Planning Commission Recommendation 6-24-19

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Memorandum Date: June 17, 2019 To: Mayor Vinis and City Council From: Gabe Flock, Senior Planner Subject: Summary of Planning Commission Recommendation for Downtown Riverfront ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This memo is a supplement to the Agenda Item Summary (AIS) provided for the June 24, 2019, public hearing on the Downtown Riverfront land use adoption package. With that AIS, you received, among other things, the proposed ordinance, a summary of the adoption package, and access to the full record of materials to date. This memo provides the Planning Commission’s recommendation. Background The Planning Commission held the initial public hearing on the proposed adoption package on May 7, 2019. Following an open record period to accept additional testimony, the Commissioners conducted deliberations at three separate meetings on June 3, 4 and 11, 2019. The Planning Commission recommends that the City Council approve all elements of the land use package. The unanimous recommendation for approval of the overall land use adoption package (4:0), however, includes several recommended changes to the proposed code language for Downtown Riverfront Special Area Zone (S-DR), which are presented below and in Attachment A. As part of its recommendation, the Planning Commission also wished to call your attention to two specific topics that involved informal split votes, which are also discussed below. Not all Planning Commissioners participated, some absent for travel or other commitments, and one Commissioner, Kristen Taylor (Chair), recused herself due to a conflict of interest because her firm TBG Architects and Planners worked on the tentative subdivision materials included as part of the adoption package. The Planning Commission intends to have at least one representative available as part of the Council process, to help communicate its recommendation and answer any questions that may arise. Recommended Changes to Draft S-DR Zoning As part of Planning Commission’s unanimous (4:0) recommendation for approval of the overall land use adoption package, the Planning Commission included specific recommended changes to the draft code amendments that they discussed in detail. These specific changes are set forth in Attachment A and are summarized as follows: