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. I I . I . - - Councilwoman La Berge expressed support for the HHCC meeting with the Planning Commission at a study session and mandatory aréhitectural review. She said Redwood City does not employ its own architects, so the expertise of the Architectural Advisory Committee was critical to a well designed community. Councilwoman Buchan said the best part of this process took place this evening. She said she appreciated the opportunity to talk things out with everyone, Planning Commissioners, Architectural Advisory Committee Members and Housing and Human Concerns Committee Members, and thanked them for all the ideas and frustrations they had shared. She said they were on the right track together. Councilwoman Buchan said she agreed that there should be mandatory architectural review if possible. Planning Commission Chairman Bursak said the independence of the Planning Commission is legendary, but it helps to have policy statements from Council. He said he had no problem working with a policy or without, but believed it to be the responsibility of the Council to set general policy. Chairman Bursak said "This is a very special city. We have land, and land right now is running out up and down the peninsula. We can afford to be very picky. And if somebody comes to us with a project that we don't want, we can say 'no' and wait for the next one to come along. And if it doesn't come along for a few years, that's fine, too, because we won't then be waiting fifty or sixty years of looking at something that is disgusting, or creating - intolerable problems in other ways, traffic is the easy one that comes to mind." Chairman Bursak said mandatory architectural review could make the developers life easier. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayor Hartnett declared a recess at 10:34 p.m. Meeting reconvened at 10:37 p.m. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Housing Element - Debbie Jones-Thomas and Maureen Riordan 1) Status of Housing Element Certification efforts. Senior Planner Riordan said in 1993 the Council adopted the Housing Element of the General Plan, but it was not certified. She said the City spent a great deal of effort to try to get it certified, and finally decided to move forward with the policies rather than spend any more time going back and forth to the State for certification. Senior Planner Riordan said the State has extended its Housing Element certification time period until 1999. She ~\IÏ\I. with. that in mind, staff would like to tackle the Housing Element again. She described staffs meetings with the HHCC, the Housing - SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION OCTOBER20,1997 STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 PAGE 15 Page No. 599