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

Browse Search

expressed hope that the City will stay the course, and if there are any doubts, to bring in the consultants used in the past. Boris Zats, a developer with property on Broadway, said that he has spent all last year trying to lease his property, and initially when it was developed, he thought it could be used for restaurant and retail, but that has not happened, and now he can only see allowing at least half of it to be office space in order to lease it all. He opined there are a lot empty spaces and even office space is better than empty space. Amy French, a ten-year resident and a planning professional in Palo Alto, said she and her family love downtown, but she is concerned that just 16-months from the adoption of the Downtown Precise Plan, there are questions about vacancies and possibly allowing office space on Broadway. She spoke against this proposal and opined it would be hard to change the space after five years (from office space back to retail space). M/S Gee/Seybert to close the Public Hearing. Motion carries 6-0 with Council Member Ira recused. One Council Member asked if this item went through the Council Economic Development subcommittee and Mr. Ekern confirmed. A question was posed about Laundromats and massage and tanning parlors. Mr. Zack provided details confirming those uses are already permitted. Council inquired about enforcement issues and Mr. Ekern said that staff has been in touch with certain businesses that have darkened their windows. This Council Member also inquired about the five year timeline and how staff will deal with economic changes in downtown before then. Mr. Ekern said that the office uses could not be kicked out outside of their permits. One Council Member who serves on the Economic Development Subcommittee explained that there has been a lot of vacancies and that has been a concern. This Council Member read an excerpt from one of the emails received, and she said Council received many emails and letters on this topic. This Council Member clarified that her goal is to get more people, and stick with the vision for the Downtown, and there are different points of views. She also pointed out that the retail downtown needs to accommodate working people who are busy and can come in the p.m. or on the weekend. She added that the Council has tried to meet every need of every resident for the downtown and it is disappointing to get a lot of misinformation on this topic. She suggested a stakeholders group with different players who care and want to step up to the plate. She reiterated that the goal is to avoid "Vacant" across buildings in our downtown. Another Council Member thought a taskforce was a good idea, and it will depend on the diversity of the folks that will serve. She supports getting different people at the table, whose passion is downtown revitalization, and take some time to do this right. Another Council Member added that it had not come to this to get some people involved. This Council Member wants to give retail a real opportunity and he believes it is the people who can make it happen. One other Council Member thanked staff and the Planning SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL May 21, 2012 MEETING MINUTES PAGE 15 MINUTE BOOK NO. 64 Page No. 134