CC Min 2012-05-21 - Special - Laserfiche WebLink

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the Precise Plan is an asset and they are ready and willing to create a downtown retail task force. Mike Kastrop, a resident, president of the Downtown Business Group with over 100 members, and an architect, cautioned against unintended consequences from the proposed changes and questioned if there was any information of any other similarly sized cities that have successfully allowed such temporary changes. He spoke against losing any retail, asked that the proposal be carefully researched, alternatives studied, and he also volunteered to participate in any taskforce. Michael Tucker, president of Books Inc. and an independent book seller, expressed his thankfulness for the vision of City leaders and how he sees the beginning of a vibrant community. He spoke in favor of the current process, the Precise Plan, and he opined that having five years of office space replacing retail space could kill it (the plan) Zeke Mead, owner of SkateWorks, read an email letter he sent to City Council about his experiences as a former 16-year Redwood City business owner. He spoke against the proposed plan as making things harder for existing and new retailers to succeed and spoke in favor looking at new ways to solve the problem. He said they moved to Los Altos for reasons that had nothing to do with this city. Carolyn Jones said she has lived in San Mateo County for the last 40-years, she is amazed at Redwood City's transformation into vibrant destination within the last 20 years, and she wishes this to continue. She expressed concerns about the proposed amendment and questioned if it may have serious unintended consequences, such as increasing parking demand. David Marino, a real estate broker and 30-year resident, spoke against the plan and expressed concerns about real estate home prices and how it could hurt the community with less foot traffic. He opined more people would go elsewhere and suggested leaving retail alone and giving the economy a chance to improve. Mary Gallagher said she is an urban planner, referred to a letter dated February 14tn and spoke in favor of incremental improvement, more competition, and having an attractive downtown. She opined that office use is not ideal but better than a vacancy as some retail tenants are surrounded by vacancies right now. Diane Howard said she served on the City Council from 1994 to 2009 and she worked on the Downtown Precise Plan. She spoke in favor of keeping the first floor level of Broadway as retail only in the main downtown corridor, and noted that nonretail spaces would be dark at night and do not provide the foot traffic needed and there are businesses that are here because of prior use commitments. She believes the solution is not to panic and fill space with any type of use. She urged the Council to not move forward but initiate a process for a dialogue. SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL May 21, 2012 MEETING MINUTES PAGE 13 MINUTE BOOK NO. 64 Page No. 132