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San Carlos studies sweeping downtown plan: upzoning proposal, retail rules and contested parking caps
Summary
City planners presented a draft downtown specific plan that would allow higher density at the SAM Trans parcel, raise ground‑floor retail heights and loosen some use restrictions, while proposing districtwide parking maximums tied to Transportation Demand Management measures. Council members pressed staff on state density bonuses, retail impacts and grant tradeoffs.
City staff and consultants led a lengthy June 23 study session on a draft downtown specific plan that lays out land‑use changes, design guidance, mobility priorities and new parking policies intended to guide decision‑making for the next 20 years.
Lisa Porus, the city’s planning manager, summarized the plan’s purpose and civic engagement work that shaped it, and said the policies are intended to "meet the needs of the community today and into the future." Consultant Jim Stickley highlighted several proposed changes that could shift the downtown’s built form, including rezoning the SAM Trans parcel from MUDC‑100 to MUD‑120 to allow up to about 70 feet in height, and raising required retail floor heights from 12 feet to a 14–16 foot range to make spaces more attractive to prospective tenants.
Why it matters: The SAM Trans parcel sits adjacent to transit nodes; council members repeatedly asked whether upzoning…
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