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San Carlos planning staff and consultants unveil draft Downtown Specific Plan proposing plazas, 20‑ft sidewalks and parking caps
Summary
The Planning & Transportation Commission held a study session on a draft Downtown Specific Plan that would create new plazas on the 600–800 blocks, widen sidewalks to 20 feet in key corridors, adopt parking maximums and parking-management strategies, and add policies for green infrastructure and utility upgrades; commissioners gave generally supportive feedback and asked for refinements.
San Carlos planning staff and consultants presented a draft Downtown Specific Plan at a June 16 study session that lays out design standards, mobility priorities and implementation strategies for the city’s downtown over the next 20 years.
Lisa Porus, planning manager for advanced planning, said the specific plan is intended to implement the recently adopted streetscape master plan and to serve as the regulatory policy framework for public realm, land use, parking and infrastructure decisions. "Downtown is an inclusive place with easy access for all," Porus read from the draft vision, adding that the plan emphasizes placemaking, multimodal mobility, vibrancy, equity and resilience.
Consultants described eight thematic areas of policy. For land use and urban design, the team proposed a limited rezoning of one SamTrans parcel from MUDC 100 to MUDC 120 to allow added height with stepbacks, and recommended raising retail ground-floor plate heights from 12 feet to a 14–16 foot range to attract higher-quality retail and improve storefront character. "We are…
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