HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-05 City Council Action MinutesCITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL
ACTION MINUTES
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Special Meeting
September 5, 2017
The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council
Chambers at 5:08 P.M.
Present: DuBois, Filseth, Fine, Holman, Kniss, Kou, Scharff, Tanaka,
Wolbach
Absent:
Closed Session
1. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS.
This Item has Been Removed and Will be Heard at a Later Date.
Inter-Governmental Legislative Affairs
1A. Support for SB 797 (Hill), a Senate Bill Allowing Regional Entities and
Residents of Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties to
Vote to Increase the Sales Tax by 1/8 Cent for Caltrain Operations and
Capital Purposes (CONTINUED FROM AUGUST 28, 2017).
MOTION: Council Member DuBois moved, seconded by Council Member
Wolbach to declare support for SB 797 (Hill), a bill allowing the Peninsula
Corridor Joint Powers Board to petition regional entities and the voters of
Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties, to increase the sales tax
by 1/8 cent to fund Caltrain operations and capital expenditures, and direct
the Staff to return to Council with a letter to the boards of Caltrain and VTA,
stating that our ongoing support of SB 797 will be dependent on progress in
a discussion about Caltrain governance.
INCORPORATED INTO THE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE
MAKER AND SECONDER to amend the Motion to state “…with a letter to the
boards of Caltrain, VTA and Board of Supervisors.”
INCORPORATED INTO THE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND SECONDER to amend the Motion to state “…will be dependent
on timely progress in a discussion.”
ACTION MINUTES
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City Council Meeting
Action Minutes: 9/5/17
MOTION AS AMENDED RESTATED: Council Member DuBois moved,
seconded by Council Member Wolbach to declare support for SB 797 (Hill), a
bill allowing the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board to petition regional
entities and the voters of Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties,
to increase the sales tax by 1/8 cent to fund Caltrain operations and capital
expenditures, and direct Staff to return to Council with a letter to the boards
of Caltrain, VTA and Board of Supervisors stating that our ongoing support of SB 797 and additional funding measures for Caltrain will be dependent on
timely progress in a discussion about Caltrain governance.
MOTION PASSED: 7-2 Kniss, Kou no
Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions
None.
Minutes Approval
2. Approval of Action Minutes for the August 21, 2017 Council Meeting.
MOTION: Vice Mayor Kniss moved, seconded by Mayor Scharff to approve
the Action Minutes for the August 21, 2017 Council Meeting.
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
Action Items
3. PUBLIC HEARING. Adoption of an Ordinance for an Extension of Interim Ordinance Number 5357 Imposing an Annual Limit of 50,000 net new
Square Feet of Office/R&D Uses in Designated Areas of the City to June
30, 2018 as Recommended by the Planning and Transportation
Commission on July 26, 2017; and Direction Regarding a Replacement
Ordinance. The Proposed Ordinance is Exempt From the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in Accordance With CEQA Guidelines
Section 15061(b)(3).
Public Hearing opened at 6:39 P.M.
Public Hearing closed at 6:57 P.M.
MOTION: Council Member Wolbach moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Kniss
to:
A. Find the proposed Ordinance exempt from the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with CEQA Guidelines
Section 15061(b)(3); and
ACTION MINUTES
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City Council Meeting
Action Minutes: 9/5/17
B. Adopt an Ordinance to extend the existing interim Annual Office Limit
Ordinance Number 5357 for an additional seven months to expire on
June 30, 2018, allowing time for development and adoption of a
replacement Ordinance, as recommended by the Planning and
Transportation Commission on July 26, 2017.
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
MOTION: Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by Council Member DuBois to direct Staff to include in the replacement Ordinance that the boundaries in the
existing Ordinance should be subject to the Annual Limit.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by
Council Member XX to direct Staff to include in the replacement Ordinance
that the Annual Limit should apply citywide, with the exception of the Stanford
Research Park.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILED DUE TO THE LACK OF A SECOND
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member Kou moved, seconded by Council
Member XX to direct Staff to include in the replacement Ordinance that the
Annual Limit should apply citywide, including Stanford Research Park.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILED DUE TO THE LACK OF A SECOND
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
MOTION: Vice Mayor Kniss moved, seconded by Council Member DuBois to
direct Staff to continue to use 50,000 Gross Square Feet (GSF) as the Annual
Limit.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member Kou moved, seconded by Council
Member Holman to direct Staff to use 40,000 Gross Square Feet (GSF) as the
Annual Limit.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILED: 4-5 DuBois, Filseth, Holman, Kou yes
MOTION PASSED: 8-1 Kou no
MOTION: Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by Council Member Wolbach to
direct Staff to include in the replacement Ordinance to roll-over unused
allocations for up to two years before they expire.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by
Council Member Kou to direct Staff to include in the replacement Ordinance
that unused allocations do not roll-over to future years.
ACTION MINUTES
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City Council Meeting
Action Minutes: 9/5/17
SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILED: 4-5 DuBois, Filseth, Holman, Kou yes
INCORPORATED INTO THE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND SECONDER to amend the Motion to state, “up to one year
before they expire.”
MOTION AS AMENDED RESTATED: Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by
Council Member Wolbach to direct Staff to include in the replacement
Ordinance to roll-over unused allocations for up to one year before they expire.
MOTION PASSED: 5-4 DuBois, Filseth, Holman, Kou no
MOTION: Council Member Wolbach moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Kniss to
direct Staff to maintain the current list of exemptions for (a) Office/R&D
development less than 2,000 GSF; (b) Medical office and/or deed restricted
non-profit office development less than 5,000 GSF total; and (c) Self-
mitigating projects that propose sufficient housing to meet the housing
demand of additional employment.
AMENDMENT: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Council Member
XX to add to the Motion a new Part D “non-profit development less than 3,000
GSF”; and to amend Part B to state “either medical office or non-profit
development less than 5,000 GSF”
AMENDMENT WITHDRAWN BY THE MAKER
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
MOTION: Vice Mayor Kniss moved, seconded by Council Member Fine to
direct Staff to include in the replacement Ordinance a first-come first-served
process for reviewing projects subject to the Annual Limit.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member DuBois moved, seconded by Council
Member Filseth to direct Staff to continue the current competitive process for
reviewing projects subject to the Annual Limit.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILED: 4-5 DuBois, Filseth, Holman, Kou yes
MOTION PASSED: 5-4 DuBois, Filseth, Holman, Kou no
Council took a break from 8:35 P.M. and returned at 8:51 P.M.
4. Adoption of the Community Engagement Plan, Problem Statement,
Objectives, and Evaluation Criteria to Support Development and
Evaluation of Railroad Grade Separation Alternatives.
ACTION MINUTES
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City Council Meeting
Action Minutes: 9/5/17
MOTION: Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by Council Member Filseth to
adopt the revised Community Engagement Plan and direct Staff to return to
Council with an addendum to the Rail Committee Charter and Guiding
Principles that supports implementation of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS)
by providing regular opportunities during Rail Committee meetings for open
dialogue, questions and interaction between the Committee, stakeholders and
members of the public, and Staff and consultants.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Council Member DuBois moved, seconded by
Council Member Holman to direct Staff to form and empower a Multi-
stakeholder Group as a backbone of the CSS process, to report
recommendations to the Rail Committee and the City Council, and that the
Stakeholder Group will propose at least one recommendation for a preferred
alternative.
INCORPORATED INTO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION WITH THE CONSENT OF THE MAKER AND SECONDER to amend the Motion to state “direct Staff
to bring to Council recommendations for the formation and empowerment of
a Multi-stakeholder Group …..”
SUBSTITUTE MOTION AS AMENDED RESTATED: Council Member DuBois
moved, seconded by Council Member Holman to direct Staff to bring to Council recommendations for the formation and empowerment of a Multi-stakeholder
Group as a backbone of the CSS process, to report recommendations to the
Rail Committee and the City Council, and that the Stakeholder Group will
propose at least one recommendation as a preferred alternative.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION AS AMENDED FAILED: 3-6 DuBois, Holman, Kou
yes
AMENDMENT: Council Member DuBois moved, seconded by Council Member
Kou to remove from the Motion the references to CSS from the Engagement
Plan and rename it Community Engagement.
AMENDMENT FAILED: 3-6 DuBois, Holman, Kou yes
MOTION RESTATED: Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by Council Member
Filseth to adopt the revised Community Engagement Plan and direct Staff to
return to Council with an addendum to the Rail Committee Charter and
Guiding Principles that supports implementation of Context Sensitive Solutions
(CSS) by providing regular opportunities during Rail Committee meetings for
open dialogue, questions and interaction between the Committee,
stakeholders and members of the public, and Staff and consultants.
MOTION PASSED: 7-2 Holman, Kou no
ACTION MINUTES
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City Council Meeting
Action Minutes: 9/5/17
MOTION: Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by Council Member Fine to
continue this item to September 11, 2017.
MOTION PASSED: 7-2 Filseth, Wolbach no
Inter-Governmental Legislative Affairs
None.
Council Member Questions, Comments and Announcements
None.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:09 P.M.