PC 091416 - Laserfiche WebLink

motion. It in fact was part of the motion because it was a strong request from the Planning Commission and the concern that I had was making it a condition of approval on the project simply because condition of approval is "the project" rather than an approval step or the procedural discussion that you are making. So I just want to make sure that that's as clear as possible. I think that what we need to do is inform applicants earlier about these requests and make sure that even as early as the workshop we get the story poles up which helps generate the public interest and public awareness I think that we're looking for with these kinds of projects and I think that it also puts developers and applicants on notice that that is going to be the expectation. And I believe what I committed to in subsequent meetings and in other discussions about the story poles is that for applicants who are doing infill projects in Downtown, it won't be an option any more. We are going to use some amount of discretion but the expectation is that story poles come with the project if that's an appropriate way to garner awareness and give a better understanding of the height, scale and massing of the project. Commissioner Allen: So just to clarify then because I fully support that. So what I hear you saying is that the default assumption will be at a workshop that story poles will be required unless for some reason we decide that it doesn't make sense and it's not needed. But that will be a default assumption and that applicants will be required to place story poles per the City code in terms of how they should be placed. Beaudin: Yes and the zoning for the Downtown area and the DSP do speak to that and to using them appropriately. As far as the conversation with the Council I'm not sure that I minimized the Planning Commission's request but I did make it clear that it was a request. It wasn't required prior to any hearing of the item and I think that was consistent with the intent. I realize that we were maybe a little bit presumptuous in terms of how long it would take to get those story poles up and you know, candidly, I said this —I didn't think the poles that were erected were consistent with the kind of story poles that we had in mind —and you and I had actually had a conversation earlier in the day or late the week before the City Council meeting that those were not story poles consistent with the kinds of story poles we need to see for projects in Pleasanton. Commissioner Balch: Can I just jump in if I may? I remember the motion because of reading the minutes. The question I have though is I watched the Council meeting that night and I had a different take. It was a point for me to listen to it, but I took the direction of Council that they didn't think they were necessary frankly. And actually, if I may, that may be complicating the matter because you know what type of story poles? What qualifies as a story pole? So the complication is there and I don't want to make light of it because I also don't want to necessarily make something where Council's direction to us is to not have it required. Beaudin: Yeah, so that was an interesting twist that unfolded itself during the meeting. The DSP does allow us to ask for those. The Council, during their deliberations, did seem to indicate that because of the overall height of the structures, because of the package that was before them, that the story poles were of lesser importance in their decision - making for the application.... PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, September 14, 2016 Page 4 of 22