PC 030911 - Laserfiche WebLink

4. REVISIONS AND OMISSIONS TO THE AGENDA There were no revisions or omissions to the Agenda. 5. CONSENT CALENDAR There were no Consent Calendar items. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND OTHER MATTERS a. Discussion of Historic Preservation Policies and Regulations in the Downtown Specific Plan Area. Brian Dolan indicated that he would like this presentation to be relatively informal. He noted that several projects had come before the Commission recently where historic preservation regulation has come into play. He noted that the subject generated a lot of interest on the part of the Commission, who then requested that this be agendized. Mr. Dolan stated that a good way to start the discussion would be to spend time to ensure that everyone had a good grasp of what is already in the books, which is a fair amount. He indicated that he intended to go through the materials provided and walk through various documents while concentrating on key areas; however, before getting into the documents, he would like to talk about the General Plan which is the basis of the policy, the Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and some other related documents. He noted that he would spend the most time on the DTSP because it gives the most direction on the subject. Mr. Dolan stated that there is strong policy support for historic preservation in the Downtown area. He noted that the text in the DTSP, in particular, describes it as being one of the primary purposes of the Plan when it was initially prepared, and there were a lot of things identified as programs and commitments that the City made to itself that it was going to do things, and there were other fairly substantial parts that the City has not moved forward with for one reason or another, but the basic question is if these are even relevant anymore. Mr. Dolan stated that the policies and regulations try and provide balance. He indicated that while there is a strong policy basis for historic preservation, there is language included that it understands this is the real world, and the perfect scenario in terms of preservation does not always make the most sense for the City. He added that there are avenues to explore where not everything has to be saved, and there are people on both sides of this issue, both have very valid concerns, one side really into significant preservation, and the other who look at it as an obstacle to individual property rights or economic development. Mr. Dolan indicated that the policy documents the City adopted reflect different threads of that input that existed even back when the Plan was developed. He added that there have been varying levels of success in resolving the conflicts that arise on a project- by- project basis as the City tries to use the tools that PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MINUTES, March 9, 2011 Page 2 of 24