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6. STUDY SESSION — City Council, Planning Commission, and Architectural <br />Review Committee <br />A. Downtown Precise Plan — Fourth Joint Study Session <br />Acting Planning Manager Passanisi explained that there are two items on the <br />agenda on this topic. He stated that the first item is the final joint study session on <br />the Precise Plan that includes responses from both staff and FTB to those <br />questions from the last study session on August 22. Consultants present were <br />from Carve Traffic Engineers and the Concord Group. Upon conclusion of the <br />study session, staff recommendation was that Council reconvene to a formal <br />meeting. to finalize and provide the downtown precise plan concepts. Those <br />concepts are broad based, such as maximum amount of housing in the <br />downtown, building heights, transportation and rail issues. Upon agreement of <br />those concepts, staff and consultants will prepare the administrative draft and the <br />EIR for the precise plan. Upon completion of those items, staff will bring back to <br />the Planning Commission and City Council during public hearings. <br />Michael Freedman and Hiro Sasaki opened the session with "Downtown <br />Revitalization Do's and Don'ts. The main session focus was on the remaining <br />issues of building heights; the appropriate amount of housing downtown; the arts <br />district issue; transportation, mostly dealing with rail issues or integrating <br />downtown with enhanced rail service; the vision for El Camino Real; and the <br />requested response to public spaces. (A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is <br />on file in the City Clerk Department.) <br />Council Members, Planning Commissioners and Architectural Review Committee <br />Members asked various questions and made. comments. <br />Public Comment: <br />Charlie Greer, HHCC Member, stated that the Committee is very excited about the <br />housing opportunity that the downtown plan presents. The affordability of the units <br />is exciting and he requested that the vision statement of the precise plan includes <br />an opportunity to house the low and very low residents of the city. He stated that <br />the Committee is also interested in knowing the ideal mix between <br />homeownership and rental housing in the downtown. <br />JOINT CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION WITH OCTOBER 3, 2005 <br />PLANNING COMMISSION AND PAGE 4 <br />ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE <br />MINUTES <br />MINUTES BOOK NO. 61 <br />Page No. 17 <br />