A proposal that would break downtown into five districts, pushing each to develop a distinct architectural style with varying land-use designations and parking requirements, is going to the Santa Maria City Council with the endorsement of the city Planning Commission after a public hearing Wednesday.

Bordered by Fesler Street to the north, Miller Street to the east, Morrison Street to the south and Pine Street to the west, the Downtown Specific Plan calls for a pedestrian- and destination-oriented area covering some 50 square blocks and roughly 268 acres centered on Main Street and Broadway.

The Planning Commission Wednesday unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt the plan, certify its environmental impact report and rezone the entire project area as Specific Plan (SP) zoning district with the addition of a Planning Commission review of all projects in the Specific Plan area. The removal of Rosalind Perlman Park from the Specific Plan to be protected as open space was also added.

The original proposal called for planning process permit reviews mostly at the planning staff level, but the panel favored public hearing reviews of proposed projects in the Specific Plan area.

Commissioner Etta Waterfield had earlier suggested setting a square footage threshold that would require a review by the panel.

The City Council has scheduled a public hearing on the plan for Oct. 21. If the plan moves forward that night, its adoption could be approved Nov. 14. Both meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 110 E. Cook St.

The Downtown Specific Plan area is broken into five districts — Bungalow, Garden, Gateway, Railroad Loft and Town Center — each with its own distinct architectural style, land-use designations and parking requirements.

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Primary uses for each district are listed as:

n Bungalow: offices, mixed-use (residential units above office or commercial space), lodging, service commercial, and residential (single family and/or attached multi-family.)

n Garden: civic, cultural, recreational and office uses, and commercial retail (such as bakery, restaurant, coffee shop.)

n Gateway: retail commercial and service commercial uses, restaurants, lodging and mixed-use.

n Railroad Loft: live/work combinations, artisan businesses, mixed-use and multifamily residential.

n Town Center: retail commercial and service commercial uses, restaurants (excluding drive-throughs), entertainment, upper-story offices, and mixed-use.

Specific Plan revisions include allowing taller buildings, smaller setbacks, and making minor changes to land uses in each district.

Required setbacks would be decreased to an average of 10 feet without a public sidewalk and 5 feet with a public sidewalk. Building heights could vary from 40 to 60 feet in the Bungalow District (30 feet if adjacent to existing single-family homes). The Garden District and Town Center District would have a 70-foot maximum, while both the Railroad Loft District and Gateway District are proposed for 60 feet maximum.

September 18, 2008