01 MINUTES REGULAR 07-15-08 - Laserfiche WebLink

Ayes: Councilmembers Cook-Kallio, McGovern, Sullivan, Thorne, Mayor Hosterman Noes: None Absent: None Abstain: None BREAK: Mayor Hosterman called for afive-minute break at 8:45 p.m. and thereafter reconvened the regular meeting. 17. Adopt a resolution placing an initiative measure to protect ridgelines and hillsides and to clarify growth management procedures on the November 4, 2008 ballot; and approve related election procedures Assistant City Attorney Seto gave the staff report, stating the Council gave direction at its June 26~' meeting for staff to return with a proposed ballot measure regarding hillsides, ridgelines, and clarifying growth management issues. The Council gave direction this should embody several different items the Council can review, that the measure include a collaborative and public process to include potentially different stakeholders in a process to develop future ordinances and guidelines; that the ordinance would protect critical ridges, hillsides particularly in the south and east hills area, and that there be an engineering basis for these new regulations, including looking at new issues such as view lines, geotechnical information, elevations and other types of data. Council also directed this measure re-affirm existing General Plan policies with regards to ridgelines and hillsides, and also preserve the growth management cap while clarifying issues regarding growth management and housing units. Also, that there should be a deadline to complete this process to have the new ordinance in place through the collaborative and public process and that this measure would be an alternative measure to the Save Pleasanton Hills and Housing Cap Initiative. And, as an alternative measure it would mean that if this measure received more votes, this measure would prevail and the other would not be enacted. The Council would need to take action on the text, the title and the ballot question, make a decision on whether the Council would participate and how they would participate in ballot arguments, and then adopt the resolution placing the matter on the ballot that would incorporate all of those decisions. Vice Mayor Thorne questioned and confirmed that if the Council chose to put a deadline on the draft ordinance, it could be earlier than November 2009. Councilmember McGovern confirmed with the City Manager that an environmental study would be done if the draft ordinance is completed and that it could be a negative declaration or a full EIR and the Initiative talks about the ordinance or guidelines being completed by November 2009 so it could go into 2010 with the EIR. Conversely, the timeline can be shortened and the Council can request the process be completed within 6-8 months. Councilmember Sullivan referred to the ordinance, discussed a collaborative and public process, and indicated it could be a citizen's or stake holder's committee who works and develops recommendations to the Council or provide a public hearing where everyone gets an opportunity for public comment. City Manager Fialho said it is open-ended because the Council was not specific in terms of its direction. Assuming the measure is approved in November staff would return to the Council and receive specific direction. Councilmember Sullivan referred to the housing cap definition. He questioned whether or not on the CLC project, some formula would be developed at some point and not in advance of voting on the initiative, but at a later time when assisted living facilities would be determined. City Attorney Roush said the language is to address situations such as the community care facility City Council Minutes 8 July 15, 2008