A. Application of the Specific Plan Concept. A Specific Plan and its function may be described by comparison with the General Plan. The General Plan expresses, in very broad terms, the city's planning of its future environment, generally on a long-term basis. Adopted by the city as a legislative act, the General Plan may be amended, as required by changing circumstances. The Specific Plan, on the other hand, is a device used to implement the General Plan by focusing on a particular parcel or parcels. The Specific Plan sets standards, against which developments can be judged, and imposes controls on the use of the subject parcels. The Specific Plan is more detailed than a General Plan and can be viewed as a bridge between the General Plan and individual project submittals.
The intent and purpose of this chapter is to establish a Specific Plan to guide the physical development of a particular geographic area within the City of Signal Hill. In an effort to accommodate the City's diverse housing needs, the concepts, regulations and conditions set forth in the Freeman Heights Residential Specific Plan is added to provide for the development of the site with market-rate single-family dwellings. Given existing oil operations at the site, the project will be built in phases.
The Freeman Heights Residential Specific Plan has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the State Government Code (Section 64540 through 65507) and addresses all of the issues and topics specified in that code.
B. Location and Boundary. The Specific Plan includes an area of approximately 2.6-acres located on the east flank of Signal Hill between Freeman and Obispo Avenues north of 20th Street. The boundaries of the area are more specifically set in the approved plans on file in the Community Development Department at City Hall and as shown on the Official Zoning Map.
C. Goals and Objectives. Goals for the development within the SP-20, Freeman Heights Residential Specific Plan include the following:
1. Encourage the development of privately sponsored low-density housing developments; and
2. Provide architectural treatment that is compatible with the architectural styles identified as preferred in the Freeman Heights Specific Plan design guidelines; and
3. Apply design standards that result in the highest quality development and achieve streetscapes with pedestrian scale and ambiance consistent with Signal Hill's small town character.
4. Provide architectural diversity and avoid uniformity of appearance.
(Ord. 2009-01-1395, 2009)