MARINA >> The Marina City Council voted unanimously at its meeting last Tuesday to approve the Downtown Specific Plan, and certify its Final Environmental Impact Report, among other actions related to the community-initiated plan that will guide future development and the transformation of the city’s 320-acre downtown.

Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado said he is grateful to the public that participated, the volunteer downtown committee, affected property owners and city staff.

The purpose of the Downtown Vitalization Specific Plan is to create a long-sought, unique and identifiable downtown core for Marina that is both vibrant and pedestrian oriented. The Downtown Specific Plan is termed an “aspirational policy document and regulatory tool” to be used by the city of Marina for the “vitalization” of more than 300 acres over the course of about the next 20 to 30 years.

In the case of Marina, the word “vitalization” is used in place of “revitalization” to suggest an area that never fully developed as a traditional downtown, according to the plan.

But with other projects in the area already taking shape, coupled with the community’s wide support for the plan, which was voiced during the public comment portion of the hearing, city leaders are cautiously optimistic a high percentage of implementation of the plan may come in the short-term.

Marina Community Development Director Guido Persicone pointed out that the city council has already taken a lot of decisive action, and with the adoption of the plan “you’re going to see it could take shorter than 30 years.”

“In the short term we hope to remodel Del Monte Blvd. and the intersection of Reservation Road and Del Monte Boulevard,” said Delgado. “In the long term we now have a plan to change into a pedestrian- and bike-friendly downtown and add residential to downtown to liven it up.”

In 1978, the city’s first General Plan encouraged a downtown, and about 46 years later, after many meetings, reports, studies and community input, the Downtown Specific Plan is ready for implementation.

“One of the big challenges has been the requirement for the specific plan, so I think there are a lot of projects there that have been bottle-necked for 20 years and now that the specific plan requirement is taken care of, that saved years of time,” said Marina City Manager Layne Long.

Long said it would have taken a developer hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop a plan on its own, and with the specific plan it will now probably release some pent-up demand that will help the implementation of the Downtown Specific Plan.

“I think we’re putting some catalyst up front that I think is going to narrow” the timeframe quite a bit, said Long.

The primary goals of the Specific Plan are to establish Downtown Marina as a vital destination center that accommodates a mix of commercial, retail, dining, entertainment, parks and residential uses and to maximize the city’s ability to capture future economic opportunities that otherwise might be lost to neighboring jurisdictions, according to the plan.

The Specific Plan calls for up to 2,904 additional residential units in the Downtown area, as well as allowing for the development of an additional 530,000 to 1,380,000 square feet of retail and office space.

The Specific Plan calls for a vibrant, mixed-use downtown that emphasizes community, creates a safe, walkable and vibrant Downtown, attracts diverse business opportunities, encourages appropriate mixed uses, and integrates adjoining neighborhoods, parks and trails.

The plan envisions transit-oriented development designed to be served by transit rather than, or in addition to, the automobile. Networks of streets and multi-use paths provide a walkable and bikeable environment that is conducive to living, working and shopping in the same area.

The production of affordable housing is a primary goal of the Specific Plan and looks to further the vision for Downtown by encouraging the development of multifamily housing which will both contribute to a lively neighborhood through residential and mixed-use development and fulfill the city’s share of the Monterey Bay Area’s regional housing need.

The economic vitality of the vitalized Downtown will be successful and sustainable with an environment where desired uses are permitted, attracting small- to mid-size offices and a variety of retail shops, restaurants, entertainment and mixed uses. The plan establishes a set of requirements and guidelines for that.

The Specific Plan seeks to establish and reinforce a compact development pattern with the intent of reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled by Marina’s residents and enabling mass transit, walking and biking for transportation, according to the plan. In addition to establishing a sustainable development pattern, the city can further reduce the impacts of development on the environment through the implementation of a variety of green building practices, environmentally aware landscaping and increasing the availability of pedestrian amenities.

Parks located within or near Downtown create opportunities for people to meet, recreate and share ideas. Public open spaces like parks and plazas help make Downtown a destination by allowing visitors to linger and enjoy the neighborhood. While there are no parks located within the Specific Plan area, Locke-Paddon Park, Vince DiMaggio Park and the Los Arboles Sports Complex are located nearby.

The Specific Plan looks to facilitate the improvement of stormwater retention areas for recreational use, encourage the acquisition of vacant land for the development of mini-parks, and incentivize the provision of publicly accessible private open space within Downtown.

The Marina City Council took up the recommendations of city staff to certify the FEIR and adopt the mitigation monitoring program, findings of fact and statement of overriding considerations, approve the Downtown Specific Plan, adopt General Plan amendments to the 2000 Marina General Plan to implement the Downtown Specific Plan, adopt zoning text amendments to the Marina Municipal Code to implement the plan, amend the Marina Zoning Map to incorporate by reference and zoning standards, and recommend minor edits to the nonconforming section, among other actions pertaining to the Downtown Specific Plan.