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DRAFT • The Task Force then dove into something that it has been dealing with for several meetings now: the evolution of a certain number of Plan Alternatives. This has really been an iterative process. It started with some alternatives, and each of them has evolved to a certain extent, some of them quite dramatically. The Task Force reached a point where, it felt for the most part like somewhere in these alternatives is the answer. The Task Force does not necessarily have the right one just yet, but every possibility of the outcome on a particular issue is probably represented within them. The people feel comfortable that the Task Force put some parentheses around the choices at least and they are on the table. • The specific task right now is to Select One Alternative to be kind of a frontrunner in the evaluation provided in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). An EIR evaluates the so-called project, but a reasonable range of alternatives also need to be analyzed. Those alternatives have to meet the project objectives, and some of the environmental impacts that may be identified through that evaluation process have to be mitigated in some ways. The reason for the alternatives is not just for CEQA purposes; it is also because the City, as a community, is still trying to decide exactly what the land use pattern is and what the level of intensity of development out here is; hence, it needs to continue to drill down on the various choices that are being presented. • Once this alternative has been selected, the Environmental Review Process can be started, and at the same time, the smaller components of the plan, site development standards, and design guidelines will be further evolved. • Once these are done, the more normal, typical, public review process starts, back here at the Planning Commission and then on to the City Council with whatever number of public hearings that process requires. Mr. Dolan then presented the timeline: • In the short term, the Planning Commission will provide its input tonight on the Preferred Plan • The same question is then brought before the City Council on October 15th • Once a Preferred Plan has been identified, the Draft EIR can be started; the other Alternatives still need to be evaluated. The way CEQA works is that an environmental clearance for a certain amount of development is basically being provided. A policy decision can always come down to a lesser intensity from what has been evaluated. The choices are not being eliminated to some of the maybe less intense alternatives as it moves forward because a more intense alternative is included in the EIR analysis. The Planning Commission should not be concerned about this. There was a certain amount of concern by some of the DRAFT EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, 9/25/2013 Page 2 of 28