PC 071112 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mr. Dolan stated that tonight's meeting will focus of the changes staff has made in response to the feedback from the Workshop. He indicated that there were a number of good comments, some more significant than others, and the major change is the removal of separate design guidelines for the BART site. He noted that most of the discussion and concern raised at the Workshop revolved around that specific issue, and it was much more complicated than the rest primarily because it was associated with the idea that a significant amount of non - residential square footage would be added into Hacienda Business Park, and the suggestion was made that this should not be considered without a broader discussion of the overall capacity within Hacienda Business Park. He added that staff considered that a legitimate point, but the schedule staff was on with respect to the Housing Element and the City's settlement obligations did not provide enough time to have that discussion because it could be quite involved; consequently, staff thought the best way to move forward was to continue that somewhat more involved discussion to a later time and bring before the Commission just what is necessary to fulfill the City's obligations under the Housing Element. Mr. Dolan stated that the current Councilmembers have expressed a desire to have that dialogue on their watch; therefore, he envisions that there would be a joint City Council - Planning Commission workshop to talk about this bigger - picture issue independent of these design guidelines while the current Council is still sitting. He noted that no final decision has been made in this regard and that, therefore, he does not have an exact date at this time. Mr. Dolan then turned the floor over to Janice Stern to discuss the more general broadly - applied development standards and design guidelines. He added that the City's consultant for this project, Rick Williams of Van Meter Williams Pollack, LLC, who also assisted staff previously with the Hacienda guidelines, is also present tonight to assist with any of the technical questions the Commission may have. Janice Stern started by summarizing the comments and questions raised at the Joint City Council- Planning Commission Workshop on June 5, 2012: • As earlier stated by Mr. Dolan, the discussion of the draft guidelines for the non - residential use on the BART property has been postponed; however, the guidelines for tonight's discussion cover all nine sites. • A larger question came up regarding adding maximum densities allowed and the need to clarify "minimum average density" for some prototypes of housing types that could range at higher densities and the role of a Building Matrix; and staff has added language to help clarify that. • There were some questions about the Open Space Ordinance and the two -for- one private open space. • There were some issues related to compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods and property. • There were also some questions and refinements to various Standards and Guidelines and the Vision Statement PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, July 11, 2012 Page 4 of 16