BACKGROUND

Address: 1525 and 1555 Tiburon Boulevard

AP No.: 58-171-82 (portion) and 58-171-88 (portion)

File No.: 19503-Extension

General Plan: NC (Neighborhood Commercial)

Zoning: NC (Neighborhood Commercial)

Property Size: N/A

Subdivision: N/A

Current Use: Fee parking lots

Owner: Ed Zelinsky, Laleh Zelinsky & Barbara Abrams

Applicant: same as above

PROPOSAL

The applicants are requesting a renewal of the existing conditional use permit to operate two (2) parking lots in the Downtown. The lots already exist and have been in continuous use for many years. It has been the policy of the Town over the years to issue annual or biennial extensions of the use permit, with the understanding that, eventually, all the lots will be paved and/or improved to permanent status or converted to another use.

ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS

The project is categorically exempt from CEQA under Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the CEQA Guidelines.

 ANALYSIS

Because the parking lots are unimproved, and are not proposed to be improved at this time, a temporary use permit is the only kind which the Town will issue.

As part of the 2001 permit renewal (see Exhibits 1-3), the Commission considered the issue of paving and improving the Tiburon Boulevard Parking Lot, which had been the subject of discussion for some years. The Commission determined that the reconstruction of the Main Street Parking Lot was a higher priority, and instead required installation of landscaping along the Tiburon Boulevard frontage of the parking lot.

Recent developments related to Downtown Tiburon parking lots are as follows:

Main Street Parking Lot. This parking lot was reconstructed by Main Street Properties in late 2001 as a major undertaking. The project required far more than repaving; including grading, re-compaction, installation of drainage, and resurfacing. The total price tag for this parking lot reconstruction was $244,000.

Lot Adjacent to Bell Market. The Town has recently identified this lot as the location for a potential affordable housing project, in conjunction with a drug store. Staff recommends that no new conditions be placed on the permit relating to this parking lot.

Tiburon Boulevard Lot. In 2001, the Town Council considered entering into an agreement with Main Street Properties whereby the Town would pave this lot in exchange for employee parking use (to make available more public parking behind Town Hall). Cost estimates in excess of $118,000 to pave and improve the lot quickly led the Town Council to abandon this approach. Instead, the Town now has a lease agreement with Main Street Properties for the use of 25 parking spaces for Town Hall/Joint Recreation employees on weekdays in the Tiburon Boulevard lot. In early 2002, Main Street Properties installed landscaping along the Tiburon Boulevard frontage of the lot to soften its appearance and provide continuity with landscaping along the frontage of adjacent properties.

Staff believes that paving and improvement of the Tiburon Boulevard lot is not an immediate priority at this time, although plans for its eventual improvement to permanent status should be prepared at the time of the next permit renewal. The priority for paving could increase if a Library expansion project moves forward more expeditiously than is anticipated.

RECOMMENDATION

Based upon this information, Staff recommends a two-year extension of the temporary use permit for the two parking lots, with the understanding that the next application for renewal in 2005 will be accompanied by a plan for the conversion of the Tiburon Boulevard parking lot into a paved and improved permanent parking lot, with the work to be completed by the autumn of 2006.

A draft resolution to this effect is attached as Exhibit 4. Condition No. 4 of the draft Resolution contains the parking lot improvement plan requirement.

Staff recommends that the Planning Commission, following a public hearing, adopt the resolution approving the conditional use permit extension for two years.

EXHIBITS

Planning Commission Staff Report dated 4/12/2001.

Resolution No. 2001-06 (2001 renewal).

Minutes of 2001 Planning Commission approval of the CUP renewal.

4. Draft Resolution.