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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05201974r See Pg. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES May 20, 1974 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date at 7:30 p.m, in a regular meeting with Mayor Comstock presiding. Or - PALO ALTO Present: Beahrs, Berwald, Clay (arrived 7:50 p.m.), Comstock, Henderson, Norton (arrived 7:50 p.m.), Pearson, Rosenbaum, Sher Absent: None Minutes of May 6, 1974 Councilman Henderson requested that the word "minutes" be deleted from the fourth line from the bottom of the top paragraph, page 424. He further asked that the second and third limes of the fourth paragraph from the bottom of page 440 read as follows: "item c) on page 4 refers to termination of any component of the e.xedeuse, but vacancy is not intended as a termination;". Councilman Sher requested that the word "better" be deleted from the third line of the fourth paragraph from the bottom of page 430 and that the words "a sound idea" be inserted. He further noted that the figure $63,000 occurs twice on page 434, when in fact the correct figure is $53,000. MOTION: Mayor Comstock moved, seconded by Berwald, that the minutes of the meeting of May 6, 1974, be approved as revised, The motion paseed on a unanimous vote. Policy and Procedures Committee Recommends Purr . asers as Waiters :4) ViceMayor Pearson stated that one of the big housing problems in Palo Alto has been how to determine who is qualified to buy or rent 483 non -federally subsidized housing units. Several developers have chosen to include units of low/moderate income housing in their projects, and as a result Palo Alto will have fourteen units available soon. It is the city's responsibility to determine who gets to purchase these units. There are four units at Foothill Green, two at Channing- Cowper, and eight at Alma -San Antonio. Vice Mayor Pearson noted that the Policy and Procedures Committee had a two -fold problem to consider. As the city manages to get more units out of future developments, what should the eligibility limits be relating to income, family size, and assets, and what qualitative material should be adopted for non - income factors; for instance, length of residence in Palo Alto, where a peraon works, or other special needs such as health. Secondly, the city now has fourteen units which must be sold, and criteria must be set up. Vice Mayor Pearson pointed out that the staff prepared a very good report which addressed itself to the twc areas simultaneously. A report from the Housing Corporation dealing with the two areas was 4 5 9 5/20/74 also received, and it was somewhat different in a couple of instances. The staff presented six recommendations which pertain to future units, recognizing that six of the present units would be exceptions to their recommendations, the Foothill Green, and the Cowper-Channing units, simply because the sales prices of the units came in above the guidelines by about ten percent. The Policy and Procedures Committee recognized that there a -lot t_ i s ..o :. ....�c4v are no u�vC �.0 Ufil�'itt �i iII1II1.l.11e liC, - cnTid decided to address itself to the fourteen units presently available. The Housing Corporation agreed that it should be the screening body, and the Policy and Procedures Committee agreed with them. The committee pointed out that because of the inflationary interest rate, cost of construction, etc., that it would be well to consider these first fourteen units as an experiment and an exploratory project. The Housing Corporation agreed to return to Council after the units have been sold with definite recommendations regarding future quantitative and qualitative criteria. Furthermore, it became apparent to the Policy and Procedures Committee that the number of units and the sales price of the units must be determined quite firmly when the developer is applying for P?anning Commission and Council approvals. Therefore, the Policy and Procedures Committee made its recommendations on the basis that these first fourteen units are an experiment and the Committee will review the results after the units are sold: The rental criteria will be developed for a latez Policy and Procedures session, and staff will concern itself with the coat of the future units when the number of units has been determined, Vice Mayor Pearson reported that the Committee went through the six recommendations from staff, and she made the following comments. The first thing to note is that the quantitative criteria in the broad area are those used by the Federal Section 236, Section 23, Leased Housing Act; and the income units in Palo Alto have been updated for this area to 1974 price levels. The basic differences between the staff report and the Housing Corporation report are that the staff would like the eligibility limits to apply on an overall basis, whereas the Housing Cor•poratioe suggested a project by project basis. Secondly, with regard to the buyer selection procedures, the staff preferred a first -come, firat-served basis, with continuous sifting and inspection for qualified buyers, and the Housing Corporation preferred selection by lot. There was extensive discussion regarding the qualitative criteria, the points being that someone who has lived in Palo Alto a significant length of time should be given top priority, and that employees of the city or the Palo Alto Unified School District should also be given top priority- The question of why should not the employees of other industries be given some priority seemed to fall into the second priority, and anyone else who met the quantitative criteria was third priority The question of criteria for renters was retained in committee until further reports were received from staff and the Housing Corporation, Vice Mayor Pearson thanked the Housing Corporation and staff for an excellent report. MOTION: Vice Mayor Pearson, on behalf of the Policy and Procedures Com- mittee, moved that Council uphold the recommendations of the Committee regarding qualifications for Purchasers and Renters of Non -Federally Subisized Housing as follows: a. That maximum gross income table be developed foe the 14 units at Foothill Green, Channing-Cowper and Alma - San Antonio sites; b. That qualitative criteria be adopted as follows: (1) Lives in Palo Alto 24 months and works for the Palo Alto Unified School District, or the City of Palo Alto; 4 6 0 5/20/74 (2) Lives in Palo Alto and/or works in Palo Alto; (3) Everyone else meeting quantitative requirements, i.e., income limits, family size, maximum or minimum asset limits; c. That buyer selection process should be adopted as based on the outline in the staff report of March 21, 1974, except it should be modified to include selection by lot az recommended by the Housing Corporation; d. That the question of the need for maximum sales prices on low/moderate income unite be referred to staff to be considered in connection with the previous referral con- cerning the requirements for, inclusion of low/moderate housing units in new projects. e. That the question of critera for renters in non -federally subsidized housing be retained in Committee. Mr. Eric L'uckatad, President of the Housing Corporation, asked if Item 4 in the staff report should read "applicants who have lived in Palo Alto for 24 months or more and work" or "and/or work". Vice Mayor Pearson stated that (1) under b. of the committee's recommen- dations should read "Lives in Palo Alto 24 months or more and/or works for" etc. Janet Owens, 863 Moreno Avenue, Midpeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing, read a letter to Council counting on the qualifications for buyers of the first units generated under City Resolution 4725. She expressed. concern regarding families being unable to secure private financing. A second concern she expzessed was that it would seam wise to delay detailing qualifications for the eight units not yet under construction until actual selling prices had been determined. The MCFH suggested_ that in the future the problems of securing private financing be raised early in negotiations with developers, Councilman Sher suggested that Council take advantage of what the staff had produced between the committee meeting and this meeting and include in the action to be taken the actual income tables that had been developed for the fourteen units. Councilman Beahra expressed concerti that the criteria were being frozen in concrete, so to speak, and he was not convinced that Council had anything approaching final solution of the problem. Vice Mayor Pearson respou<ied that this is being termed as an experiment so that there would be flexibility. It was necessary to give the Housing Corporation an opportunity of going through the process to find out just what will happen, to who they will be able to sell the houses, etc, She explained that this eras part of Councilman Sher's desire to get sections of the staff report added to the motion so that it is clear this is.an experiment, and the Housing Corporation would come back to Council with recommendations and changes for the final selection criteria which will be used for future housing units. Couacilman Beahra felt Council was trying to stake its awn rules with respect to what apparently is an effort to permit the free market to prevail. 4 6 1 5/20/74 • Councilman Henderson stated he was not comfortable with the first qualitative criteria under b. on the agenda. He did not see any basis for making special cases for employees of the city or the School District. These persons had been mentioned as examples in discussions, but there were many workers in Palo Alto with incomes lower than teachers and city employees. Further, he felt he understood the criteria regarding residents who had lived in Palo Alto for some time, but felt perhaps 24 months was a bit excessive. AMENDMENT: Councilman Henderson moved, seconded by Rosenbaum, that (1) under b. of the motion be amended to read "has lived in Palo Alto 12 months or more", deleting ". . and works for the Palo Alto Unified School District or the City of Palo Alto»" Councilman Clay stated that part of the discussions that led up to this particular qualification had to do with the relatively few number of units and possibly a large number of applicants. Assuming that in any one of these categories, there are likely to be more applicants than units, the 24 month qualification might alleviate the problem of going through many applications. See pg. 48.. Councilman becwald asked than: the motion be divided into two parts since he was in favor of not making an arbitrary distinction based on where anyone chooses to be employed, but he felt reducing the time people were required to have lived here reduced the enphasis on giving priority to people who are residents and have lived in Palo Alto a long time, and he would be in opposition to that portion. Councilman Sher stated that this b. (1) priority came from a discussion that he generated in Committee, and the argument that prevailed in the meeting was that when you talk about the need for low/moderate income housing in Palo Alto, ane of the arguments frequently made and that c. mmended acceptance in the coo unity is that older people and others 'ho have lived in Palo Alto for some time ought not to be forced out because of riming costs. Another argument frequently made and generally accepted is that when you talk about low, and particularly moderate income units, you are talking about people such as employees of the City of Palo Alto and teachers. It is important that those persons do have an opportunity to live in Palo Alto and not be priced out of the market. Councilman Sher favored retaining that particular priority. He said when this was discussed in Committee,'the members were thinking about priorities acroes-the-board in connection with buyer qualification. He felt that when the city is participating in encouraging low/moderate income housing, these kinds of priorities were legitimate, but they were less legitimate when units are being provided by private developers. Therefore, he would vote against the amendment. Councilman Heahrs commented that in some cases some of these housing units will enjoy subsidy at the expenne of the Palo Alto taxpayer, and this situation in his opinion could only be justified if this was in support of people employed by the city or the school system at low wages. Therefore, he would oppose the amendment. Mayor Comstock said the amendment would be divided into two parts. The amendment to change 24 months to 12 months in b. (1) of the motion failed on the following vote: 4 b 2 5/20/74 AYES: Henderson, Pearson NOES: Beahrs, Berwald, Clay, Comstock, Sher, Norton, Rosenbaum 1 The amendment to delete reference in b. (1) to employees of the School District and the City failed on the following vote: AYES: Bereald, Henderson, Rosenbaum NOES: Beahrs, Clay, C'nnstock, Pearson, Sher, Norton AMENDMENT: Council.maxn, Sher moved, seconded by Beahrs, that a change be made to add to the introductory comments of the main motion as follows: "that the following buyer selection criteria and procedures should be adopted and applied on a trial basis for the 14 units at Foothill Green, Channing--Cowper, and Alma -San Antonio sites, which will be considered a trial for the overall program, and that the Palo Alto Housing Corporation be requested to report back to the Council regarding Cie effectiveness of the program", and further that a) the maximum gross income totals shown in the staff report of May 16, 1974 (CMR:327:4) be adopted and that the income limits should be based on payment of not more than 30% of the adjusc;ad family income for housing; that maximum net asset limits should be adopted as recommended in the March 21, 1974 staff report except that 20% of the sale price and closing costs should be added; and tFat minimum asset limits should also be adopted based on the recommendation of staff and the Palo Alto Housing Corporation. The amendment was approved on a unanimous vote. Mayor Comstock said the recommendations of the Policy and Procedure Comittee as amended were now to be voted on. Councilman Berwald stated he would vote for these criteria, and he expressed his appreciation to the Housing Corporation, Staff, and Committee for the hard work they put into it. However, he said he had some real reservations and if this were a permanent policy, he would vote against it. He noted there seemed to be an assumption that there is something unique about working for the City or for the School District as opposed to working as a nurse for instance. He felt making those certain persons more eligible for subsidized housing was illogical, and he could not accept that point. Councilman Berwald reminded everyone that there was a development at Foothill Green some time ago where the developers agreed to build and make available low/moder- ate income housing .at several locations, in larger numbers than are being proposed in all of these developments, and at'a lower cost. Council turned that development down and now finds itself well on the way to providing housing that under no circumstances can be considered low income housing. Sometimes the private market place can do a better job than the Council can in providing housing. Lastly, Councilman Berwald could not understand why there was not any eligibility criteria in priority for the persons Councilman Clay had been mentioning, the elderly, people in poor health., and those who were handicapped, Councilman Clay consented that on the one hand, Council was trying to implement Resolution 4725, while at the same time the cost of housing development was going up up significantly. At the committee meeting 4 6 3 5/20/74 he had commented that he felt he was not really putting his time to best use when he was trying to determine how to assist a low/ moderate income person get a $0,000 -plus home. He stated that Council was beyond the scope of Resolution 4725 as it was intended. Councilman Clay said he would vote for the motion but he had reservations about that particular item. Vice Mayor Pearson reminded everyone that when the Foothill Green Development was before Council, one of the problems was it was not possible to get any guarantee from the developer that he would indeed develop the other sites for low/moderate income housing; therefore Council was forced to ask the developer to place the four units on the present site, and that is what he did. She commented that if you cannot get a developer to guarantee something, you take what you can get. Councilman Henderson referred to page 7 of the Folic/ and Procedures Committee Minutes and said he would like to have seen some Of Mr. Knopf's suggestions included in the motion, such as the references to health, aged, and handicapped. He said that since the housing Corporation would be reviewing this again and :making recommendations, he would like them to keep thinking along those lines. Councilman Sher responded to Janet Owens' comments with regard to applicants who were eligible but could not ?et financing. He said that one of the items in the buyer selection process contemplates looking for the financing, and if it is not there then going to the next person on the list. Councilman Sher safctthere was nothing to prevent the Housing Corporation ar.d the city from raking this very clear in the literature that would describe the program. With regard to the eight units Mrs. Owens mentioned, there was a suggestion in the report that the committee received as to what the sale& prices were to be, and it was his understanding those prices had been worked out in connection with the approval of the project. !AMENDMENT: Councilman Berwald moved, seconded by Henderson, that the following be added to b. (1) "or has a special need, i.e., either health, aged, handicapped". Councilmau Clay felt it would be better if Councilman Berwald's motion were a priority in and of itself. The statements he had made some time ago in C.ouncil meetings with reference to low/moderate income housing were that the housing be made available to financially disadvantaged, elderly, and handicapped; and he felt financially disadvantaged was an important point. Councilman Bereald responded that he assumed ele financially disadvantaged point would be implicit in the quantitative section and also implicit in the type of administration the Housing Corporation would be carrying out:. The amendment failed on the following vote: AYES: Berwald, Clay, Henderson, Pearson NOES: Comstock, Beahrs, Norton, Rosenbaum, Sher The motion as amended passed on s unanimous vote. 464 5/20/74 (Councilman. Clay left the Cha:nberc at 8:30 p.m.) A lication of James C. Sater 1!ar rezoning �IUZ E1 Ramiro Real Mayor Comstock noted that Council members had received the report of the Planning Commission, the Planning Commission Minutes, the Staff Report, letters from the applicant, copies of the drawings relating to the proposed development, and a letter from Mrs. Robert H. Zinn urging Council to uphold the P1aenfng Commission recommendation. There were also a number of other letters in opposition to the development. Mr. Hawley Smith, 525 University Avenue, stated that the project under consideration was a small project located on six -tenths of an acre. He said that he and the people he represented :lid not feel part of a regional problem, or a regional solution, or that they had any great impact on the environment or the traffic. In fact, they felt the develop- ment would be upgrading for that particular neighborhood. This property was the former location of Ming's Restaurant, and such former uses generated a "lot of traffic and off-street parking on that corner which the present developers do not propose to do. Mr. Smith said that a year ago the Saters purchased an extra piece of ground in the back to augment the size of the site, and this chip of ground is zoned R-4. This piece of -1 property is between the existing co=.»:ercisl zoning and the existing apartment house. It was his opinion that R-1 would be inappropriate between an existing apartment house and any use developed on the Sater property which would be appropriate to busy, heavy El Camino traffic. Mr. Smith reviewed the history of requests by the Saters, and subsequent responses from the Planning Commission and the Architectural Review Board. He noted that the Architectural Review Board made a number of suggestions, and all of these changes were made, including moving the building from the rear of the property to permit parking behind it, mounting the parking, planning for trees, and for an eight foot wall across the back to insulate the apartment house. The present situation is that the property is zoned general commercial in the county with 6,000 square feet of R- 1 in the rear, which amounts to about 44 feet on Vista. In April L.AICO approval had been received for annexation to Palo Alto, but following that the request for P -C zoning was denied by the Planning Commission. Mr. Smith pointed out that the staff had favorable comments about the project and recommended the project to the Planning Commission. He asked Council members not to uphold the Planning Commission and to vote in favor of development of the project. Mr. James Sater, 9465 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, noted that he and his brother were trying to develop a tasteful building appropriate to the area. He pointed out that his building would be far superior in appearance to the Cameo Club or the apartment house immediately adjacent to the property. Mr. Sater said they would be wilting to make whatever changes the City Council deems appropriate to the property in order to develop it,,and they would also be willing to submit to any restrictions in terms of the kind of retail establishment that would be located there. Mr. Sam Sparck, 4099 Laguna, stated that the area under discussion is one of the least attractive parts of Palo Alto due to the number of small spot commercial developments such as the one under consideration. He felt the area needed upgrading. Mr. Sater's project was an ordinary 4 6 5 5/20/74 project that would not contribute much in that direction. Mr. Sparck noted that the piece of property was small, but that it was significant. Action taken at this meeting could set a precedent for other vacant and redevelopable properties that are in the area and front on El Camino. It was his feeling that only by Council rejecting this plan, which the Planning Commission found unacceptable, could the area be upgraded in duality and appearance. Mr. Sparck urged Council to uphold the Planning Commission's denial of Mr, Eater's application. Mr- Eugene Mills, 4024 Amaranta, said he passed the 1o` under discussion several times a day, and he would like to see Me. Sater develop this property. He urged Council to approve the application. Mr. Robert England, 941 Paradise Way, Vice President of the Barron Park Association, said the Association views this property as a very important factor in the overall development of that section of El Camino. He pointed out that this property was adiacent to the McElroy property which is under consideration for various developments at this time. Barron Park Association is opposed to the type of business and form of architecture that has been permitted along this section of El Camino for so many years, and see this as an opportunity to break the pattern. Mr: England spoke of the William Ober establishment as an example of a business that can blend in with a community and in fact enhance it. Councilman Beahrs stated that he was somewhat persuaded to favor the staff position on this matter as compared to the Planning Commission. He felt it was unrealistic to believe there could be a residential combination on this small plot. Councilman $eahra felt disturbed about some of the negative comments that had been made about the development in question because he found it a refreshing change from so many of the other properties. In his opinion, this was a beginning effort to improve the area. Councilman Rosenbaute asked what the status of the land was, and was it true that the county would not allow development without annexation to the city, Mr. Knox responded that the C -S zone had been adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County but as yet had not been applied to any land. It wet staff's understanding that the county staff would be setting up a series of procedures that would have to be followed by any city that wishes to see the C -S zone applied to the unincorporated lands within its sphere of influence. The status of the land is that it is currently in the county, and the applicant has made application to asuaex the parcel to the city and that request has been approved. Mx. Sater is also in the process of trying to prezone the property so that when annexation occurs, he would have existing zoning category favorable to his development interests. Presumably, the applicant would not go forward with the annexation if the prezoning is not granted. Councilman R.osenbsum asked if the applicant could go to the county and get a building permit under existing county ordinances, and if so, why was he going through the city. Mr. Knox replied that under the existing county ordinance only about two-thirds of the land is covered by the commercial zone. Also, at the time that this parcel and the McElroy parcel were being proposed for development, the C -S Zone was being discussed, end it was clear that eventually anyone developing these parcels would have to come 4 6 6 5/20/74 r'. into the city, So the developers in both cases have come to the staff and discussed whether they should seek annexation prezoning, and in both cases they were advised to do so. Councilman Rosenbaum asked if the developer could go to the county and make their proposals there if their application were denied by the city. Mr. Knox responded that in the case of this parcel which is basically commercially zoned in the county, the developers are free to go to the county and request a development within what is currently the highway strip; however they must obtain utility connections from the city. There is an administrative policy which'says that if an applicant comes in and asks for a utility connection, and it is for a development in the unincorporated areas of the city which are served by our Utility system, the staff would not grant the utility connections if the development were contrary to the planning objectives of the city. Therefore, even though the applicant could obtain commercial approval in the county, he would then be faced with being refused the utility hook - kips that he needed. Councilman Rosenbaum asked where the applicant could go at that point. ?Lr. Knox replied that the matter could be resolved in the courts. Cou.Fcii--.an Rosenbaora asked Airs. Gordon when the Planning Commission would be able to give the applicant some guidelines as to what sort of development would be acceptable. Mrs. Cordon replied that the Planning Commission does not have a vehicle, for stating to an applicant what might or might not be an acceptable development. However, the minutes of the Planning Commission meeting reflected a good deal of discussion about the quality of the environment that the Commission would hope to see in that area. She felt it would be ::ell to emphasize that it was not her understanding that' Palo Alto has any area of force upon it, in conaidering an area for preannexation that is currently in the county, to accept: in any way the current zoning that is on that land. She stated that the Commission felt it had the detyy and the privilege of looking at this land in the context of the broader area of El Camino and in relationship to the almost pastoLal residential eevelopment of Barron Park. The Commission also felt a heavy responsibility in not viewing Marron Park any differently from any of the other residential areas of the community. She said that a good question was whether there were any compelling reason to intensify the commercial strip at this point. Perhaps it would be well to increase the R-1 zoning that is now in the county. The Commission felt this would be a good rime to revers: the trend. Councilman Rosenbaum said he sympathized with Chairman Gordon's feelings about tore commercial strip development, but that if a man owns a piece of land he has to be able to do something with it. He wondered if the Commission wanted to look in the direction of a residential use for this land. Mrs, Gordon said this came out in the Commission's minutes, and also there was some discussion about some sort of mixed residential -commercial use More importantly, the whole area is and will be a part of the comprehensive planning effort. Many times it has been said that the entire El Camino commercial develop'nent should be looked at a.s part of ehe comprehensive plan, and thi.t was still the intent. 467 5/20/74 MOTION: Councilman Henderson moved, seconded by Comstock, that Council uphold the recommendation of the Planning Commission to deny the application of James C. Sater for prezoning of property known as 4102 El Camino Real to establi.3'h P -C zoning upon annexation. Councilman Sher asked Mrs. Gordon if she would explain the precise objections to the proposal. He was not sure'if the objections were directed to tie use, the design of the building, or lack of a green strip. Mrs. Gordon recollected that the primary objection was the use which_ wouldincrease the commercial use by prezoning of that area Which is now R-1. She pointed out that no member of the commission had indicated that a structure similar to Ober's would be acceptable, but that comment had been made: by some member of the audience. Mra. Gordon said that perhaps the dilemma before Council waa should the R-1 or the commercial strip be increased. She did not recall any concurrence on the part of the commission that this should be made into a totally commercial strip. Ccur.cilman Sher asked Mts. Gordon if she felt it were feasible to have R-1 zoning one lot removed from the Cameo Club. Mrs, Cordon replied that her personal opinion was that the area could be developed with innovation to some sort of combined commercial -residential use incorporating a really adequate buffering job. One member of the Commission felt that this project was too much commercial on too shall a piece of property, and it would be impossible to create a green open space feeling as an entranr.e to Barren Park. Councilman Sher said :he Planning Commission wanted a buffer zone, and a mixed -use which he recalled required even more parking perhaps than a strictly commercial use; and it seemed to hie: that some compromise should be sought, Perhaps it would be possible to work for a better project iu terms of design and a green strip along El Camino, but still live with the commercial use. Mrs. Gordon said she felt personally that given a low intensity of use there could be a combined commercial -residential usage that could orient basically away fro El Camino and provide a green buffer. Councilman 8eahrs stated that he could not believe that anyone would attempt to put residential developments facing or anywhere near El Camino Real, He felt that the proposed development was very adequate and quite handsome compared to the others in that area. See pg. 483 Councilman Berwald wondered what the alternatives were to just turning down this particular proposal. He said that after reading the minutes of the Planning Commission and the staff report, he came up with the following facts. The previous use of the parcel was commercial, the county zoning on it is similar to what it is now, the applicant has gone beyond that and has asked for P -C and has evidenced his willingness to do something different. There is a large apartment building that is anything but pastoral on the back of the property and, in fact, is very unattractive, He said until you got up a block or so there isn't anything attractive and as fat as he was concerned, it was a toes -up as to which was the more offensive, the residential on the commercial, or the commercial on the residential. The proposed building would be screened by an eight foot wall from the apartment, which in turn screens the R-1. The small R-1 piece is obviously improperly 4 5 8 5/20/74 See pg. 483 1 zoned. Councilman Berwald felt it was not possible to put any kind of a worthwhile R -I piece of property in there, and staff has indicated that combined zoning was not recommended. He pointed out that the ARB approved the plans, and LAFCO also approved them, and that there was a night club and a card room located just down the way. Councilman Berwald felt there were no very firm reasons give, in the minutes of the Planning Commission for turning down the application except that perhaps the building was not quite as attractive as it should be, it does not provide a green park -like entrance to Earron Park, and maybe there ought to be some residential. Furthermore, he felt that it was not true that the Planning Commission and the Council did not have some responsibility to the zoning that is on the property. Councilman Berwald asked if the building could be squared up, make it a little higher, open up the sides, possibly put the parking underneath, and make a building that was not just a speculative building and would possibly provide neighborhood services. He wondered if this were a dead end because of the Commission not liking the particular architecture, or was there some way of giving encouragement to the developer by suggesting a better quality building, more green space, and that sort of thing. Councilman Berwald asked staff what the alternatives were based on what the applicant said he would be willing to do. Mr. Knox said in his opinion the project was a satisfactory one for the site, and he felt that "co=marcial site" was well stamped into chat corner. He thought perhapa it would be a good idea for the building to be shortened. The P -C does not require a specific number of cars, and so the total amount of parking could be reducc,d. He further felt that the total ac: -.Runt of green space on the site as well as the amount of green in front of the building could be increased, all going in hand with the reduction of the size of the building. If Council felt this was a site appropriate for commercial use, Council could return it to the Planning Commission and to the ARB with instructions specifically stating whether it wanted commercial, mixed residential -commercial, whether the building should be of another size, whether the parking should be changed, whether the green strip ought to be increased, etc. Councilman Berwald asked if it would be appropriate to coietioent on such things as underground parking, and perhaps architecture of a more rustic, neighborhood kind of appearance. Mr. Knox replied that these items get to be a bit too specific, and the ARB could work better with some general instructions. MOTION: Councilman Berwald moved, seconded by iseahrs, that this matter be referred back to the Planning Commission and the Architectural Review Board with the thought that they entertain some revisions from the developer to provide acme of the amenities that Council had discussed; particularly, a larger green area along Vista, an improved architectural treatment, and with the thought that this property remain in commercial use under a Y -C zone. AMENDMENT: T: Councilman Sher moved, seconded by. Pearson, to amend the motion to add that more green space along El Canino be considered; a reduction in the size of the building; a reduction in the number of parking spaces; and improvement of the buffer at the rear of the property. Vice Mayor Pearson said she was beginning to feel a little sorry for the developer. She felt that with all of the specifics mentioned, that they will end up having to develop a totally new plan. It Vas 4 b 9 5/20/74 Pg. her opinion that it might be wise for Council to turn down the present plan and have the developer come back with a new plan taking the Council's comments and the Planning Commission recommendations into account. Vice Mayor Pearson said that when the Planning Commission looked at the plan, they were keeping in mind upgrading El Camino and reducing the amount o f cemmerc 7 development City P.9 Alto. l t _ She ___�_.� e,�rau.L�.,,.ilv.L ucvcsu�tu2nt in the of Pale C..11.i:. Jile felt it was important for Council to consider the feelings of the residents of Barron Park, since someday this area may be annexed to 483 the city at the residents' request; The residents would see this case whether or not their wishes would be respected. Vice Mayor Pearson pointed out that it was the residents of Barren Park and Palo Alto who would live with the final building and not the owner, whose address is Beverly Hills. She mentioned that El Camino couid'be improved through usage of the sign ordinance. Further, the landscaping along El Camino was almost nil, but there was money for improved landscaping either in the budget or the Capital Improvements Program. Vice Mayor Pearson noted that there is a proposal for town houses to be built right across the street, and that means residential dwelling wits right on El Camino Real. She favored turning down the referral, turning down the request of the developer, and having him comae back with new plans. Councilman Henderson stated he would vote against the referral because so much detail had been laid out that the Architecture Review Board would be doing the designing. }+e would favor upholding the Planning Commission's recommendation and then having the developer come back with a plan incorporating the ideas expressed by Councilmen Sher and Norton. The amendm.nt was approved on a unanimous vote. Mayor Comstock stated that the referral motion as a- nded was now before Council. ViceMayor Pearson expressed concern that there be no confusion between the ARB and the Planning Commission's roles. The Planning Commission determines the land use and the ARB does not look at the land use, but at the buildings. When the ARB approves something, they are not approving land use, but rather the building that is involved and what the site will look like. The referral motion failed on the following vote: AYES: Beahrs, Berwald, Norton, Sher NOES: Comstock, Henderson, Pearson, Rosenbaum Councilman Sher said he hoped the applicant would bring in another proposal which would incorporate the ideas mentioned at this meeting, and that he felt constrained to uphold the vote of the Planning Commission. Councilman Berwald asked If the developer would have to apply again and pay additional fees in order to come back before the Plannthg Commission. Mr. Booth stated the applicant would be entitled to apply again after a period of one year and sooner if he could show changed circumstances. 4 7 0 5/20/74 1 Councilman Berwald said he would like to know what the cost would be to file again. Also, he wanted to know what would happen if the applicant asked at this point for a continuance for the purpose of amending his P -C. He was wondering if that would avoid the necessity of his coning back with a whole new application. Mr. Booth said that if the revised proposal cane to Council and was referred to the Planning Commission, that would prevent the necessity of refiling. He added that the fee for filing for a parcel of this size would :e $150.00. Mr. Sater stated that he would like to request continuance for the purpose of making modifications to his plans. MOTION: Councilman Berwald moved, seconded by Beahrs, that upon the applicant's request the matter be continued until such time as he carne back with another P -C plan. See pg. 483 Vice Mayor Pearson said this meant Council could redesign the project, and she felt that could be a real mess. She stated the developer would be far better off accepting a rejection of his iilans and coming back with a whole new project. The motion to continue passed on the following vote: AYES: Beahra, Berwald, Norton, Rosenbaum, Sher NOES; Comstock, Henderson, Pearson Ordinance re Convera:%on of ant ,1s n s�ta i4m:l'md°nintut^�s ra�ees'�� d ., wa MOTION: :-Mayor Comstock introduced the following ordinance and mo'ied, seconded by Pearson, its adoption: ORDINANCE NO. 2789 entitled" ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO EXTENDING THE SUSPENSION OF THE CONVERSION OF APARTMENT BUILDINGS TO CONDOMINIUMS FOR A PERIOD OF THREE MONTHS UPON CERTAIN TERMS AND CONDITIONS" The ordinance was adopted on the following vote: AYES: Comstock, Henderson, Pearson, Sher, Rosenbaum NOES: Beahte, Berwald, Norton Ordinance Arner_dio Title 18 o t e a o to pa Code MOTION: Mayer Comstock introduced the following ordinance and moved, seconded by Peaxeor,, its adoption: ORDINANCE NO. 2790 entitled "ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO AMENDING TITLE 18 OF THE PALO ALTO MUNICIPAL CODE IN VARIOUS RESPECTS" 4 7 1 5/20/74 (Councilman Clay returned at 9:35 p.m.) The ordinance was adopted on the following vote: AYES: Beahrs, Comstock, Henderson, Pearson, Sher, Rosenbaum NOES: Serwald, Clay, Norton R�:solution in S'a ort of Fasea e ocean a ara oun �+ san ua MOTION: Mayor Comstock introduced the following resolution and moved, seconded by Pearson, its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 4946 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO IN SUPPORT OF THE PASSAGE OF COUNTY OF SANTA CLAPA MEASURE A, TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE VOTERS AT THE JUNE 4, 1974, PRIMARY ELECTION" The resolution was adopted on a unanimous vote. Golf Course Maintenance Buildin re m act: tie or o 2 s :4) MOTION: Mayor Ccmatock moved, seconded by Pearson,"that all bids for the Golf Course Maintenance Building be rejected. The motion passed on a unanimous vote. Ra ueet for General Plana _w7E.n t . imt , t o U :322:4 ) MOTION: Mayor Comstock introduced the following resolution; and moved, seconded by Pearson, its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 4947 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALT() REQUESTING AN EXTENSION OF TIME TO COMPLETE ADOPTION OV CERTAIN ELLMENTS IN THE PALO ALTO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN" The resolution was adopted on a unanimous vote. Squire House Renovation and Utilization (t :3E$:4) MOTION: Councilman 3eahrs moved, seconded by Comstock, that the matter of the Squire House renovation and utilization be continued until June 3. Councilman Henderson asked if staff had been in touch with the Historical Society so that they would be informed of the kinds of figures under discusaaion, and if so, did they have any suggestions. 4 7 2 5/20/74 Mr. Sipel said staff had not gone over the subject with the Historical Society but would be doing so in a week or two. Staff wanted to have a little more time to review the figures before going over them with any groups, including Council. Councilman Berwald said he hoped that the Squire House Committee would be heard from before June 3. The motion was approved on a unanimous vote. (Sher, Clay, and Norton out of Chambers) MOTION: Councilman Rosenbaum moved, seconded by Pearson, that staff be directed to report on the economics and feasibility of leasing Squire House for a single-family °:►se. The motion passed on the following vote: AYES: Beahrs, Berwald, Henderson, Pearson, Rosenbaum NOES: Comstock Old Police/Fire Buildin Mayor Comstock noted that Council members had copies of the report from the City Manager, the arbitration award, and lease agreement. MOTION: Councilman Henderson moved, seconded by Berwald, approval of the lease agreement between La Casa de Nieto y Amigos, Inc. and the City of Palo Alto relating to the leasing of public apace. AMENDMENT: Councilman Hendersom moved, seconded by Pearson, that the lease agreement be amended to add a new Section 15, Right of First Refusal. See pg. 483 1 Councilman Henderson said it had been his hope that this would be a permanent situation, and there was nothing in the revised contract that gave the city any option to proceed. He noted that he had talaed with the City Attorney who had created some language to cover the .latter of first refusal. Mr. Booth reported that the proposed wording had been approved by Le Casa, and they agreed to have this condition added to the lease. (Councilman Sher returned at 10:10 p.m.) The amendment to add a new Section 15 passed on the following vote: AYES: Beahrs, Comstock, Henderson, Pearson, Rosenbaum, Sher NOES: Berwald, Clay, Norton Councilman Berwald stated that in his opinion the arbitrary selection of the two organizations, the leasing of the public space to these groups at a figure of 40 cents per square foot, and Council's disregard of the staff's recommended criteria in arriving at the decision with 4 7 5/20/74 See Pg. respect to the leasing of this property, all constituted an illegal gift of public funds, and he would continue to vote against it. • Vice Mayor Pearson asked if there were any other facilities where the city does similar types of leasing. Mr. Sipel replied there are a number of facilities that historically have received some kind of "subsidy". For example, the Scout House has a one dollar per year lease, the Veterans Building is similar, the Red Cross Building, the lawn bowling club, marina, etc. All of these have been long-standing agreements where the value is substantial but the cost to the beneficiary is very low. Councilman Sher stated that the master lease suggested that Mr. Nieto has some obligation to help provide the community use, and he wondered if Mr. Nieto would be willing to give some consideration to rental below market rate. The point that disturbed him was that if somebody is not prepared to rent the space at the rates indicated as market rates two years from now, could result in this building going out of public use, unless the city is prepared to provide a tremendous subsidy. There is no reason to have this kind of community activity located in a high cost commercial building. It seemed to Mr. Sher that Council would not be doing the two organizations any favor by putting them into the space: At least one of thefts would be participating in the costs of remodeling knowing full well that at the end of two years their group would have to move out. Councilman Sher felt the whole thing had been turned around. He said he could not understand the arbitration award of the obligation of the developer to. provide the community use when it would only last two years. There was supposed to be community use in the building, Councilman Sher asked if there had been any discussion with the two organizations about whether they wished to go forward on this basis when there was a substantial chance at the end of two years they would not be able to continue. He pointed out the City should not take the sublease if the two organizations are not willing to go ahead, fir. Sipel replied that he had spoken with both organizations. Our Health Center was still very interested in the short term arrangement. The Resource Center for Women has not taken a position, but they have expressed some concern about the shortness of the term. It will probably depend upon how much they have to invest of their own money for that period as to whether they want to go ahead with it. They could decide to not pursue it any further, but Mr. Sipe/ said he encouraged them to postpone decision until they had some firm idea of the cost involved. Councilman Sher stated that if Council approved the lease, it should be conditional on the willingness of the two organizations to take the lease on a short term basis, recogni2ing the realities of the situation < He asked if the city could find itself in a situation where it was responsible for the rentals, :should the two organizations decide not to go ahead. Mr. Sipel replied affirmatively but added that there were others waiting who would like to take their place. Councilmae Henderson noted that as a result of the arbitration, the city could hope Hr. Nieto would give the situation favorable consideration in two years' time, and the amendment patted tonight stated "at the 483 prevailing fair market rates". 474 51201'74 M MEW Councilman Berwald said he found it rather invidious to compare the Boy Scouts with the situation at the Old Police and Fire Building, when the first was a community use, and this is a commercial building. He pointed out that the city had not gone out and actively sought leases for the other buildings as had been done hare. He stated that he felt that at some point there should be a review of the law on this whole situation, and a review of the city's lease space. The motion to approve the lease agreement, as amended, passed following ':ote: AYES: Beahrs, Pearson, Henderson, Rosenbaum, Sher NOES: Berwald, Clay, Morton Park Protects Requiring Ordinance for Comstock, u s an a � .aiiatruc yn, c • {C'2 :318:4) •'o"�'9fast!!� Q47 �1 2BAmme 00 MOTION: Mayor Comstock introduced the following ordinances seconded by Berwald, their approval for first reading: OR.D!TNPNCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO APPROVING AND ADOPTING A PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF MITCHELL PARK ORDINANCE OF i'HE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO APPROVING AND ADOPTING A PLAN FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE CLUBHOUSE AT THE PALO ALTO LAWN BOWLING GREEN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO A?'PROVING. AND ADOPTING A PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF RESTROOM FACILITIES IN THE OAK GROVE AREA. OF FOOTH/L1S PARK ORDINANCE OF TUE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO APPROVING AND ADOPTING A PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PRESCHOOL PLAYYARD WITHIN HOLLYWOOD PARK ADJACENT TO THE COLLEGE TERRACE LIBRARY ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF TI1E CITY OF PALO ALTO APPROVING ANT) ADOPTING A PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF PEERS PARK on the and moved, The ordinances were approved for first reading on a unanimous vote. Vice Mayor Pearson referred to the of the pistol range in Byxbee Park, was brought before Council several the location was in park lands. proposed ordinance regarding improvement She said that when this matter years ago, it was not clear that. Mr. Sipel said the rifle range had been located in Byxbee Park for at least six years. He added that the most recent improvements to the facility were within the confines that previously existed, and the reason for the improvements was because of the feeling there might be some liability if the area were not fenced in. At the same time more firing lines were added, and some electricity vas put out there so that the firin; lines could be used other than just during the day. 4 7 5 5/20/74 Vice Mayor Pearson stated she did not feel that this was an appropriate use for park lands, and that staff should do everything possible to get the pistol range out of the boundaries of Byxbee Park. It was her opinion that the range intruded on the baylands, and it just did not belong there. She suggested that the pistol range might be a future use for the present land fill which is not in the park. Councilman Berwald said that a police pistol range was not a proper use in a dedicated park. He wanted to know how expensive it would be to m.,ve and whether there was some other possible location for it. Mr. Sipel recalled that sometime in the mid -sixties there was a decision to have a modest facility of a temporary nature in thn baylands. The plans for the Municipal Service Center included the possibility of a range at some future date. It developed that the cost was much more than the city wanted to spend three or foUr years ago, so it was felt some modest improvements would be sufficient. Staff was not at present considering any further improvements to the existing facility nor was it considering relocation to any other site. He addei that if Council did not approve the ordinance, staff would be in the difficult situation of having to relocate the pistol range or discontinue operation. Councilman Henderson commented that he agreed with what was being sald about the location, but for practical purposes he felt Council should approve the project: that was completed in 1973 and he would support that. MOTION: Vice Mayor Pearson moved, seconded by Norton, that consideration of the ordinance approving and adopting a plan for the imlrovemant of the police pistol range in Byxbee Park be continued and that staff be directed to hook for alternative sites for the pistol range. The motion to continue this ordinance passed on the following vote: AYES: Pearson, Comstock, Norton, Henderson, Sher NOES: Beaters, Berwald, Clay, Rosenbaum Mayor Comstock noted that there were some people in the audience who wished to speak regarding the proposed ordinance adopting .Lmprovements for Eleanor Park. Gordon Hayward, 1040 Channing Avenue, stated that the last time he was before Council re asked how many signatures would be needed on a petition before Council would listen to the people who would be affected by the plans for the park, but that he had received no answer. He said whatever steps needed to be taken to make Eleanor Park the kind of park the public wonted, he would be willing to tske. }ir. Booth responded that the obvious action would be referendum which would require 1,995 valid signatures. The ordinance would be ready for second reading on June 3, and interested perso::a would have thirty days from that date to present signatures. ftevett Wallace, 1426 Pitman Avenue, stated that one of the interesting things about the petition was that none of the neighbors living adjacent to the park were asked to sign it. He spoke in favor of the ordinance under consideration. 4 7 6 5/20/74 Keith Petty, 1420 Pitman, spoke in favor of the decisions of Council with respect to Eleanor Park. He felt that the fact that six hundred signatures were presented did not alter the fact that Eleanor Park was not the place for tennis courts. Councilman Beahrs commented that Rinconada Park was very accessible to the people in this neighborhood who wanted to play tennis. He felt it would be wise if the members of the Pala A1eo Tennis Club would spread their usage of tennis courts over all of the city facilities, so that they would not be continually using Rinconada. MOTION: Vice Mayor Pearson introduced the following ordinance and moved, seconded by Henderson, its approval for first reading: ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO APPROVING AND ADOPTING A PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF ELEANOR PARK The ordinance was approved for first reading on the following vote: AYES: Beahrs, 13erwald, Clay, Henderson, Pearson, Norton, Rosenbaum, Sher NO'S: Comstock Councilman Sher re Meetin s ox ,c?Yt s2'rn t,a gZ:iSc3 (JT�)er Aenc Councilman Sher stated that the members of NCPA, of which Palo Alto is one, have been disputing with the Bureau of Reclamation the tremendous increase in rates proposed and promulgated. The Power Agency has brought an action against the Secretary of the Interior challenging the way in which the rates were promulgated. He said the Department of Justice is reviewing the possibility of placing in a crow the increases in rates which ate collecting pending the disposition of the law suit. Councilman Sher said the Agency has been working on its principal mission which is to develop a new source of energy for cities which own their own utility systems. The Agency has made considerable progress in the last month or six weeks, and there were a number of owners or lessees of parcels of property talking to the Agency; therefore, there is some prospect that in the near future they will be able to report something affirmative about .i new source of power. At the same time the Agency has been talking to Pacific Gas and Electric aboutthe problems of transmitting power from the source to the member cities, and he hoped to have something positive to report soon. The particular item on tonight's agenda relates to meeting places. In the past it has been the custom to circulate the greeting places which meant each member would be the host city once a year. Since some of the member cities are somewhat distant and hard to reach there was a suggestion that every other meeting ought to be centralized either in the bay area or in Sacramento; however, that suggestion generated some opposition from some of the outlying communities. Councilman Sher proposed a compromise where there would be a rotation of the meetings on a monthly basis with each city having the option to extend an invitation to hold the meeting at its location, but have the meeting at a central location any month when the designated city does not exercise that option. 4 7 7 5/20/74 MOTION: Councilman Sher moved, seconded by Comstock, that Palo Alto indicate its preference for a rotation of the meetings of the Northern California Power Agency on a monthly basis, with the meeting to be held at a central location any month when a member city did not wish to exercise its option to be the host city. The motion passed on a unanimous vote. Resolution re Support of ' at'� Pr°o MOTION: Mayor Comstock introduced the following resolution and moved, seconded by Pearson, its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 4948 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO IN SUPPORT OF THE PASSAGE OF PROPOSITION 9, RELATING TO CONFLICT OF IN=ERES T ,' FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE, AND LLMITAa IONS AFFECTING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND LOBBYISTS, AND OTHER MATTERS, TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE VOTERS AT THE JUNE 4 PRIMARY ELECTION" Frank Manfredi, 219 Addison Avenue, stated that anything that affects the citizens of Palo Alto should be discussed by and taken action upon by the Council. He spoke in favor of Proposition 9, saying that this is something that has been needed for many years. Councilman Sher stated that although he had some reservations about Proposition 9, particularly in regard to the diaclosure portion, he felt it was better than the present law and he would support it. Counci1m. n Beahrs stated that he felt the productive elements of the community, whether they be labor unions, corporations, or whatever, weze entitled to lobby sad to influence polities. He said he would oppose this action. The resolution was adopted on the following vote: AYES: Comstock, Henderson, Pearson, Rosenbaum, Sher NOES: BA!ahrs ABSTAIN: Berwald, Clay, Norton Recuest of Councilman Rosenbaum re Councilman Rosenbaum noted, that there was a time when gasoline stations posted their prices which produced competive pressures serving to keep prices down. He said there were a number of bills in the State Legislature which would be looking into this, but if they were to pass would not take effect until April 1, 1975. MOTION: Councilman Rosenbaum moved, seconded by Pearson, that staff be directed to prepare an ordinance requiring the posting of gasoline prices at stations, and that the managers of local stations be informed that Council was considering this ordinance. 4 7 8 5/20/74 Councilman Norton said he always had contended that the posting of prices at gasoline stations was in violation of the sign ordinance, and that the price signs they created clutter and an unsightly mess, nobody ought to be permitted to do it. He stated he would vote against it. Councilman Beahrs stated that he would really like to know what the prices for gasoline are in Palo Alto. Vice Mayor Pearson said that with the sigzu you could choose which gasoline station you would go to before getting in line, and she certainly would choose the one with the lowest price. The motion paesed on the following vote: AYES: Beahrs, Clay, Comstock, Henderson, Pearson, Rosenbaum, Sher NOES: Norton ABSTAIN; Berwald qRe nest of Councilman Beahrs re so ution t r'!nSt a edit o asure B MOTION: Councilman Beahrs introduced the following resolution and moved, seconded by Berwald, its adoption: RESOLUTION NO. 4949 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO URGING DEFEAT OF MEASURE B ON THE JUNE 4, 1974, BALLOT AMENDING THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO TO PROVIDE FOR RENT CONTROL" Councilman Henderson made a plea not to take any action as a Council on this citizens' initiative. He said everyone would have to admit there is a problem in Palo Alto concerning rapidly escalating rental rates, and the Council as yet had not found a solution. A group of citizens large enough to qualify an initiative petition has declared that rent cc;ntrol is the only immediate solution. Councilman Henderson stated he had many reservations about rent control, and specifically Measure B; but on the other hand, he had no alternative solution to offer. He said he Would be wining to be guided by the voters. He indicated that his main point was that he did not think the Council should take official action to urge voters to vote for or against rent control, and that there was no precedent for such action. Councilman Henderson said he did not mean that he opposed individual actions by Council members, but he did not feel the Council as a whole should ha involved. MOTION: Councilman Henderson moved, seconded by Pearson, that the resciution urging defeat of Measure B be tabled. The motion failed on the following vote: AYES: Henderson, Pearson NOES: Beahrs, Berwald, Comstock, Norton, Sher, Rosenbaum, Clay 4 79 5/20/74 A Vice Mayor Pearson stated that she felt the Council majority should have voted to table this resolution, and she thought this was the kind of politics that could be precedent setting. No Council in her memory had ever taken a Council position by resolution on an issue that was initiated by the voters cf Palo Alto. Councils in the past, despite attempts to force then into a public Council vote, have religiously and wisely chosen not to do so. Every Council member had the eereeturity to sign a legitimate ballot argument for or against rent control. Lice Mayor Pearson added that she felt this wai an attempt to make the rest cf the Council members who had not done so, take- a public position. It was her opinion that Council should have the courage to prevent this ?rind of tactic from being endorsed and used in the future for contested issues. She thought there was.a difference between Palo Alto referendum and Palo Alto initiative, and that au initiative of the people was not to be tampered with. Vice Mayor Pearson pointed out that although the statement was made that rent control was not needed in Palo Alto, she had a list of houses where rents had been raised so excessively that citizens are being forced to move out of the city. Vice Mayor Pearson listed the following examples: a house on Lytton Avenue - raised from $260 to $500 per month, one on Scott Street - $210 to $350, Webster Street $175 to $290, hathilton Avenue -- $ 80 to $325, and a number of others. She felt these people had a right to live in Palo Alto, had a right to some control over their rent, and that Council should keep its hands off, Councilman Sher asked that the difference vas between the resolution prepared by Councilman Beahrs and distributed tonight and the one prepared by staff. Councilman Beahrs responded that the substance of the resolution was not much changed. The original notion did not consider any figure concerning what the cost might be; however, the staff's resolution eatimated the cost at $150,000 to service some of the people mentioned by Vice Mayor Pearson, The staff predicted that this could aggregate as much as $250,000 per year with no one knowing how much good would be done. Councilman Beahrs felt the free market was the beat device to take care of this kind of problem. It was his opinion that the present problem was a result of Council's policy on housing. Developments had been blocked, and mach severe restrictions had been put on land usage that housing was scarce and costs were sky high. Councilman S'rter said he felt there was a lot in what Councilman iienderson said about trying to influence the vote of the people, but this was a smatter that affected everyone. He had comae out against rent control. He did not see that an initiative in the city is much different from the initiative that led to Proposition 9 on the ballot, although that was a statewide proposition. Councilman Sher felt that rant control was self defeating, and said he would vote for the resolution. Pater Geier, 520 Cowper, reported that the building where he lived changed ownership, and his rent was raised $45.00 per month immediately. He said this put him in a tight position, and that most of the elderly people in the building were going to have to look for another place to live. Some of the people were successful in receiving help from the Housing Authority, but unfortunately the Housing Authority would help only two people from each building. Mr. Geier said that Mrs. Josephine Conlon, another resident of his building, joined him in urging Council to oppose adoption of the resolution. 4 8 0 5/20/34 John Philo, 2264 Louis Road, stated that it was improper for the Council to take a stand on any measure placed on the ballot through the initiative process. It seemed to him that Council loved to tamper with initiative petitions. He believed the $170,000 figure was grossly over -inflated, and that it was taken out of context. It was his opinion that it was not surprising to get this kind of figure from Mike Grigoni, who is the one staff member who has frequently expressed hie opposition to rent control. Mr. Philo noted that if you take an average cost of rent control in its first year in various cities in Massachusetts, you would get a figure of about $80,000. He pointed out that Mr. Grigoni had included coats for housing inspection, which should occur in any event. Further, Mr. Grigoni assumed that the board would hear each case separately every year, and in his opinion that would not be necesaaryo in no way could the figure mentioned be regarded as carefully prepared and completely unbiased, and it seemed to htm that if Council passed the resolution, it would be creating a strong legal case for throwing out `fpis election. Frank Manfredi, 219 Addison, stated he was a member of the Tenants Union. He spoke in favor of rent control. Mr. William Cane, i'.)36 Webster Street, said the problem boiled down to one of greed, and he spoke In favor of ren` control. AMENDMENT: Vice Mayor Pearson ,roved the following amendments to the resolution: the second whereas should be deleted; in the fourth whereas the word "would" should be changed to "may", and strike out the words "if not make impossible"; In the next whereas, the word "would" should be deleted and the word "ray" inserted, in the third whereas from the bottom "would" should be deleted and the word "may" Inserted, and that the reference to Berkeley should be deleted entirely, and in the final whereas, delete the word "would" and insert "say" and also strike out the word "substantial"; and the $80,000 per year figure as suggested by Mr. Philo should be ueed. The amendment died for a lack of a second. The resolution was adopted on the following vote: AYES: Beahrs, Berwald, Comstock, Norton, Clay, Rosenbaum, Sher ABSTAIN: Henderson, Pearson Vice Mayor Pearson re Lights at Bac% of Gouncif b aaber Vice Mayor Pearson suggested to staff that lights be kept on in the back of the Chambers where the agenda is posted. Vice Ms or Pearson re �e° a on �cr icaasnt inereamieraremimermadikarbahribmilliliiimarlialft Vice Mayor Pearson noted that recently she had asked staff to look into the Williamson Act Amendment, and staff's recommendation is that it would be advisable for a letter of protest be written. ti 4 8 1 5/20/74 MOTION: Vice Mayor Pearson moved, seconded by Henderson, that staff send a letter of protest to the Assembly Select Committee on Open Space Lands requesting an amendment to AB 2850 to delete the ten acre minimum for Williamson Act contracts and to remove the retroactive provisions regarding non -renewal. The motion passed on a unanimous vote, Vice Ma or Pearson re Counter stn or o as a s�oaal Vice Mayor Pearson noted that the county was going to have a hearing on June 6 on their plan for solid waste disposal. She requested that aomeone from staff represent Palo Alto to indicate the city's support of the Bay Delta Resource Recovery Project and urging the county to develop methods other than land fill. Mr. Sipel responded affirmatively. Vice Mayor Pearson re Extension Vice Mayor Pearson expressed concern about the proposed extension of the Mountain View dump site and requested staff to investigate the possible impact of this extension on Palo Alto. Oral Communications 1. Frank ?aafredi, 219 Addison, requested that a speaker be put in the lobby because it was warmer there than it was in the Council Chamber, He suggested that oral communications be first on the agenda. Mr. Manfredi agreed that with regard to the resolution in support of Proposition 9 that labor unions are a lobby and are against the Proposition. `. Daniel Moorman, 164 Hamilton, spoke against rising prices and the fact that issuts on the ballot are not written in terms that a layman could understand. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 11:40 p.m. ATTEST: City Clerk 4 8 2 5/20/74 APPRQVE : Mayor