Osaka Market regional project has building permits and is tracking toward an early-fall opening, though staff cautioned the schedule remains subject to change.
Why it matters: distinctions between 'vacant but entitled' and 'undeveloped without entitlements' affect how the city markets sites, tracks timelines and prioritizes outreach. Committee members asked staff to provide vacancy-duration data and annotated maps that distinguish entitlement status as part of follow-up work.
