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area. He noted that the parking lot behind the Firehouse Arts Center is only full when there is an event at the Center or a big event Downtown; otherwise, it is virtually vacant. With respect to the point made that people want to go to this restaurant and there is not enough parking spaces right out in front, he stated that is what people expect but it might not be a reasonable expectation or one that can be met as the Downtown area is planned. Commissioner Nagler stated that the other thing the Commission talked about was that a new civic center being relocated is going to stimulate a conversation about what Downtown should be for the next 50 years, which inevitably would include a conversation about parking. He noted that it is in that context that the Commission can probably actually address a looming parking issue with a very large discussion and significant decisions. He agreed with the comment made by the applicant that the City will want parking to be a problem Downtown, and given the totality of the town, the City is not there yet. Chair Allen stated that she loves the building site and is excited about the vibrancy it will add to the Downtown, but she would also love to have the parking problem addressed because the City needs to take action, and sometimes things need to be broken before being forced to take action in terms of building more parking structures. She indicated that she is in town about 50 percent of the time; she walks the Downtown every single day, she bikes Downtown, she drives Downtown, and is probably there three to four hours a day, so she is very familiar with parking and can almost always get a spot within two blocks. She added that she does not see anything serious yet but hopes this will make it serious. In terms of the parking in -lieu fee, Chair Allen agreed with Commissioner O'Connor's concern and appreciates the guidance about that. She stated that she believes this building will add more parking need than what has been considered for other buildings, like for like. She indicated that she had a discussion with Mr. Weinstein earlier about parking in -lieu fees because she believes that potentially, there should be two more parking spots required because page 8 of the staff report states that the site originally contained two parking spots that were to be retained as part of the previously approved design review application when the building was demolished; and when the agreement was made originally to allow this building to receive full credit of 12 spots, it assumed that two parking spots would be retained. She noted that those two parking spots have been removed and have been used for part of the building, which includes both outdoor and indoor spaces. She indicated that the math in terms of looking at the credit for three parking spots makes sense, but those two parking spots should be added to the three for an in -lieu requirement of five spots. Commissioner O'Connor referred to Commissioner Nagler's earlier statement that the applicant was getting a credit for the 12 spaces because the City already found them someplace else; however, two of them were on -site and are now gone, so there are really only ten spaces elsewhere, and those two need to be replaced. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, May 13, 2015 Page 16 of 32