Council reviews Northeast Area Specific Plan; asks staff to prioritize parks, keeps density limits but signals flexibility on select heights

The San Carlos City Council held an extensive study session Sept. 8 on the draft Northeast Area Specific Plan (NEASP), a 20‑year framework meant to guide redevelopment of the northeastern industrial/mixed‑use district.

Senior planner Randall Bustos and the consultant team summarized the plan’s goals: introduce housing while preserving industrial production and innovation uses, manage parking and circulation, address Belmont Creek flood resilience, and provide publicly accessible open space. Staff presented five policy topics for council direction: (1) whether to increase allowed density and height on the MU_NE90 mixed‑use block (a large block owned in part by GW Williams); (2) whether to raise the maximum bonus height for the Delta Star commercial parcel; (3) whether to increase publicly accessible open‑space requirements and pursue city‑owned park acquisition; (4) whether to keep a fee option in the community benefits program (staff had proposed a $20/ft² fee as one path) or require constructed benefits; and (5) whether to provide more relief for existing nonconforming industrial uses and how to amortize those protections.

The presentation included an analysis of state density‑bonus law and its likely…