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Park has its own internal approval process which runs concurrently with the City's, and noted that all three proposed sites have been vetted through this process, with nearly 80% approval. The owners would like to move forward with the planning process and fully support the participation of all stakeholders. Jack Dove requested that the Council approve the staff recommendation. He works with 10 or more sites in town which could support affordable housing and was also vice -chair of the Housing Element committee. He believes the City must consider all possible locations rather than assume another opportunity will arise to satisfy these needs. He said that approval of this rezoning would allow all of these questions to be answered when a development proposal is actually brought forth and cautioned that waiting will never provide the type of housing this community so desperately needs. Nick Gandhi said that parents face so many issues in terms of boundary and school changes that it is overwhelming. He said that he chose to live in a democratic county because he appreciates the democratic process and asked why the public was not provided with an opportunity to participate at the outset. He said that if the task force which was promised in 2008 had been established, this would not be such a contentious issue. He questioned statements that a high- density development here would induce substantial population growth but with less than significant impacts to recreation, traffic, and schools. He requested that residents be allowed to participate in the zoning and PUD process and that the Council denies this request and directs staff to review all reports for accuracy. Ashok Moghe said that the public has not been included in the zoning process, though they have as much of a financial involvement in the business park as its owners. He questioned the validity of data provided and disagreed with the determination that impacts would be less than significant. He said that the overcrowding of schools and parks are very significant to those who live there. He requested that the Council direct staff to provide current data and include the public in the decision making process. Stan Kataoka, Valencia HOA president, said that residents have voiced a number of concerns over the last several weeks. He said that much of that concern was unnecessary and could have been allayed by the task force which was promised. He said that following that promise, residents believed their interests were protected and disengaged from the process pending further information. He said that this process is very important to him and his neighbors as it gives a sense of the raw data available and provides the opportunity to rebut or question some of the points presented. He requested that the Council refrain from making any irreversible decisions until the public has had a chance to vet that information. Makarand Walimbe thanked the Council for responding to his earlier email. He said that public involvement in the task force should have happened from day one and that the failure to do so should be rectified now. He said he does not necessarily oppose additional housing but questioned the outdated studies and negative declaration presented this evening. He urged the Council to get the community involved in making this a decent, successful, and timely project. Bo Tian said he was one of the 19 speakers at the September 23, 2009 Planning Commission meeting and that all those speakers opposed these rezoning efforts. He said 2 of the speakers that night were Foothill High School seniors who described class sizes that had reached inappropriate numbers. He said the state budget crisis would not likely improve in the near future and questioned how the Council could consider adding to the burden schools already City Council Minutes Page 13 of 25 October 20, 2009