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Planning Manager Clark provided an overview of the project goals which included clarifying key policy <br />areas, responding to community objectives, strengthening protection of physical features of Downtown <br />and incorporating key concepts from other planning efforts. She provided an overview of the two (2) <br />year plus process to date which included 18 Task Force meetings and over 70 total public outreach <br />opportunities and methods. She advised the public outreach input was completed in 2019 and reported <br />back to the Task Force to provide policy direction in the DSP draft. <br />Ms. Clark provided an overview of principal changes to the 2002 plan which included new `mixed-use" <br />land use designations, a Town Square District concept, an active ground floor overlay and exception <br />process, streetscape concepts, clarification on ground floor residential uses, update on existing <br />conditions, consolidate/combining chapters of the DSP, and Improved readability and graphics. <br />Senior Planner Shweta Bonn provided an overview of topics to which Council already provided <br />direction that included modifying the Municipal Code to address massage establishment requirements <br />citywide, notification to the Planning Commission when any exceptions are made to active ground Floor <br />overlay by staff, prohibiting ground -floor residential uses on some streets, City Council approved <br />property -owner initiated requests at 4212 First Street and 475/483 St. John Street, development <br />standards for Downtown Commercial, Mixed use -Downtown, Mixed -use -Transitional and Residential <br />districts and a right to do business ordinance. <br />Senior Planner Bonn provided an overview of recommended approaches that staff would like Council to <br />confirm which include establishing the Zoning Administrator as the approving body for outdoor dining, a <br />policy implementation action to establish standards for story poles and visuals for downtown projects, to <br />not provide a policy for where ground -floor residential uses may be constructed on corner -lots so that <br />requests may be viewed on a case-by-case basis, establishing additional resident height with a <br />Planned Unit Development (PUD), Draft DSP Policy LD -P.49 which requires improvements to existing <br />buildings and landscaping when new residential in -fill is proposed, the establishment of a parking <br />strategy working group to identify improvements to parking supply and management. <br />Senior Planner Bonn presented the discussion topic on whether or not a PUD should be required for <br />residential development and four options for consideration: Option 1. Maintain current approach: <br />projects that meet development standards, Design Guidelines, and policies are subject to Design <br />Review by the Planning Commission. Projects that seek to deviate from established standards are <br />subject to the PUD process. This is the Planning Commission's recommendation. Option 2. Require <br />PUD for projects that include new ground -floor residential units. This is Staff's recommendation. Option <br />2.b. Require PUD for projects that propose more than two new ground -floor residential units. Option 3. <br />Require a PUD if residential does not already exist on the site. Option 4. Require a PUD of proposed <br />residential with a redevelopment area of a certain size or a certain unit increase. Additional approvals <br />requested included, General Plan Amendments; Municipal Code Amendments; Downtown Design <br />Guidelines text and DSP boundary map amendments; and Downtown Hospitality Guidelines <br />Senior Planner Bonn advised the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was made available on <br />February 2019 and was open for public comment through mid-March. The City received seven letters. <br />She advised a Final EIR (FEIR) is the master response which addresses changes to the DSP since the <br />November 2018 DRAFT and advised that the findings and conclusions of the DEIR remain valid. <br />Senior Planner Bonn provided an overview of staff recommendations which include a resolution <br />certifying the FEIR for the DSP update, a resolution to rescind the 2002 DSP, introduction of an <br />ordinance approving changes to the zoning designations for certain properties and introduction of an <br />ordinance amending Chapter 17.24 (Transportation Systems Management) and Title 18 (Zoning) of the <br />Municipal Code to implement the policies of the updated DSP. <br />In response to Mayor Thorne's inquiry, Senior Planner Bonn clarified there are no four-story buildings in <br />the DSP. <br />City Council Minutes Page 4 of 11 August 20, 2019 <br />