HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-09-23 City Council Summary Minutes Special Meeting September 23, 1997 1. PUBLIC HEARING: The Palo Alto City Council will consider the recommendations of the Planning Commission for a 1998-2010 Comprehensive Plan....................................84-325 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m............84-355
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The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers at 7:16 p.m. PRESENT: Andersen (arrived at 7:15 p.m.), Eakins, Fazzino (8:10 p.m.), Huber, Kniss, McCown, Rosenbaum, Schneider, Wheeler SPECIAL MEETINGS 1. PUBLIC HEARING: The Palo Alto City Council will consider the recommendations of the Planning Commission for a 1998-2010 Comprehensive Plan, including goals, policies and programs for six elements (Land Use and Community Design, Transportation, Housing, Natural Environment, Community Services and Facilities and Business and Economics); creation of new land use designation categories and street classifications; a modified Land Use and Circulation Map; and a Governance chapter which is not an element. The Final Environmental Impact Report analyzes potential environmental effects and impacts of the new Comprehensive Plan, mitigation measures for reducing environmental impacts and responds to comments received during public review of the Draft Environmental Impact Report.
Director of Planning and Community Environment Ken Schreiber said the purpose of the evening's meeting was to: 1) allow the Planning Commission to make a presentation; 2) provide Council with an opportunity to question the Planning Commission and staff; and 3) hold a presentation and question/answer session on hotel massing concepts for the site at Page Mill and El Camino Real. In early 1996, Council held a very long series of meetings to work through a thick package of recommendations from the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) and the Planning Commission. The Draft 1996-2010 Comprehensive Plan (the Plan) contained only the recommendations Council had approved. In Spring 1996, staff had transformed the recommendations into the Plan. During Council's review of the goals, policies, and programs, staff had pulled apart what Council had approved to reassemble and reorganize. Staff had already presented Council with a Tracking Plan for all of the items Council had directed for inclusion in the Plan and was the way in which staff was able to follow Draft 5 in Spring of 1996 into the document the Planning Commission had begun to review early in 1997 to ensure all goals, policies, and programs had found a place in the Plan. The Tracking Plan provided information about where particular items which had been approved by Council were found in the Plan. The text had been drafted primarily by staff along with graphics. A significant number of photographs had been taken by
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Council Member Eakins. The text had been redrafted a number of times. City staff member Barry Miller had edited the material to create consistent style and organization. After completion of the graphics and text, the material was assembled into the form in which the Planning Commission and Council had received it. Staff had been directed that the process: 1) should not exceed 200 pages, including maps, etc.; 2) include that one-quarter to one-third of each page space be graphics, pictures, maps, charts, etc., to break up the text and create a more readable document; and 3) contain a consistent editorial style with no individual pride of authorship. At the same time staff and consultants prepared the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) issued at the beginning of 1997. The Planning Commission had taken its charge very seriously in terms of preparing and recommending a Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission minutes reflected the great care which had been taken to work through the document with a number of rigorous debates on a number of items. The review began in February 1997 and ended in August 1997. To graphically illustrate the Planning Commission's changes, staff had included green pages in the Plan to reflect changed material, e.g., red-line and strike-outs for Planning Commission recommendations and changes. The Housing Element was accompanied by a Housing Element Technical Document (HETD) at the back of the Plan. The state required a Housing Element as well as a detailed formula. The state had been pleased with Palo Alto's HETD and the Housing Element in the Plan summarized the HETD which contained all of the goals, policies, and programs without some of the detailed data and jargon required by the state. Adoption of the Comprehensive Plan would include the HETD, regarded by the state as the City's official Housing Element. One chapter had been designated as the Implementation Chapter on which staff would continue to work over the following months, especially to coordinate Comprehensive Plan implementation with the Infrastructure Analysis and other City budgetary priorities. Comprehensive Plan priorities should not be established in the absence of other important City priority discussions. Staff anticipated releasing the Implementation Chapter for board and commission review after Council's review of the Plan, after which all materials would return to Council for final adoption. The schedule for review included public hearings on August 29 and 30, Council review on November 10, 18, and 20, 1997, and December 2, 1997, if necessary. Under the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC), the procedure required all Council changes to Planning Commission recommendations returned to the Planning Commission for review and comment. The Planning Commission would return a report to Council at which time the Comprehensive Plan would be ready for adoption, preceded by certification of the EIR. The public hearings on the Monday and Tuesday following were on both the EIR and the Plan. Staff anticipated that prior to getting into the substance of the
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Plan, Council would comment on the final EIR. Council's packet included the final EIR, letters of comment, staff responses, minutes, and changes to the draft EIR text. Planning Commissioner Phyllis Cassel said the Planning Commission was the primary commission responsible for providing the Comprehensive Plan, the primary duty of which included preparation, adoption, and recommendation to Council of a long-range comprehensive general plan to guide the future development of Palo Alto and any land outside its boundaries which, in the Planning Commission's judgment, had relation to its planning. A number of organizations had participated and provided input to the Planning Commission, including the boards and commissions, and the Plan had assimilated many of the ideas from those organizations. The Planning Commission had attempted to simplify, clarify and strengthen the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission had attempted to work with the words "balance" and "protect." The Planning Commission wanted to use words to indicate how much could be taken out of an issue to strengthen the goals. Because too much emphasis on the word "protect" might preclude moving ahead, the word had been watched very carefully. Conflicts over private rights and public rights had been examined, i.e., how much could be done with the public and how often private rights should be taken into consideration and how it influenced the way issues were viewed. Also discussed were issues of how far ahead, the City should project its proposals and goals. Often the Planning Commission discussion had revolved around the issue of planning for 15 years out or out where long-range issues were. Funding issues were examined, and the Planning Commission had probably asked for more than what could be funded. However, if items were not in the Comprehensive Plan, even when funds were available, action could not be taken. Council was urged not to just read the green sheets to see the changes because both the white sheets and green sheets had been debated. Many times changes had been recommended, e.g., editing or policy changes recommended by another board or commission with which the Planning Commission had agreed. The original document had contained recommendations from staff as well, which the PC had included. The Plan was a compilation of input from many people and commissions, not just items which had been debated. Issues which had remained in the white pages might have been debated for some time. The maps in the Plan had been prepared on the new Geographic Information System (GIS) and were attractive and easy to follow. New information had been produced for the Plan and other work the Planning Commission had been conducting. The front of each chapter contained a description of the City's existing conditions. In reading through the 190-page Plan, a great deal could be learned about the City. The Planning Commission thanked everyone who contributed to the work.
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Planning Commissioner Kathy Schmidt said staff and the Planning Commission had spent a great deal of time crafting the concise 6-page introduction which told much about the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan and the major themes of the Comprehensive Plan. The major themes were integrated throughout the document, not just in one section, e.g., the significance of transportation would be found throughout the document. The first major theme was "Building Community and Neighborhoods." Neighborhoods were the building blocks of the City, and each neighborhood contained many features, such as parks, schools, and public facilities, which helped build community both in the neighborhood and throughout the City. The goal of the Comprehensive Plan was to build community through neighborhoods. The theme "Protecting Community Character" had been changed to "Maintaining and Enhancing Community Character" to avoid
the use of the word "protect,≅ which implied changes would not be allowed. Palo Alto was a beautiful community, parts of which needed to remain the same while other parts needed enhancement and improvement. Every day, many automobiles used and traversed Palo Alto, which had an impact on the lives of the community and the environment. The Planning Commission wanted to see a reduction of that impact and improve the options for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit, thus the theme "Reducing Reliance on the Automobile." The Planning Commission also wanted to improve the multi-modal centers, which would make alternative transportation easier to use. Palo Alto's desire was to increase the housing supply, yet land was scarce. The theme of "Meeting Housing Supply Challenges" included increasing density, where appropriate. The City had had the foresight to install permanent areas of open space with the Baylands and Foothills which required additional protection, thus the theme "Protecting and Repairing Natural Features." Focus would also be necessary to protect some of the other natural features in Palo Alto, e.g., natural creeks and the urban forest. "Meeting Residential and Commercial Needs" addressed the thriving community of Palo Alto with its great residential and business environments which needed to remain compatible. The word "balance" had been replaced with "meeting," since "balance" often implied equal treatment. The last theme, to provide responsive "Governance and Regional Leadership," addressed community input. The Plan continued to support strong community participation. Palo Alto was already considered a regional leader in many areas and should continue to be that leader. In order to have parallel construction in the major themes of the introduction, Council was urged to add the words "provide responsive" before Governance and Regional Leadership. The introduction also included a description of the use and organization of the Comprehensive Plan, including definitions for goals, policies, and programs. The Planning Commission hoped the introduction to the Plan would see a great
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deal of publicity. The state-mandated elements included Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Open Space, Conservation, Safety, and Noise. The Palo Alto elements were Land Use and Community Design, Transportation, Housing, Natural Environment, Business and Economics, and Community Services and Facilities. Governance and implementation were chapters of the Comprehensive Plan.
Planning Commissioner Owen Byrd said the Planning Commission had spent 20 meetings on the Plan, a great deal of which time was spent on the vision statements introducing each chapter, where a great deal of wordsmithing had occurred. The introduction to Land Use and Community Design on page L-1 of the green sheets of the Plan was read. Palo Alto's regional role in the area of land use was emphasized. Boundaries between communities were sometimes no more than historical accidents, and Palo Alto had been viewed in context to the County and the entire Bay Area which had formed the language the Planning Commission had chosen to present a diverse range of issues. Palo Alto had not been viewed as an island. A strong view had been taken on extending the existing attitude in the City regarding protection of the Baylands and Foothills to which end, and to evidence the commitment to regionalism, the Planning Commission had established an urban growth boundary in the Plan. Of the 15 communities in the County, 6 or 7 had established or were establishing urban growth boundaries. Palo Alto had already agreed to the protection of the Baylands and Foothills. The wording in the Plan merely increased the protection and made the City consistent with its neighbors. The Planning Commission had also added language regarding treatment of unincorporated, specifically Stanford, lands. The Planning Commission had had a spirited discussion about the treatment of lands west of Junipero Serra. A significant amount of new information was in the Plan reaffirming the City's desire to keep lands open. Admittedly, Palo Alto had limited jurisdiction, with the three-part agreement among the County, Stanford, and the City. At the same time, the Planning Commission had unambiguously expressed that Palo Alto valued the lands in open space. New open space density limits had been created. The current Comprehensive Plan called for a minimum of one unit per ten acres. Staff had assisted the Planning Commission in research, which had revealed that many communities around the Bay Area, especially counties with open lands, actually had land use designations and zoning more restrictive than Palo Alto's. In the 1970s, Palo Alto had been the leader in its establishment of the one unit to ten acres. The Plan adopted the County standard. Palo Alto's foothill lands were not so significantly different in type or kind from County lands, and the County's program of having a minimum lot size of 20 to 160 acres, depending upon slope and other factors, worked well. The Planning Commission wanted to move
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to the County standard to be consistent. If protections were to be added to open spaces on the outside of the line and still meet housing and other needs, the City would have to carefully infill. To that end, four new land use designations had been created for the General Plan. The first was Mixed Use. It was hoped when the implementing zoning was written, zoning designations would be created which allowed for live/work, a combination of office and retail space, a combination of residential and retail space, and a combination of residential and office, which was particularly appropriate in the Silicon Valley. The Commercial Hotel designation had also been created along with two new housing designations, Village Residential at 20 units per acre which accommodated the small lot single-family detached and duplex and other infill projects which had come to Council over the years but the City had to struggle to absorb because it had no land use designations and zoning to absorb. The most visionary new designation was the Transit Oriented Residential zone which allowed for housing up to 75 units per acre within 2,000 feet of a multi-modal center. If the City were serious about making the transportation link, it would have to allow sufficient density of housing and other uses around such centers to allow the link to work. In terms of land use, the Plan presented the City with using a structure which had worked well for Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) and prior reviewers of the Plan which focused on three designations or ways of viewing the City: 1) residential neighborhoods; 2) commercial centers; and 3) employment districts. Regarding the design of buildings and public spaces, substantial input had been received from the Historic Resource Board (HRB), most of which had been incorporated and reaffirmed the community's commitment to its historic resources of all types. In addition, civic uses, public ways, public art, and other elements of design had been called out which had made the City the attractive and inviting place it was. Ms. Cassel said transportation was a critical part of connecting land uses and other uses. Housing needs could not be met unless people could get from one place to another. Significant pollution and noise problems were associated with automobiles. The vision statement from page T-1 of the Plan was read. Transportation was clearly an area where the community would have to look further ahead than 15 years and policies and programs would be placed in the Plan for which funding was not available. The Plan made far-reaching recommendations. On the other hand, transportation had caused the City much agony. There was no solution to the noise problems short of driving less. The City also had limited control over what it could do in the area of transportation. Palo Alto was just one part of the total piece. An article in Scientific America had indicated that the amount an individual drove an automobile was
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directly related to that individual's income. Additionally, one of the more common national television networks had presented an ad promoting driving a minivan instead of riding the bus. Although Palo Alto had some control locally over speeds, etc., it must look to working regionally with others. Palo Alto had been doing so and had to continue its emphasis in the Comprehensive Plan and general policies. The land use/transportation link emphasis to reduce automobile traffic had been given a 10 percent goal in the vision but not in the actual numbers because the Planning Commission had been hesitant in putting as an actual policy or program something which would be criticized because dense housing should not be built because it would bring more automobiles. Streets were public spaces which should be designed in a way which was comfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. Streets should be designed to assist individuals to drive more slowly. Parking was a continuous conflict. If more parking was created, it would be easier to go Downtown or other places. If there was less parking, people were more likely to use public transit and were less likely to go Downtown. Incorporating economic and environmental social costs in transportation decisions tended to be forgotten. Palo Alto needed to be a regional leader in transportation planning. In the Plan, the Planning Commission had mentioned the airport with some general policies. Airplanes made noises, but people continued to take planes. Mr. Byrd read the vision statement for the Housing Element on page H-1 of the green pages. More than any other element of the Plan, the Housing Element drew from the existing Comprehensive Plan since it had more recently been updated. The Housing Element's introduction described Palo Alto's demographics and the housing affordability challenge the City faced and showed the enormous challenges the City faced in trying to provide a range of housing opportunities in the community given the scarce land-base and market pressures. However, the goal was to increase the housing opportunities, i.e. more affordable housing, more attainable housing within reach of younger Palo Altans and people starting families who would add to the vitality of the community, and market-rate housing at all levels. The new housing designations, of mixed use, village residential, and transit-oriented residential were an attempt to achieve new housing opportunities. The touchy subject of density had indicated a desire to preserve and add density where appropriate within the community, without which the City would be unable to meet the housing challenges and would not meet the densities to support transit. In the course of discussions on housing and density, staff had produced two maps which addressed zoning, not land-use designations. In some respects, the maps pointed to what would need to be done in terms of implementation but showed why the City faced housing challenges.
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The maps compared existing residential density. When discussions about preserving the character of the community occurred, it became obvious the character of the community was the land use pattern which was diverse, involved many different types of housing over time, and was not uniform. The City's housing was very eclectic and unique. The other map showed the planned residential density. A choice had been made in the past in the community to consciously down-zone. The Plan somewhat intentionally went with that previous decision because it acknowledged the value of the existing densities and suggested it be followed in the right places, at the right time, and with the right design. The Planning Commission had also discussed the controversial subject of reduced parking requirements. Although occasionally counter-intuitive, if housing were desired close to transit centers, the housing might have to be built without the otherwise required parking, or housing would be impossible to obtain. The Planning Commission had explored Below Market Rate (BMR) issues and had arrived at a standard calling for a BMR unit to be added or an in-lieu payment made when a developer produced three for-sale units or five rental units. Commissioner Jonathan Schink had made an economic presentation which showed that among the reasons Palo Alto had failed to get development of the rental stock it desired was that of the series of costs, one of which might be BMR. The Palo Alto Housing Corporation (PAHC) had concurred, so the Planning Commission thought it best to try and enable the City to produce more rental housing. The technical document at the end of the Plan was the state-mandated element. Council Member Rosenbaum asked for an explanation of the difference between the two maps. Mr. Byrd explained how one map showed existing residential densities with many different colors designating densities, e.g., one color for 1 to 7 units per acre, one color for 7 to 12 units per acre, which showed the wide range of residential densities in the community over 1 to 7 units per acre. The City also had a great deal of 7 units per 12 acres, the density at which transit worked and would enable the shuttle to work. Council Member Rosenbaum asked whether there was any relation to actual land designations and zones. Mr. Byrd replied yes, to the extent many places had been allowed by existing zoning when developed. Most of the density had essentially been grandfathered in, since it had been the density called for by the City's zoning. A conscious decision had been made in the past to down-zone the community, a path which, if continued, would not allow the City to achieve its housing and other land use objectives. The existing character of Palo Alto was
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impressive, and the general plan and implementation of the Plan should continue to enable the community to retain its look while allowing other elements to enter in more so than the uniform and lower density provided by existing zoning. Mr. Schreiber explained how one map showed the existing, on-the-ground density. Significant parts of Palo Alto which been built over the course of decades which had greater than or more density than the basic one to seven units per acre the zoning ordinance acknowledged in very significant parts of the community. The other map was a policy map which indicated the City's policies in terms of residential development. The policy for development for much of the City was lower than the historic density. If the historic density became the policy, greater opportunities would be afforded the City for development of additional housing consistent with the way Palo Alto had developed for many decades. Many existing regulations failed to acknowledge the City's historic development pattern but set out a lower density goal and a lower density set of regulations than had been the case historically. Council Member Rosenbaum asked whether staff had implied that since the City had relatively high density areas, people had to be happy with the higher density rather than what was actually reflected. Mr. Byrd said the Planning Commission acknowledged the inherent tension between the Plan and the City's existing zoning, which would not be resolved with Council's review of the Plan. If the Plan became law, it would expect through implementation through zoning to take a fresh look at the issue called out in the second map. The Plan had been written with the expectation that zoning would be somewhat modified over time to reflect what was actually on the ground and what would be best for the community. Council Member Kniss clarified a housing element had been woven into the Plan by which the City was required to abide, which was in the old Comprehensive Plan. She asked whether the "lots of blue" map would allow the City to be in compliance and what the penalty would be for not being in compliance. City Attorney Ariel Calonne said by state law, the existing Housing Element had to demonstrate the City had sufficient land zoned for housing to meet the regional needs. Council Member Kniss clarified that it was whether or not housing was actually built. Mr. Calonne replied yes. The "lots of blue" map should be satisfactory under state law. He was unsure the state had funded
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the housing element process in terms of consequences. Mr. Byrd said the Office of Planning and Research at the state level was currently unfunded. Mr. Calonne said the consequence of the unfunded status was that local agencies no longer had to follow the direction, i.e., unfunded mandates need not be complied with, and there were currently no consequences from the state. However, if the City's Housing Element failed to meet state requirements, any citizen group or person affected by a decision could challenge the adequacy of the Comprehensive Plan. If successful, a court could order a moratorium or other remedy necessary to force the agency to compliance, i.e., even if the state failed to fund its direction, the City would be faced with a lawsuit if it failed to comply. Mr. Byrd said the City was surrounded by jurisdictions which had housing elements not in compliance. Palo Alto should be very proud that its Housing Element was in compliance and it was the right thing to do. Council Member Kniss asked whether the fact the City had zoned for housing or the fact that housing was available. If housing were available, the City had had a very large Regional/Community Commercial area for 20 years which kept it in compliance. Mr. Schreiber said Council Member Kniss had referred to the area along Sand Hill Road and was correct that the multiple-family density along Sand Hill was a very important part of the City's overall ability to meet state and regional expectations regarding the Housing Element. The other aspect which helped the City remain in compliance was that the state had not funded updates of housing element numbers and assumptions for at least three years Within a few years, that would change. The Association for Bay Area Governments (ABAG) would receive state funding for new housing element numbers after which time the City would be told what kind of housing projections it would need to meet the housing element. At that time, the City would have a more difficult time demonstrating to the State that it had sufficient housing potential to meet the expectations the State and regional agencies set out. If unable to meet the expectations, the City would no longer have an approved Housing Element. The Plan demonstrated that relatively small increases in density at many different locations could be a notable part of meeting future housing needs in the community, The combination of many smaller increases could accumulate to be significant, which got into implementation and programs in the Housing Element regarding infill, increased density, etc.
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Council Member Kniss said the need projection in the 1990-95 Housing Action Plan contained in the old Comprehensive Plan had been almost 1,600 units. Of that number, a Stanford West development of 900 units, including 500 senior units, had been assumed. Therefore, the City would have been out of compliance since that time. Mr. Schreiber said part of being in compliance with the State Housing Element Regulations was the ability to demonstrate that sufficient land existed and was appropriately zoned to meet ABAG's projected need. As soon as ABAG received State funding to update the numbers, an increase would have the City scrambling to be able to find and demonstrate that enough appropriately zoned land was available. Housing would not necessarily have to be built because housing was a private market. Council Member Kniss said there had not been any penalty to date for not creating the housing. It had always been problematic that the City's Housing Element was always in compliance while being surrounded by jurisdictions without housing elements in compliance. Mr. Schreiber said the critical point was the City's ability to demonstrate its ability to meet State regulations. The City had been able to do so over the course of the 1980s and 1990s. However, the City would have to be creative in showing sufficient housing opportunities existed to meet State expectations as the expectations changed over the following years. Mr. Calonne said incentives were primarily directed to the private sector for development. The most obvious was the allowance in State law for density bonuses. Council Member Kniss said the City could designate all the land it wanted for housing, but if no one built on the land, citizens would complain. Mr. Schreiber said the City would not be building the SRO housing on Alma if it failed to have a State-certified Housing Element because one of the funding application requirements was having a State-certified Housing Element. The project had been dependent upon having a certified Housing Element. He was responsible for ensuring the City's planning documents were in compliance with whatever State requirements existed. No staff wanted to be in a position of vulnerability to a lawsuit which would complicate up the development process. Jurisdictions not in compliance on environmental issues, water discharge, or housing had been placed in situations of judicial limitations on building permits, etc., which City staff wanted to avoid.
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Council Member Kniss clarified the City was dependent on its compliance to the Comprehensive Plan's Housing Element in order to secure financial assistance. Mr. Schreiber replied yes. Council Member Wheeler commented on the new housing designation, Transit Residential Oriented of up to 75 units per acre. In the school of "sugar cube" planning, whenever a concept was introduced, it was necessary to visualize a picture of how such a development would look. She asked whether the City was still interested in preserving its 50-foot height limit. Mr. Byrd replied yes. Council Member Wheeler asked what a theoretical project which complied with the new zone at 75 units per acre might yield in the way of square footage per unit. Mr. Byrd said no diagrams or plans had been provided in the Plan; however, staff might be able to provide something in the course of Council's review. Clearly, it was possible to build out at a net density of 75 units per acre under the 50-foot height limit, depending upon the size of the units. The Planning Commission was comfortable with the threshold numbers and the ability to build in an attractive and feasible manner. Council Member Wheeler asked whether there was a range of square footage per unit. Mr. Byrd said the Planning Commission minutes reflected a discussion of a number of projects which fell into the category. A number of examples could be found around Palo Alto. Mr. Schreiber explained how the green sheets Council had received contained a date and number at the end of a particular Planning Commission action or recommendation. The date reflected the date of the Planning Commission meeting and the page number of the minutes. Council would then be able to go back to the Planning Commission minutes to cross reference what had been discussed to facilitate getting through the thick binder of minutes. Vice Mayor Andersen queried whether any progress would have been made with regard to the Housing Element and the jobs/housing imbalance by the year 2010 if the City had fully complied with all expectations of the Comprehensive Plan in the Housing Element and the Business and Economics Element.
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Mr. Byrd said ultimately the Plan acknowledged that the jobs/housing imbalance was a regional concern. The best Palo Alto could do was address its business and economic needs while simultaneously doing the best it could in increasing the diversity in the total stock of the housing supply. Ultimately, jobs drove housing. At the same time, unilaterally cutting off jobs in any one small piece of the region would not have a significant effect on the imbalance. Until the entire region created a mechanism for controlling job growth, there was no handle for individual jurisdictions. Mr. Schreiber said based on ABAG's projections, with which staff concurred and which were consistent with what was occurring in the community, the City could expect to see a relatively small degree of change in the amount of employment in the Palo Alto/Stanford area over the following years. The City was essentially working at the margin in terms of employment, which was consistent with the fact that substantially higher employment densities were not being seen and the amount of land available, either through redevelopment or vacant land, was a relatively small percentage of the existing base for square footage. To the extent employment would be added, it would be relatively small; to the extent the City could address housing issues, it helped. The City would probably not be able to change the actual numerical ratio in a significant way; however, from housing and employment standpoints, the City could not expect to experience enough change to start changing the numbers. Much of what had gone into the Plan focused on efforts to work the margins in creative ways to provide additional housing, which was important both for the private sector in terms of the employment base, the community, diversity, and types of housing stock. Staff would not sell the Comprehensive Plan or Housing Element as something which could make a significant change in the jobs market. Vice Mayor Andersen was not concerned about a significant change, but queried whether more jobs growth in the community would be seen based on the zoning being created with the Plan which would result in housing. Mr. Byrd said even if no progress were made, the job growth had its own momentum. If no effort were made to increase the supply of housing, the City by de facto was saying the burden would be placed on the backs of the people least able to afford housing in the community. Simple supply and demand would cause the price of housing to increase across the board, which was the dilemma. Vice Mayor Andersen said the issue was not so much what was being proposed with regard to Housing as to whether or not the City was
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doing more than it needed in terms of stimulating the business sector. Council Member Eakins asked whether the density at the Alma Street Single Rate Occupancy (SRO) was known. Mr. Byrd said it was 300 units to the acre. Council Member Eakins asked whether the units were 300 square feet each. Mr. Gilliland said they were 280 square feet each.
Ms. Schmidt said the vision for Natural Environment was that Palo Alto would meet current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Natural Environment would play a strong role in housing and the business community as something Palo Alto cared significantly about and wanted to maintain. The vision statement from page N-1 of the green sheets of the Plan was read. Natural Environment combined four of the State-required elements: open space, conservation, safety, and noise. The City's Natural Environment Element noted increased protection for Baylands and Foothills and added an urban growth boundary and further protection in managing the open spaces to meet habitat protection goals and public safety concerns while allowing for low impact recreational events in the open spaces. The Plan included additions and changes to the City's open space development criteria. The recommended changes included consideration of further limits to impervious surfaces, possible house size maximums in the open space areas, and inclusion of story poles for homes larger than 6,500 square feet. The Planning Commission had also suggested changes to bring Palo Alto into compliance with County restrictions. Development would be moved away from hilltops and would consider privacy of neighbors when developing homes and preserve trees and vegetation. The Plan also recommended that open space areas change from one unit per 10 acres to 120 to 160 acres depending upon the slope and other criteria. The Natural Environment Element also recommended restoration of creeks and an increase in setbacks for any development near creeks. In the past, the City had focused primarily on open spaces, but the focus had changed to include urban areas. Several policies and programs dealt with creeks. Original residents had used creeks for transportation, which was something to consider. Channelization and flood control would be discouraged for creeks and low-impact restoration methods encouraged for flood control. The Comprehensive Plan recommended any new development to be at least 100 feet from the top of the creek bank and a creek ordinance with additional incentives to keep
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development from the creeks. Restoration of the urban forest would acknowledge the asset of Palo Alto's trees to protect, revitalize, and expand the urban forest. The Comprehensive Plan included funds for tree planting. Council had already adopted many of the recommendations of the Tree Task Force. The economic benefits of the urban forest were acknowledged in making Palo Alto a more desirable place to live in and increasing property values. In the Natural Environment Element, air quality and water quality related to land use and transportation. Use of the automobile had negative impacts on both air and water. It was not just the fact that too many automobiles made travel and finding parking spaces more difficult. Many recent projects related to the City's noise ordinance. The Plan recommended revision of the noise ordinance to minimize the adverse impacts of noise; however, the qualitative criteria in the current noise ordinance were difficult to work with and. A new noise ordinance would approach the problem in a quantitative way and should provide flexibility for higher density housing areas in transit corridors. The current noise ordinance had requirements for outdoor areas adjacent to any multi-family residential development. Being close to transit made meeting the requirements more difficult. The Natural Environment Element contained many maps from the GIS illustrating resources and hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, and fires. Council Member McCown asked: 1) what controls would be gained by the urban limit line concept and 2) the impact of the new set of open space, sloped density approach similar to County requirements. Ms. Schmidt said a specific number had been provided in one of the reports. Mr. Byrd said the new requirements would reaffirm and strengthen the City's commitment to not build in the Foothills and Baylands and would add a new term of art which had gained currency in the region and gained law as to what it meant, i.e., on one side, the land could be developed and on the other side, it could not. Implementing the new requirements was not revolutionary since the City had other existing policies which reinforced it. One important rationale for doing so was regional consistency. The County used it throughout its general plan, and jurisdictions from Gilroy and Morgan Hill up through the west valley cities of Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and Los Gatos were all adopting urban growth boundaries. From that perspective, it was worth doing just to be consistent with neighbors in the County. Council Member McCown thought it sounded more like a symbol of consistency than actually changing any former land use policy of the City.
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Mr. Byrd said the change occurred through down-zoning to the 20:160 as well as the additional open space development criteria, which were packaged with the urban boundary. Council Member Schneider asked how differently the two or three houses Council recently approved in the foothills would have been designed or sited if the ordinances had been in place. Mr. Schreiber said the houses Council had recently reviewed would not have been different in any way in terms of urban limit line or open space control development. The lots on which the houses were being built were pre-established lots with a density already allotted. Other larger parcels in the foothills had been analyzed by the Planning Commission and staff as to the number and size of parcels. Council Member Fazzino had been pleased to see a recommendation for revision of the noise ordinance but had been surprised it had not been included in the vision, particularly the sentence in the vision statement on page N-1, "Even in built up areas, a network of parks will provide access to nature and an urban forest will provide ecological benefits and a source of beauty for residents." He asked about incorporating the need for a less noisy environment. Ms. Schmidt said Council Member Fazzino's comment was interesting and was worthy of discussion. Council Member Fazzino said the Planning Commission had recognized the issue was significant and had manifested itself in a variety of ways, e.g., leaf blowers, tennis courts, and airplanes. The area depended upon effective state and regional cooperation. Many of the objectives which had been listed, i.e., striving for clean air and water, "energy and water conservation, reduced solid waste generation, and cleanup of contaminated sites," depended upon effective relationships with regional and state authorities. Palo Alto had very little to do with cleanup of contaminated sites. He asked about the acknowledgment of the role regional and state authorities played in addressing such issues. The Plan could be viewed as being entirely the City's responsibility, which was not the case. Ms. Schmidt said almost all of the sections addressed regional needs. Some of the issues were mentioned because of being mandated and grouped into the Natural Environment Element. Ms. Cassel said when the Planning Commission had first discussed the overall themes, it had mentioned that Palo Alto needed to be
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leaders in the region and the issue covered every area. Council Member Fazzino thought there were more formal relationships, given the nature of the issue, than in other areas. Ms. Cassel said the issue would be checked. The Community Services and Facilities Element vision statement was read from page C-1 of the Plan. During discussions of the element, CPAC had discussed how to integrate working with the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). Some of the policies had been implemented in the same way it had been done in the past. Community Services and Facilities discussed existing conditions including senior and childcare services and delivery of effective and efficient services. It emphasized being considerate of one another and respecting the citizen as a customer in services. The issue of providing regional leadership was also an issue, as it was in every section. Mr. Byrd read the Business and Economics Element vision statement from page B-1 of the green sheets of the Plan. The vision contained terms which the Planning Commission had taken efforts to remove from other elements, in part acknowledging some of the concerns Vice Mayor Andersen had begun to raise earlier. Meeting business and residential needs at times was a challenge, but the Business and Economics Element asserted both could be done. Highlights included the belief that a thriving business environment had to be compatible with the natural environment and the residential character. The Plan called for a diversity of businesses within the community, e.g., commercial, retail, and professional services. The Plan asked that new businesses added to the community meet local needs, provide needed local services and municipal revenues, and contribute to the economic vitality in the City's physical environment. The Plan called for flexibility and asked that City regulations and operations provide certainty and help businesses adapt to changing market conditions, preceded with the framework. A special look had also been taken of employment centers, such as Stanford Research Park, Stanford Medical Center, and the Bayshore Corridor. On the subject of a commercial hotel at the corner of Page Mill and El Camino, conflicts in the Planning Commission had occurred with a vote of 3:1, so no recommendation had been forthcoming. Council Member Fazzino asked about the equivocation on the issue of development. The Plan indicated that most development would occur within Palo Alto's employment areas. Mr. Byrd clarified it was commercial development. Council Member Fazzino asked why it was not all commercial
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development. Mr. Byrd said the Land Use and Community Design Element contained a policy about the possibility of inserting with a scalpel small neighborhood-serving retail in residential neighborhoods. Council Member Wheeler said based on Council Member Fazzino's question and the desire to insert small businesses, the City had recently been faced with a phenomenon, which had not been discussed a great deal during earlier stages of the Plan. The phenomenon was that of escalating rents which had had a substantial impact on the City's small business community. She asked whether anything in the policies and programs encouraged or enabled protection and preservation of some of the smaller businesses which had functioned so well over the years. Mr. Byrd said the Business and Economics Element of the Plan had not directly addressed the issue of escalating commercial rents. Ms. Schmidt said the last chapter was the Governance Element. The vision was read from page G-1 of the green pages. The beginning of the Governance Element was excellent and described the government structure of Palo Alto including the form of the government, boards and commissions, and City departments. The Governance Element encouraged citizen participation, suggested certain decisions be delegated, created a standing transportation forum based on a memorandum from Council Members Kniss and Fazzino regarding the need to address transportation on a regular basis, suggested an annual design workshop to involve citizens and address current problems, and encouraged stronger civic and neighborhood organizations. A great deal of work in CPAC had emphasized neighborhood organizations, but other civic organizations played an important part in governance of the community. Continuing regional leadership had also been included in the Governance Element and addressed process and change management. Council had already adopted one of the recommendations with the Coordinated Area Plan process. Being able to visualize what could be built through the Zoning Ordinance was difficult, and the Planning Commission suggested the addition of a form code or set of regulations addressing the form and location of buildings in particular areas of the City. Council Member Kniss asked that the citizen pictured on page G-4 be identified. Vice Mayor Andersen asked whether the Planning Commission had discussed some of the inherent conflicts which occurred when local neighborhoods were concerned about local issues and the tendency to
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see it take on a form of nimbyness and whether it conflicted with the City's desire to become regional leaders, as seen in the vision statement on page G-1 of the green pages which indicated encouragement of both neighborhood involvement and regional leadership. He queried how the City might deal with disconnect. As more people became involved, the issues would become better known and broadened. He was concerned if the City saw more and more decisions made by neighborhoods, an encouragement or discouragement of density in housing might be seen or there might be more pressure to move into Map 2. Ms. Cassel said the Planning Commission had probably not come to a balance on the issue, but had been behind the questions and discussions. People should be involved because things went more smoothly. However, a decision had to be made to move forward. Ms. Schmidt thought a discussion had focused on not giving decision-making capabilities to neighborhood groups. Instead, public involvement would be for educating, informing, and involving. Council Member Fazzino said unless the kinds of people who came to the area could be regulated, the role of Council in communicating regional responsibilities needed to be discussed, e.g., adopting policies and practices which emphasized Palo Alto's regional role and the need to avoid making parochial decisions. Vice Mayor Andersen thought it emphasized the importance of the word "leadership." The natural political force would be on whether to move toward the local or provincial answer. Stands needed to be taken which were difficult over the next four to eight years. Council Member Fazzino said the statement regarding the need for "residents, elected appointed officials to work collaboratively to address issues facing the City in a timely manner" was great, but
he questioned whether Αtimeliness≅ should be the only measure of success of responsiveness. Focus might be placed on the need for City government to provide services which were responsive to City concerns, effective, and efficient. Many issues had been brought before Council over the past months concerning management effectiveness in City Hall. To some degree, City services had been captured in another part of the Plan. In conversations with members of the community, concerns and plaudits would be expressed about City Hall. The issue of effectiveness and efficiency should be captured in some way, and timeliness should not be the only measure of success. Mr. Byrd said the Planning Commission had discussed the issue;
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however, the Plan had not addressed directly management of City staff. Council Member Fazzino asked whether timeliness was an issue which should be isolated from effectiveness or responsiveness. Mr. Byrd said the Planning Commission had chosen to isolate timeliness in the manner in which it had appeared in the Plan. Ms. Schmidt said Council would also be reviewing the Land Use Map and the EIR. The Land Use Map, which would be published at a later time, contained a few changes. Council-approved changes related primarily to Stanford land and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF). The Planning Commission-related changes dealt primarily with commercial hotel overlay zones. The draft EIR had done a wonderful job of describing the setting of Palo Alto which was not included in the Plan. The Plan and the EIR together thoroughly described everything about Palo Alto. The EIR contained 38 potentially significant impacts, 21 of which could be reduced to less than significant and 18 of which were significant or potentially significant and avoidable and were mostly related to traffic. Ms. Cassel said the Planning Commission had tried to demonstrate some of the major themes of the Plan. A topographical map with items demonstrating the various elements of the City was discussed. RECESS: 9:10 P.M.- 9:31 P.M. Mayor Huber thanked Ms. Cassel, Ms. Schmidt, Mr. Byrd, and other Planning Commissioners for all of the excellent work on the Plan, which was impressive. Mr. Schreiber said one of the issues which had surfaced during various points of the Comprehensive Plan process from CPAC to the initial Planning Commission review to Council review and back to the Planning Commission had been the land use designation for the vacant site at Page Mill and El Camino Real. The issue had received a great deal of attention from the public and had been viewed as important. In no way had the issue been resolved. When the Planning Commission had discussed the land use issue, four commissioners had had conflicts, a straw had to be drawn to get a quorum, and the quorum had voted 3:1 to apply a commercial hotel overlay land use designation to the site. Four votes had been necessary for passage, so the motion had failed. When Council had discussed the issue in Spring 1997, no direction had been given on the issue. A resolution was necessary as to whether the existing multiple-family residential designation remained or whether there
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was a commercial hotel or other alternative should be added to the site. The EIR had provided a history of the site, and because of the controversy and public interest, staff had made the decision to conduct a visual analysis of hotel alternatives. To do so, the consulting firm of Architects International (AI) had been hired. AI had considerable experience in designing hotels in many different environments, and the section of the EIR which addressed the area had been attached to a memorandum from him and the City Manager. A brief presentation would be made about hotel alternatives for the site in order to provide some visual relationship of hotel alternatives. In preparation, a variety of alternatives had been considered from high rise to other alternatives, which ended up with three alternatives that had been included in the EIR. The historical issue of massing had been included regarding whether or not to pursue a hotel designation. John Sheehey, Consultant, Architects International, said in order to proceed with the massing study, AI had needed to understand the building type itself. Building type meant the possible configurations and program elements of a hotel which made up the current hotel product. The massing prototypes had to be tested on the site for a real hotel so a real hotel would have a chance on the very important corner. The seven configurations which would be shown were generic, yet realistic. In examining the hotel, the study had been narrowed to a 350-room hotel of approximately 250,000 square feet, under six acres, and many things had to be taken into consideration, such as banquet facilities, meeting rooms, recreation, pools, and mechanical areas. Parking had also been a consideration. The visibility and roadway access would be important to the schemes of the hotel would be serviced and how pedestrian connections to the community worked. Political and legal factors had been taken into consideration, as well as planning issues, setbacks on both streets, a height limit within the 50-foot height limit, etc. Although parking had remained the same in all configurations, the parking characteristics had differed with some underground and some on surface. The land coverage also differed. Some hotels were taller and took a smaller footprint so open space would be greater. Other configurations had been more spread out. The location of the hotel on the site had differed for many schemes, some being central, some at the corner, some up to the street. Construction costs had been taken into consideration to ensure appropriate comparisons. The various prototypes were very similar in cost so there was a direct comparison, with some offsetting costs. The study had not focused on environmental factors like traffic; however, such issues had been covered in the Comprehensive Plan. The study primarily addressed massing, visual impacts, social aspects to the community, etc. The main goal had been to test the various building types to
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determine what it would mean to the community. Approximately 12 different hotel types had been initially examined, which had been narrowed to 7, and then down to 3. In the report, the 3 types had been studied with impacts of traffic, etc. Bill Higgins, Consultant, Architects International, said data had been provided for the seven schemes beginning with Option 1, Suburban Hotel, which consisted of a 9-story tower in front and a 4-story guest tower in the rear sitting on a single level of public spaces including a restaurant, front desk, ballroom, and conference facilities. Option 1 had been a carryover from the other hotel study which had been conducted which positioned the hotel with a very large setback from El Camino Real as well as a setback from Page Mill with surrounding parking. No deck parking or underground parking had been included in Option 1. Council Member Schneider asked why Option 1 had been called a "suburban style." Mr. Higgins said Option 1 had primarily been called suburban because it was set in a sea of parking. Liberty had been taken with some of the options in considering Palo Alto Square, Bank of America building, and Page Mill and El Camino. Mr. Sheehey said Palo Alto was seen as a very urban city, not suburban. The characteristics of the scheme were suburban because the project had been pulled at least 50 feet back from El Camino Real with parking in front, a drop-off in front of the hotel from El Camino Real, and a major entrance from Page Mill to parking. All parking was at-grade, thus suburban. The gateway aspect had been a big consideration for the corner. Basically, massing was the same height as the Palo Alto Square project and had quite a bit of open space, much of which was parking. Only a limited amount of green was found on the periphery. AI had been very conscious to make a positive pedestrian connection to California Avenue, a nice retail street. Option 1 had some problems in forcing the connection. The report from the intersection of Oregon Expressway and El Camino Real showed the building was pulled back so there was a substantial view to the foothills. However, some of the residential properties across the way had limitations. Mr. Higgins said one of the key issues was the pedestrian connection and reinforcing the street wall, established by other buildings. By setting the building away from the street, it created a gap in the fabric so the continuity of the street wall was broken as well as making a friendly pedestrian connection. Parking became the front door in Option 1. Option 2 had been referred to as an Atrium Hotel with three levels of guest rooms
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above a single-level podium and an atrium in the middle. Surface parking surrounded Option 2, however, to achieve the parking requirement of over 400 spaces, which required a single-level deck in the rear away from the street. The hotel was more centrally located and maintained an over 50-foot setback from Page Mill and a slight setback from El Camino Real. Compared with Option 1, it was lower and was brought forward to address El Camino Real. Council Member Kniss clarified Option 2 had a 43-foot height. Mr. Higgins replied yes. A 9-foot floor-to-floor height had been used for guest rooms, so three guest room floors plus the 16-foot ground floor public space totaled the 43-foot height. The public space had a larger floor-to-floor area. The footprint coverage of Option 2 was much broader, and the landscape component was much smaller because part of the landscape component was inside the building. In calculating the landscape area, it fell short of some of the other schemes. Council Member McCown asked whether Option 2 was contained in the EIR. Mr. Sheehey said Options 1, 3, and 5 had been included in the EIR. Mr. Higgins said the height of Option 2 was lower than the Bank of America and lower than the Palo Alto Square project. The shorter the height of the building, the more spread out it became. The piece of the building was larger than most of the buildings in the area and had a drop off at the front with a 50-foot setback. The entrance was from Page Mill, where most of the parking was located. Mr. Sheehey said by pulling the building to the side, the corridor to the foothills from Oregon Expressway and Page Mill was maintained. Being lower than the tower, it would not significantly block views from Sheridan to the foothills. Option 3, another Atrium scheme, treated the program slightly different. Guest rooms were centered in a taller building of four guest room floors over a public floor. However, in Option 3, the ballroom and conference facilities were somewhat outside the structure as a free-standing structure for a clear span to provide more public access, separate from having to enter the hotel to enter the conference facility. It also required a deck of approximately the same number of cars as well as surface parking in an "L" shape. Option 3, differed from the other atrium scheme from an urban design point of view and had been brought forward toward the corner, which anchored the corner and framed the view to the foothills. Because of the smaller footprint for the guest rooms, an extra floor had been added.
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Mr. Higgins said AI had also attempted to break the square down by pulling out the rooms on the corner. Option 3 began to address some of the scale of the existing community with a rather large footprint. The entrance, rather than being in front of the building, dropped off into the public areas, meeting rooms, restaurants, etc., internal to the site rather than on the edge. Some hotels were like Option 1, which attempted to get all of the amenities in the footprint, because meeting rooms and convention and banquet rooms sometimes had very large spaces which were very difficult to put under the room modules. Sometimes it was more cost-effective to pull it out. Option 3 had been shown as one of the types that some hotel companies preferred to a single atrium hotel. Option 3 had different site characteristics on entry. Mr. Sheehey said Option 4 involved a different set of prototypes and had been referred to as a Courtyard Hotel, breaking the program down in various pieces. Guest rooms had been located in several wings to the rear with views focused more on the foothills and multiple courtyards. The outdoor spaces and landscape focused more on the foothills. The front zone included the public space with the coffee shop, restaurants, ballroom and conference facilities, etc., which had easy public access by pedestrians as well as entry in a drop-off from El Camino Real. Option 4 spread the program out, almost used the entire site and forced the parking requirement to be satisfied underground. Even though Option 4 was a very low scale and almost stick construction building, the cost was affected by the underground parking. The building itself was probably less expensive than the high rise construction, but the added cost for underground construction brought the cost up. Option 4 had three- and four-story elements and two-story elements in the front to break down the scale as it fronted El Camino Real. Option 4 started to bring the pedestrian scale connection to the El Camino and California Avenue neighborhood. Mr. Higgins said Option 4's scale had been an interesting one. The scale of the pieces related to the more historic part of the City, i.e., smaller pieces organized around courtyards, almost like the Stanford University quadrangle topology. Green had been placed along both edges of the building with minimum parking at grade. The ground open space coverage was similar to others because of the courtyards which were internal. The other characteristic which made Option 4 interesting was on Sheridan which was almost a view corridor as an urban design issue. Each court had its own characteristic, including a very grand auto court. Council Member Eakins asked whether Option 4 was considered the "Mariott" type and how it compared with the Mariott at Dallas.
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Mr. Sheehey said the corridors were quite short, often turning, and not very long. Compared to the atrium with the very long corridor, the courtyard had shorter lengths. Council Member Eakins assumed hotel guests would use the at-grade parking and people using the convention center would use the subterranean parking. Mr. Sheehey replied yes. Mr. Higgins said Option 4 strongly attempted to bring the front out to the street and reinforce the street wall while modifying the elevation so it was not just one long facade like the first atrium scheme. The lower height helped preserve some of the view corridors down Page Mill as well as down the Sheridan Apartment area. Option 5 was a Grand Court Hotel type, taking the open space and bringing it into one location in a grand court with the hotel rooms three stories sitting on a one-story public level with a courtyard, pool, and outdoor amenities located in the center. Option 5 was closer to El Camino Real and established the modified street wall. Similar to the other atrium scheme, Option 5 pulled out the public banquet and ballroom and conference facilities into a separate building, functioning potentially for wedding receptions outside of the hotel as well as restaurant facilities fronting El Camino. Because of the large area devoted to landscaping required either surface parking and one level deck or one level below. Option 5 placed the extra level of parking underground in the rear. Mr. Sheehey said there were elements in the scale of the adjacent properties. At one time AI had toyed with which orientation, having at one time considering turning the courtyard to be a receptacle to Sheridan with a courtyard open to the public. In looking with the Planning group, the courtyard had been turned so the views from the hotel encompassed the foothills. The courtyard would be private; however, it was quite large so public functions could be facilitated. The entry was from El Camino Real; however, the massing element was at the end of Sheridan Road. A positive connection for the pedestrian had been accommodated to California Avenue. Option 5 had a green strip which buffered the project from the streets and parking footprint in the rear. Another version of Option 5 had been rejected; however, a major entrance from the courtyard from El Camino Real had been attempted. Council Member Kniss asked how many acres were involved in the project. Mr. Sheehey thought the lot was a little less than six acres.
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Mr. Higgins said AI had attempted to use Option 5 to create a corner element to hold the corner and help frame a gateway. One way to create a gateway was to frame the view. Another was to broaden the view. Option 7 was the Corner Tower Hotel type, which took a higher hotel component anchoring the corner and established a pattern. Option 7 was over nine stories over a single level of public space with some of the public spaces extended. Parking was "L" shaped, and because the tower had been moved to the corner, a gap in the site was created and lost some of the potential for continuity along El Camino Real. The public spaces could be stretched out to create the connection and shield the parking from the rear. Mr. Sheehey said Option 7 had not been selected as one of the final three; however, AI had wanted to examine the option. The notion of coming higher at the end of major nodes was not uncommon in urban situations. In Boston, Massachusetts, buildings on corners were higher than buildings further down. Option 7 had serious negatives, such as being higher than the Bank of America and blocking the views from the Oregon Expressway to the foothills. Council Member McCown asked how tall Option 7 was. Mr. Higgins said the building was 97 feet. Mr. Sheehey said the design elements had been introduced into the models to create some variety in massing. AI had conducted some computer analysis and wire-frame diagrams to mock the three schemes up and superimpose on a photomontage that ended upon the EIR. Mr. Higgins said they were computer-generated and were quite accurate. The real location could be seen with various views testing the mass by computer. Some of the views of the foothills could be seen as well as views down El Camino Real and how the mass related to Bank of America, the Palo Alto Square, etc. The computer-generated masses had been put into context at eye-level which was very difficult with a model. The massing in the computer had been kept very simple, not architectural at all, but dealing with form, light, and how views were generated. AI considered the site superb for a hotel. The three options were very likely candidates for hotel people to consider.
Mr. Sheehey said bird=s-eye views of models were very deceiving. The photomontages tried to bring the options to streetlevel. AI had also created models at a different size to allow reorganization and different views. Mr. Schreiber said a program in the Business and Economics Element
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addressed evaluating the site at Page Mill and El Camino Real for a hotel. Essentially, the EIR and the consultant's report was an evaluation. No special study would be necessary to evaluate the site. The issues in the Business and Economics Element were: whether a hotel was desired or not; and if so, what the height, relationship to the corner and range of facilities would be. No further analysis would be necessary. Vice Mayor Andersen thought there was little question that the site at El Camino Real and Page Mill was excellent for a hotel as well as the fact there was no question there was a demand for a hotel. The question was whether the sacrifice of a major commitment to housing, especially moderate- to low-income housing, was worth the price. He asked whether Stanford had made any indication of providing an alternative site to provide the same amount of affordable housing in order for the site to be used for a hotel. Mr. Schreiber said no formal discussion had occurred. He assumed Stanford would provide testimony in the public hearing portion of Council hearings on the Comprehensive Plan the following week. At that time, Stanford should be prepared to answer Vice Mayor Andersen's question. Vice Mayor Andersen thought the real issue was not so much whether the site was appropriate for a hotel, but he would not support the overlay unless another location had been identified for the same purpose the site had been designated. If a hotel were to be placed at Page Mill and El Camino Real, Stanford needed to come up with a site on which affordable housing could be built. Council Member McCown assumed Council would approach the Plan from front to back. Mayor Huber agreed. Mr. Schreiber said before going through the document, staff suggested Council spend some time with the EIR and any questions on the draft and final EIR information. MOTION TO CONTINUE: Vice Mayor Andersen moved, seconded by Schneider, to continue the item to the Special City Council Meeting on Monday, September 29, 1997, under Unfinished Business. MOTION PASSED 9-0. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. ATTEST: APPROVED:
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City Clerk Mayor NOTE: Sense minutes (synopsis) are prepared in accordance with Palo Alto Municipal Code Sections 2.04.180(a) and (b). The City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are made solely for the purpose of facilitating the preparation of the minutes of the meetings. City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are recycled 90 days from the date of the meeting. The tapes are available for members of the public to listen to during regular office hours.
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