Council approves preliminary site plans for Urban Central District lots; pedestrian access and stormwater questioned

Council considered three preliminary site plans in the Urban Central District Part 2 and voted to approve each after planning staff and the developer reviewed designs and responded to council questions.

Ross, the planning presenter, described Lot 2 as a 32,000‑square‑foot, three‑story medical facility pushed close to Rancho Way to create an urban street presence. He outlined proposed trail and sidewalk connections — including an 8‑foot trail on the east side of Rancho — and said planning staff sought to reduce certain setbacks to enhance the building’s role as an entrance to the development. On Lots 3 and 6, the developer presented renderings and said Lot 3 is a 10,000‑plus square‑foot multi‑tenant building with a drive‑through and Lot 6 is a four‑story building over a parking level.

Council members focused much of the discussion on pedestrian circulation inside the development and how internal sidewalks and marked crosswalks would connect users from internal parking areas to the perimeter trails. The mayor and other councilors urged staff and the developer to include clearly marked mid‑lot pedestrian routes rather than relying solely on perimeter sidewalks. Councilors also questioned whether stormwater basins should be designed as wet ponds or landscaped dry basins and emphasized maintenance and planting standards to avoid unsightly, low‑maintenance basins.

All three preliminary site plans received unanimous planning commission recommendations and passed council roll‑call votes (resolutions 2026‑25, 2026‑26 and 2026‑27). Staff said the developer expects to advance vertical construction on the approved lots this year, subject to finishing horizontal infrastructure and permitting.