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<br />made sense to rezone areas yet. He agreed the BART station was a good place for higher <br />density housing. It is an advantage that the property is on the 1-680 corridor, which makes it <br />easier for commuters up and down that corridor. He did not think it was necessary to have a <br />grocery store in the area. There are other parts of town, such as where he lives, with no <br />services and that doesn't seem to be a problem. He agreed some kind of convenience store <br />would be sufficient. Another advantage is the fact that this development would provide a <br />parking structure for the BART station, which is much needed. He then referred to the Knuppe <br />property and indicated he did not want to change what is approved for the site. If the developer <br />wants to reduce density, it can make the proposal and work with the community, but he <br />reiterated they have a pre-approved plan. He was uncertain what to do with the Church <br />property. He could see some housing that fits in with the existing neighborhood, but could also <br />see potential for a Habitat for Humanity site. Instead of requiring inclusionary housing, he <br />suggested the Church donate some land next to the site for a Habitat for Humanity project. This <br />is the best type of low-income housing and he felt it would fit in with that neighborhood. He <br />wanted a better description of what the Church is planning. Is it six acres to be sold, keeping <br />three acres for the Church? Or could the Church keep three acres, two for public and <br />institutional and another part for residential. Regarding the Guesthouse Inn, he did not support <br />high density residential in that location. He wanted something to fit with the existing <br />neighborhood that was single story. He supported Ms. Roberts's suggestion about hillside <br />residential zoning for the Foothill area and then review what would make sense for the area in <br />lower elevations. <br /> <br />Mayor Hosterman believed it was premature to talk about specific projects. She was <br />more interested in discussing broader policy objectives at this point. She appreciated Mr. Hirst <br />for coming to the meeting to review the Austin and Yee proposals. She was excited about the <br />BART station proposal and felt it should be a true transit oriented development. However, at <br />this time, the proposal is for 350 units between the BART station and the mall and in <br />compensation, the city gets a parking structure now rather than five years from now. There <br />needs to be more review of the actual project. Regarding the Church site, she could accept <br />homes in one fashion or another on that property. However, she felt thirty units were too many. <br />From what she had heard, she believed there would not be a lot of opposition from the <br />neighbors depending upon what the homes looked like. She acknowledged concerns about <br />building structures where people could look into existing yards, but if a project is brought <br />forward with something less than thirty units and on a case by case basis, it may be possible to <br />develop something that would give the congregation the funds to upgrade their existing facility. <br />As far as all the other listed properties, on a broad-based discussion, she would be interested in <br />talking further about re-instituting the 25% slope rule and then looking at the changed numbers. <br />Then allow each property owner as an application is submitted to make the argument that <br />additional units would not have an adverse impact on the land or on the community. If there is a <br />compelling argument, they may get Council support. She then referred to the concept raised by <br />Ms. McGovern, that instead of designating land use for the entire city and using up all of the <br />housing cap units, that a certain number of units be set aside for consideration by future <br />generations. It could be 200 or 400 units. She asked Council if it was willing to direct staff to <br />include that in the picture for the final review on March 28. She liked the idea for the future <br />populations of a changing community to make those determinations. <br /> <br />Mr. Brozosky thought Council had already discussed this reserve and would decide at <br />the end of the workshops what the number should be. <br /> <br />Joint Workshop <br />City Council/Planning Commission <br /> <br />20 <br /> <br />03/01/06 <br />