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Mr. Brozosky drew staff's attention to the Parking Standards for ail uses except office uses on the first floor of Main Street, which would have a ratio of one parking space per 250 square feet. He wondered why there was a five year period allowed for uses that are there today, and asked if, after five years, an owner chooses to convert to an office why we would not have to allow for more parking or charge in-lieu fees. Mr. Swirl stated that the intent of the requirement for office parking is to provide slightly more parking than if it were a retail building. This goes along with the policy direction of the Specific Plan to encourage retail rather than office in the downtown unless the office use is on the second floor. He mentioned that the five-year requirement has been in the ordinance for some time, and was to keep someone from saying here is my retail building and I am building parking spaces at the more relaxed rate but I am leasing it almost from the initial outset as an office building. The five-year period is to keep new development honest for that period of time. After that five year period in the downtown, all buildings are then treated the same. It seemed to Mr. Brozosky that we would want to discourage retail from being converted over to office space. He asked the Pleasanton Downtown Association to speak to this issue if they felt the five-year requirement was too short. Ms. Hosterman asked for further explanation regarding the section in the staff report entitled "Parking Assessment Districts," particularly where it refers to the existing City lot on Peters Avenue which was established through a parking assessment district, whereby the property owners on the block donated land and/or money according to a specific formula or "assessment spread," developed a parking lot and deeded to the City, etc. Mr. Swift informed her that the existing downtown parking lot that is on Peters Avenue between St. Mary's and Division Street is the parking lot that when created, different property owners pitched in and either dedicated land or paid money toward the development of that parking lot. In exchange, the Code established what the rules would be for the intensity that both buildings were allowed to be developed at. The rules established at that time were 80 percent floor area for the property that was left after the dedication for the downtown parking lot. For instance, if it were a restaurant it would be 50 percent floor area ratio. That section of the code has been there for a long period of time and is proposed not to be changed for this particular block. He pointed out that what the Code now states is just those rules that apply to that block. What is being proposed in the new code is to leave those rules for just that one block they way they have always been. With respect to any other block in the downtown that may wish to do the same thing, the code will set guidelines as to what percentage of parking to floor area should be created within that parking lot. Ms. Hosterman also asked for further explanation regarding the concept of creating public parking lots and how that will work. Pleasanton City Council 19 10/07/03 Minutes