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Redwood City Planning Commission Chairman Bursak addressed the Council and said the staff had been quite thorough in its presentations. He said he would like to give his opinions and impressions of the process. He said it started 22 months ago when the Commission began to look at the area as blighted. Chairman Bursak described the two community meetings and the formal Planning Commission meetings. He said the owner and realtor of the property said, "that in spite of intensive marketing efforts, there were essentially no viable commercial uses for this property." The nearby residents wanted a grocery store, but expressed some opinion that if that was not possible, then single family residential was the next best choice. At that point the owner began to market the property to residential developers, and eventually Classic Communities submitted its plan. Chairman Bursak described the Planning Commission and staffs long and substantial efforts on this project, especially responding to all concerns brought to the Commission and staff. He said the Commissioners were very demanding of staff and staff performed admirably. The Planning Commission and Architectural Advisory Committee were also very demanding of the developers who also responded well. Chairman Bursak said the Commission and community meetings brought forward the emotional issues voiced by the neighbors. He said there had been modifications to the zoning texts and to the project, and there were also areas where the Commission had no jurisdiction, such as alternative land uses. Chairman Bursak said the neighbor's original fears were about the "possibility of duplexes, condos, apartments or subsidized high-density housing could be built if this property was rezoned as R-2." Chairman Bursak said the Commission worked on a Zoning Text amendment that would eliminate those fears, and allow only single family dwellings. He said after those fears were allayed, "attendance at our meetings declined rather drastically and almost instantly. At the last meeting... there were fewer than ten people present." Chairman Bursak said he believed the initial distrust of the process has mostly been replaced with respect for the process, "once it was realized we were not going to sell out a neighborhood or take any precipitous action... One resident during a break in the meeting approached me and stated 'You're really listening' and said he was surprised that we would be, and he is here tonight, and I assume he will be able to communicate that to you rather well." Chairman Bursak said he had tried to contact every letter writer, talked to Dr. Crates of the School Board and he and the rest of the Commissioners talked to as many people as they could at great lengths to address all the issues. He said, "we made our decisions with more input ITom the community than any other project that I have been involved with." Chairman Bursak said the proposed "zoning text amendment was a direct result of the Commission meeting with the residents... They needed absolute protection ITom the possibility that apartments would be constructed on this site." He said it would also allow similar developments on similar sites throughout the City. He said "as to the use of this ordinance, when any future project was proposed, it would have to go through the same process. There is no plan in Redwood City that is now zoned R-l MJNUTE BOOK NO. 55 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MAY 5.1997 MINUTES Page No. 286 PAGE 11