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Commissioner Pearce stated that her understanding is that this is just a mechanism to allow the City Council the flexibility to do this. Ms. Stern said yes. She added that it does not mandate the City Council to allow everyone to do this. She indicated that the City Council will review the proposal to determine whether or not it is appropriate, and there will be a judgment call by the City Council that the developer meets the criteria and the objectives of the Downtown Specific Plan that the proposed plaza is in the right place, designed properly, and so forth. Mr. Dolan stated that there is an entire section of the Downtown Specific Plan that talks about providing these mini - plazas. Referring to the slide presented on "Additional Potential Criteria for Evaluating a Proposed Public Amenity," he indicated that with respect to this particular site, the bottom five criteria, Criteria from the Downtown Specific Plan, describe what the proposal would be compared against if it came forward: Mini - plazas should be attractively designed and used for small public gatherings such as musical, dance, or dramatic performances; art displays and special events. 2. Mini - piazas should enhance and be compatible with design elements found in adjacent structures and public streetscape improvements, whenever feasible. 3. Mini - plazas should typically be lighted and contain decorative paving and benches and other forms of seating. 4. Mini - plazas should be accessible and functionally relate to the sidewalk. 5. Provisions for the on -going maintenance of the mini - plazas should be made prior to construction. Mr. Dolan added that the top three would be some potential additional criteria if the Commission did not think the criteria already provided in the Specific Plan are adequate: 1. The proposed public amenity will contribute to the vitality of the Downtown Revitalization District. 2. The proposed location of the amenity is likely to be well -used by the public based on its visibility, proximity to pedestrian traffic, and relationship to surrounding land uses. 3. The proposed public amenity is not likely to cause safety or nuisance concerns for surrounding land uses. Commissioner Ritter stated that the parking study indicates that there are 975 spaces in the Downtown area and that there are only three lots that are private: Dean's Cafe, Round Table Pizza, and Bank of America. He inquired if all the others are public. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, January 8, 2014 Page 6 of 13