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force as a good guide for consistency and noted that under this system, the Gilmore project would not have been allowed. Olivia Sanwong stated that one of the things she was most surprised by as a new downtown resident was the number of irregular lot sizes and shapes. She explained that her own home is accessed by an easement shared with five other household and estimated that many other properties are in similar circumstances. She said she supported special FAR requirements for the downtown for this reason and thought the proposed guidelines would achieve the more streamlined process that so many have requested. Becky Duret said she believed the task force's recommendations to be important and fair. She stressed the importance of rules and standards within a community and urged the Council to consider establishing a historic district within the downtown. Paul Martin, task force member, said he was involved with the entitlement of the DiDonato/Molinaro property and very surprised to learn what a herculean effort it was to move forward in that process under the current regime. He explained that despite the varied backgrounds among task force members, they each agreed that it was important to clarify the ambiguities built into the current process. He said they did so with an understanding that these heritage structures are also homes that owners need to be able to care for and update to meet the limitations and needs of modern living. He said that the issues of demolition and FAR are difficult, but in each instance the task force provided recommendations that offer incremental improvement at the very least. Jennifer Pearce, Planning Commission and task force Chair, acknowledged everyone who participated in the process. She described the task force as a diverse body of dedicated community volunteers who gave of their time and energy for nearly two years to better a cause that is important to the entire community. She said that one goal of the task force was to create efficiency and certainty, thereby saving time and money, for those wishing to develop older properties. She said she felt the proposed guidelines provided the community with confidence in this process and urged the Council's support. Mayor Thorne closed the public hearing. Vice-Mayor Pentin requested clarification on the role of the Historic Context Statement in identifying historic resources that meet the local standard for significance. Mr. Dolan reminded him that the Council did not support development of a local standard and explained that as proposed, there are no changes to the standards for historical significance. A property is eligible for the California Register of Historic Resources or it is not. The primary purpose of the Context Statement is to serve as a detailed, thoughtful and consistent resource document for consultants to reference in evaluating each property relative to the criteria for the California Register. Designated properties would then have to comply with the Downtown Specific Plan and Design Guidelines just as they do now. Vice-Mayor Pentin expressed concern that this adds another layer of direction for property owners and asked if there is any plan to merge these and create one cohesive document. Mr. Dolan explained that the Context Statement is used in the determination of whether or not a property is historically significant but does not contain any guidance for specific projects. Once a determination is made, property owners have no cause to reference the document. He explained that based on direction to streamline what already exists rather than start from scratch; the task force was asked to focus on eliminating contradictions between the Downtown Specific Plan and Design Guidelines rather than to merge the two documents. City Council Minutes Page 5 of 14 January 21, 2014