The City Council may approve modifications or adjustments to the standards in Title 10 and through the Specific Plan Approval process without the need for variances upon finding that all of the following criteria are met:
A. General Plan: The modification or adjustment equally or better meets the intent of the General plan and Land Use Regulations section(s) to be modified, as compared to a project that strictly conforms to code standards;
B. Public Benefit: The modification or adjustment results in an overall net benefit to the public, e.g., clustering of smaller lots results in a greater variety of housing, greater affordability in housing, more open space or more usable open space, greater protection of natural features, avoidance of natural hazards (e.g., geological hazards or drainage ways), superior architecture, and/or improved transportation planning in new development;
C. Public improvement standards and engineering design criteria shall not be modified without approved modifications to such standards approved by the City Engineer. The City may grant such modifications concurrently with the Specific Plan;
D. Residential densities shall not exceed those allowed under the General plan.
E. Small Commercial and Mixed-Use Developments may be approved in a Neighborhood Residential Specific Plan, provided the commercial component of the project, including building area, parking, and landscape/commercial common area, does not exceed five percent (5%) of the subject Specific Plan land area. The commercial and mixed-use component shall be subject to the design standards contained in the Neighborhood Center zone section, or the Neighborhood Center design standards may be adapted through the Specific Plan approval process. The design standards or modified design standards shall be binding on the project through conditions of approval and a development agreement with City. (Ord. 2019-04, 10-16-2019)