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Councilmember Thorne questioned whether HCD or others could force the issue of requiring all <br /> 105 acres to be rezoned. Mr. Dolan said there would be no basis in the law for this. <br /> Councilmember Sullivan said that if it was the City's intent to receive comments, refine it, and <br /> end up with a number to what it needs, this intention from a policy standpoint be made as part of <br /> the motion. <br /> Councilmember McGovern said she thinks it behooves the Council to review the EIR and hold <br /> public comment on it before ever approving any rezonings and asked if there was time to do <br /> this. Mr. Dolan said the Council is required to certify the EIR prior to adopting the Housing <br /> Element or do rezonings. Councilmember McGovern clarified that a 45-day period exists for the <br /> public to comment. <br /> Mayor Hosterman questioned the timeline on the Council having the EIR and having it go out for <br /> public comment. Mr. Dolan said he believes staff will have the draft EIR published and out for <br /> review prior to receiving comments back from HCD, or in the next few months. <br /> Councilmember Sullivan confirmed the EIR will be reviewed in a public hearing by the Planning <br /> Commission as well, which will also allow for public comment. <br /> Councilmember McGovern said it sounds like the scope of the EIR and alternatives were <br /> chosen by staff and possibly not by the Planning Commission or other groups. Mr. Dolan said a <br /> scoping meeting was held where parties were invited to suggest what the content of the EIR <br /> would be. Councilmember McGovern asked and confirmed with Mr. Dolan that if there are other <br /> things that either the Council or the Planning Commission would want included in the draft, they <br /> could also be reviewed. <br /> Councilmember Cook-Kallio felt the more inclusive the Planning Commission is, the better, <br /> because things that have come up have been covered. Mr. Dolan agreed this to be true in terms <br /> of the sites. <br /> Mayor Hosterman clarified that page 6 of 9 in staff report talks about various ways to incentivize <br /> developers to provide for higher levels of affordable housing. Following discussion on the IZO, <br /> Citizens for a Caring Community made a number of recommendations for editing and <br /> wordsmithing but also more substantive changes, like the lower income housing fee, the <br /> condominium conversion ordinance, and IZO discussion, which is supposed to be discussed by <br /> the growth management subcommittee. After these discussions are held, she asked that these <br /> go back to the Housing Commission, the Planning Commission and the City Council so the <br /> public thoroughly understands what the changes look like. Mr. Dolan agreed, and said in some <br /> cases, it will be required while others, appropriate. <br /> Mayor Hosterman said she discussed with the City Attorney language which identifies the <br /> necessary affordable housing to be included, such as 15%, 20% and 25%. Some of it is <br /> contained in the form of a policy and some in the General Plan. She questioned what trumps <br /> what? Mr. Dolan said staff will need to look at the specific language in each of those. <br /> Sometimes the higher number is listed as a goal in the General Plan, and in the actual <br /> ordinance the minimum they must meet is lower. In many cases, State law will indicate that the <br /> General Plan trumps zoning; however, it is really in the land use designation area and it <br /> depends on how each goal or policy is worded. <br /> Councilmember Cook-Kallio said similarly on page 4.7 of the draft, it does explain the difference <br /> and the strength of each goal, policy, and program. She added that some of the policies do not <br /> have ordinances behind them yet but a policy with an ordinance would be stronger than one that <br /> did not have one. <br /> City Council Minutes Page 7 of 14 July 19,2011 <br />