Council hears limits, acreage caps and sequential phasing for apartments in Canals PD

Council received detailed limits on multifamily development embedded in the Canals PD. Staff said a maximum of six apartment blocks is allowed within the PD, with no more than three blocks in the Canals subdistrict and no more than three in the Neighborhood subdistrict; each block is limited to a maximum 600‑foot frontage.

Comstock explained acreage caps that constrain total apartment block land: 20 acres maximum for Canals apartment blocks and 25 acres maximum for Neighborhood apartment blocks (45 acres combined, about 29% of the 153‑acre PD). "No more than 3 in the canals and no more than 3 in the neighborhood," Comstock said. He added apartment buildings have a minimum four‑story requirement (no maximum) and require significant structured parking (90% structured in the Canals; at least one Neighborhood block must provide 75% structured parking).

Staff also presented sequential phasing triggers to ensure commercial development accompanies residential intensity: Block 1 requires canal/bay infrastructure and 30,000 sqft of commercial started; Block 2 and later blocks require additional milestones — such as a hotel, a grocery store ≥20,000 sqft, or cumulative commercial square‑foot thresholds of 75,000, 200,000 and 300,000 sqft as later milestones. Council asked staff to tighten PD language to prevent gaming of triggers (for example, building multiple hotels to unlock multifamily blocks) and staff said they would clarify the wording.

Why it matters: limits and phase triggers directly determine how much multifamily housing can be built and under what conditions, affecting density, parking, traffic, and the commercial base that supports daytime activity.