SR - ORD-08-17 - SECOND READINGORDINANCE NO. 08 -17
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF ORANGE APPROVING A
DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE
BRANCH WEST APARTMENT PROJECT
LOCATED AT 1725 WEST KATELLA AVENUE
DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT NO. 0004-17
APPLICANT: BRANCH WEST
WHEREAS, the Applicant filed an application with the City to construct a 94 -unit
apartment complex on a 1.1 -acre parcel designated in the City of Orange General Plan Land Use
Element as Urban Mixed Use (1.5 -3.0 FAR; 30 -60 du/acre) and the allowable residential
development capacity under this designation yields 66 residential units; and
WHEREAS, the Land Use Element of the City of Orange General Plan provides for the
transfer of development rights between sites in the Urban Mixed Use district for purposes
including the creation of additional housing units to serve the community; and
WHEREAS, the project site is adjacent to a 0.72 -acre City water well that is also
designated Urban Mixed Use in the General Plan, yet will remain in long -term use as a water
extraction site that supplies water to the community, but would otherwise have development
capacity for 42 dwelling units or 94,090 square feet of non - residential development; and
WHEREAS, the Katella Corridor in the vicinity of the project site and its intersection
with Struck Avenue is characterized by aging traffic signal hardware and operational
components in need of replacement, roadway segments that lack sidewalks, and roadway
medians in need of landscape and irrigation refurbishment; and
WHEREAS, the transfer of development rights for 28 dwelling units to the project site
from the City water well site enables the City to exact public benefits including intersection and
signal improvements, sidewalk improvements, and aesthetic enhancements to the Katella
corridor streetscape, an important gateway to the City from the boundary shared by the Cities of
Orange and Anaheim that also experiences high volumes of pedestrian activity and Orange
restaurant patronage associated with sporting and entertainment events that occur in the vicinity;
and
WHEREAS, the City of Orange General Plan Land Use Element envisions the Katella
corridor becoming a pedestrian- oriented, mixed -use urban district, building upon the existing
restaurant, entertainment, and business activity in the area, as well as capitalizing on the area's
proximity to Angels Stadium, The Honda Center, and Anaheim Regional Intermodal
Transportation Center; and
WHEREAS, the City of Orange General Plan Urban Design Element recognizes the
importance of establishing a positive community image at major gateways into the community