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pool hall and parking lot are now will become some sort of a seating place and an eating spot. He further inquired if the tree is going to be taken down. Chair O'Connor pointed to the display and indicated that part of it is the public area on the corner, and part of it is where the building is located. He confirmed that the tree will be taken down. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. Commissioner Piper stated that her question is still where people are going to park. Mr. Dolan replied that the approach is very similar to what a lot of downtowns do when they are lucky enough to have a nice traditional or walkable Main Street. He indicated that there is obviously street parking and that there are a number of public lots that are scattered throughout Downtown. He noted that a lot of people feel the Downtown does not have sufficient parking, but that all depends on how far they are willing to walk. He continued that when the City collects these in -lieu parking fees from projects to make improvements, the idea is that there will be the amenity of public lots such as the over 100 spaces by the Fire House Arts Center. He added that there is also a plan to expand that, and there are people who feel that the City should go even beyond that and build parking structures, which can be very expensive per space. He indicated that the Downtown Specific Plan identifies a few locations where there is the potential for future public lots; however, there has not been any decision to move forward on any of those beyond what has already been done in the railroad right -of -way. Ms. Stern stated that some of the Planning Commissioners will remember that when the City moved forward with the text amendment to formalize this process for other properties in the Downtown, it included a parking survey of the Downtown which looked at all of the streets, including the side streets in addition to Main Street, at various times of the day and various days of the week. She noted that staff identified a good number of vacant areas where the space is not necessarily adjacent to businesses, not necessarily on Main Street or on the cross streets close to Main Street, but within a block of Main Street. Chair O'Connor asked Mr. Dolan how many spaces could be accommodated with the improvement of what is left and not built -out on the railroad right -of -way. Mr. Dolan replied that he thinks the lot is at least as big as the other one that the City just did, and his recollection is that is in the vicinity of 100 spaces. Commissioner Allen inquired if these 100 spaces are ones that people do not use today or if people do use them and the City would just improve it. Mr. Dolan replied that the spaces are near the service station on Ray and First Streets and that they are not being used. He added that there is actually some clean -up that needs to be done on the soils before the City can convert it to parking spaces. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, May 28, 2014 Page 9 of 16