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The Planning Commission also provided recommendations on additional topics, <br /> including: outdoor dining in the Mixed-Use Transitional (MU-T) District, incorporation of <br /> a policy to establish standards for story poles and project visuals, ground-floor <br /> residential uses on corner lots, residential building height, what types of projects require <br /> approval of a Planned Unit Development, a policy related to enhancement of existing <br /> residential properties when developed with infill, and downtown parking. These various <br /> recommendations are discussed in greater detail later in this report. Detailed <br /> information on the Planning Commission meeting is provided by Attachment 6, excerpt <br /> of the approved minutes from this meeting. <br /> DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN BACKGROUND: GOALS AND PUBLIC OUTREACH <br /> The 2002 DSP provides goals, objectives, and implementation measures that facilitate <br /> the changes needed to serve the City's growing population and employment base while <br /> still preserving the essence of Downtown's small-town character. The 2002 DSP was an <br /> update to the original 1989 Downtown Specific Plan. <br /> The City Council has identified the update to the 2002 DSP as a work plan priority. The <br /> appointed 10-member Task Force, composed of representatives from City Council, <br /> Planning Commission, the Economic Vitality Committee and members at large, has <br /> been working on the update since January of 2017, with the assistance of staff and a <br /> professional consultant team. <br /> Key goals of the update to the 2002 DSP include: <br /> - Provide clear and consistent policy guidance; <br /> - Provide a framework for new development on significant opportunity sites, <br /> particularly the existing civic center site; <br /> - Ensure consistency and integration with recent and ongoing planning efforts; <br /> - Achieve the most desirable mix of land uses, including residential, retail, and office <br /> throughout the downtown area, including ground-floor uses along Main Street; <br /> - Ensure a high-quality, well-designed public realm; <br /> - Improve connections from Main Street to side streets; and <br /> - Improve the mobility of cars, buses, bicycles, and pedestrians in the downtown <br /> area. <br /> With these objectives in mind, the Task Force guided the plan update through 18 Task <br /> Force meetings held over the course of two years. Public input, in various forms, has <br /> been gathered from almost 70 public outreach opportunities/methods to inform the Task <br /> Force (and the City Council) of the community's objectives and desires for the future of <br /> downtown. <br /> Public outreach has included: <br /> - Task Force meetings (18 total); <br /> - General Community Outreach meetings such as Farmers' Markets or First <br /> Wednesday Street Parties (6 total); <br /> - City Council, Commission and Committee meetings, such as Library <br /> Commission, Youth Commission, and Bicycle Pedestrian Trails Committee (16 <br /> total); <br /> Page 4 of 18 <br />