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Commissioner Balch: ... yes, for this application. Beaudin: ... for this particular application, and I think that's where I said we'll apply some discretion. I think that if it's a small site and somebody's proposing a two -story structure that's consistent with or maybe equal to or close to what's around it, maybe those story poles become less relevant to the decision - making process. And then where people are proposing larger buildings or things where we have some concerns about, maybe at the staff level we can bring that to the workshop discussion and make sure that we flesh that out a little bit more. Chair Ritter: I agree. I don't think it should be a requirement for every project. I think if it's going to have an impact. If the neighbor's view is going to get blocked or if it's going to be a mass when you turn around the corner and you can't see around it from a .... just want to make sure there's an intent that's needed; a purpose and not just to have story poles on every project. If they are all below the height restrictions and all of that you can't "not" approve a project if they're all within the codes that we have set up just because it's purple and doesn't look good. Then the quality of the story poles could be different on everybody. On some of those projects they're tipping over, so I don't know if we have a certified story pole maker, but I'd just be careful in making a requirement of it unless there's a purpose. Commissioner Balch: And if I may, I apologize —this is jumping real fast. I'm also in the position that the difficulty in knowing when they are required is almost impossible based on what I think the process is. If an application comes in and it's a workshop, we can't say we wanted story poles for the workshop or not at that point. You know, that's the first time I think we're seeing it, right, unless we saw it in the future and then when it's the next hearing item. So it's complicated. Beaudin: Well, what I was going to add to that is I think there are cases where I think staff recognizes that something may be out of character and I think for a workshop we may make that request of the developer and we'll be very clear that this conversation has been had and that's where we think there may be an opportunity to get way out in front of and make sure that information is available to you for the workshop. There may be other instances where that's not a staff position but it may come from the Planning Commission and there will be ample opportunity between the workshop and the first hearing on the project if that is the will of the Planning Commission. So there are multiple opportunities. I don't want to make it "one size fits all it shall be done" because I just think we see a variety of project types in the Downtown. Commissioner Balch: Well, if I may, the motion that I made was more of a "one size fit all" and I think I'll say that I'm probably backing off of that in light of Council's conversation that I did observe. My position is that I noticed that the people who stood up at Council —it wasn't the same group that comes here necessarily but it is a different group that comes here and they do talk about their views a lot more and they may not make it to Council, right? So they vet it here, so maybe it isn't necessary at the Council level but it might be here. Commissioner Nagler: Which I think is a point that's important for us to recognize; that whether the Council, individual Council members took into consideration or wanted to PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, September 14, 2016 Page 5 of 22