Fullerton Transportation Center Specific Plan

Status as of July 1, 2009

The City held a Scoping Meeting on June 3, 2009 to obtain input on issues that should be included in the Draft EIR. Two identical presentations were arranged to accommodate the schedules of public agencies and the public (a 4:30 p.m. session and a 7:00 p.m. session). Notes from the meetings are provided below:

FTC Scoping Meeting Notes

The Draft Program EIR is underway based on the project description contained within the Initial Study (IS). A draft of the Specific Plan is being refined based on project analysis. Staff anticipates a community meeting in August 2009 to provide the public an overview of the Draft Specific Plan.

Status as of May 11, 2009

The City of Fullerton has prepared an Initial Study (IS) describing the proposed FTC Specific Plan. The IS was circulated with a Notice of Preparation (NOP) on May 11, 2009 to Responsible Agencies, requesting that comments be provided by Responsible Agencies within 30 days. A copy of the NOP/IS can be reviewed at the following link:

Notice of Preparation and Initial Study

Project Background:

The City of Fullerton Community Development Department, in coordination with the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency, JMI Properties and The Morgan Group, is preparing a specific plan to guide the development of approximately 39 acres surrounding the Fullerton Transporation Center (FTC). This area is generally bounded by Harbor Boulevard, Commonwealth Avenue, Lawrence Avenue and Walnut Avenue.

The Fullerton Transportation Center (FTC) Specific Plan will be comprised of residential, office, commercial and public facility uses. The FTC Specific Plan proposes a concept of higher density development in close proximity to the Fullerton Train Depot and OCTA bus transfer facility. In this manner, it is anticipated that the FTC Specific Plan will accommodate a significant portion of the City’s future housing needs, as allocated by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and as forecasted by the State of California. The FTC Specific Plan will also accommodate growth in a manner that complies with current and forthcoming State legislation and regional goals related to the greenhouse gas emissions and mobility.

The FTC Specific Plan will include a “form-based” code, which is a set of development standards that regulate the physical design of buildings, streets and civic spaces. Use of form-based codes will help guide development in a manner that achieves a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use, transit oriented vision.

Because the use of form-based codes is new to Fullerton, City staff gave information presentations to the City Council, Planning Commission, the Redevelopment Design Review Committee (RDRC) and community in February and March, 2008.

The basic vision for the FTC Specific Plan was provided by the FTC Framework Plan, which was completed in June 2007. The FTC Framework Plan may be reviewed by clicking the following link:

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The FTC framework Plan was created after soliciting community input at three workshops held in 2006. Subsequently, the draft FTC Framework Plan was presented to the community in March, 2007; and the final FTC Framework Plan was presented to the Redevelopment Agency in June, 2007. At that time the Agency authorizing staff to prepare the Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) currently underway.

The City’s Redevelopment Agency had initiated workshops and the subsequent creation of the FTC Framework Plan based on the information compiled in the Fullerton Downtown Strategy, adopted in December 2005:

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The Fullerton Downtown Strategy is an update of the 1995 Transportation Center Study.

JMI and The Morgan Group have been the Redevelopment Agency’s development partners since Agency selection in September, 2005.