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wonderful green building and water conservation measure, and said it should be left to the applicant to decide. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio agreed that traffic fees should not be strictly earmarked fo- El Charro at this time but said she would like an acknowledgement of the Council's intent to support the project with these funds if it moves forward. She explained that her primary concern with artificial turf related to recent studies that question its cleanliness and safety. Councilmember Brown said she preferred natural grass over artificial turf. Mayor Thorne stressed the importance of the El Charro extension, which he felt would be the greatest mitigating factor of anything recommended to date, and said he felt some of these fees should be allocated for that project when appropriate. He said he liked the idea of synthetic 'urf, particularly from a maintenance standpoint, and noted that the city intends to install a similar product at the Bernal Community Park sports fields. MOTION: It was m/s by Thorne/Pentin to approve the staff recommendation. Mayor Thorne reopened the public hearing. Mr. Pringle explained that the quality of artificial turf has improved significantly over the last 10 years. Heavenly Greens, the firm identified for this project, has installed this particular variation in 6 humane societies and multiple NFL stadiums. E&S Ring installed a similar product in zt 1,000 unit project in Marina del Rey 3 years ago and has received an incredibly positive response. He assured the Vice Mayor that the product requires an extensive sub-base and drainage system and is easily cleaned with daily watering and monthly disinfection. Given the number of other water conserving measures in the project, he thought this seemed like a logical and obvious choice. Mayor Thorne closed the public hearing. Councilmember Narum requested and Mayor Thorne accepted an amendment to his motion to delete Condition of Approval No. 20, which relates to the installation of natural turf. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio reiterated her desire to see language addressing the intended, albeit flexible, use of impact fees to support the extension of El Charro. Mr. Fialho clarified for the record that they would not be reserving a portion of these fees for the El Charro interchange. What he recommended, which is what he understood to be the intent of the Council from previous discussions, is that they acknowledge that traffic fees in general may be used to offset the cost of El Charro once an actual project and estimated cost come forward. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio said one of the primary considerations in electing not to include this site in the East Side Specific Plan was the allocation of these funds to El Charro. Mr. Fialho said the direction from the Council at that time was not specific but that the intent to use traffic fees to offset the cost of El Charro was, and still is, clear. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio requested and Mr. Fialho agreed to include language offering El Charro as a possible use for the fees. After discussion with legal counsel, staff also agreed to amend the Affordable Housing Agreement to reflect the applicant's commitment to retain the 3 accessible units regardless of which option is ultimately exercised by the city. City Council Minutes Page 9 of 10 August 6, 2013