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Development Services Manager Gladhill explained the City Council has legislative authority to <br />change the Comprehensive Plan's land use map and would have the ability to change the zoning <br />if the market changes in the future. He also explained the timeline for amending the <br />Comprehensive Plan and agreed to provide the EDA with the City Attorney's opinion regarding <br />the City Charter provisions with respect to a counter petition. <br />Member Williams left the EDA meeting at 8:20 a.m. <br />Member Skaff expressed support for the data center concept stating he felt it represented a good <br />use of the property but acknowledged that this use will result in significant opposition by the <br />neighborhood. <br />Chairperson Steffen agreed and stated the site might not be as competitive if the City places <br />significant restrictions on the use, but he was not willing to take it off the table yet. <br />Member LeTourneau stated he listened to the residents and acknowledged their concerns. He <br />commended staff for their efforts to mitigate resident concerns but remained concerned about the <br />local residents and about how the rest of the community views this. He felt it was important to <br />remain open to the idea that a data center might not be the right thing given the opposition of <br />residents and the potential for a petition against a data center. He stated he felt a data center was <br />the right thing overall for the community but if a petition came forward that would send a clear <br />message. He supported the idea of continuing the current process including rezoning. <br />Member Hardin expressed support for moving forward with rezoning the site as long as the City <br />can address the issues raised by residents, including noise and setbacks, and felt the proposed use <br />would benefit all residents by getting the property back on the tax rolls. <br />Member Riley stated he liked the way the City has conducted the public process and indicated <br />residents got the impression that the City was jamming this down their throats. He stated there <br />has been uniform and consistent opposition to the proposal adding he has not seen a lot of people <br />clamoring for a data center. He felt staff did a great job mitigating resident concerns but did not <br />think the residents will agree with the mitigation or change their minds. He stated he did not <br />think a data center was a bad idea but residents think it is, so he would not support it. <br />Management Analyst Brama indicated it was staffs intention to present the City Council with <br />the EDA's comments in support of rezoning the site for a data center. He asked if the EDA had <br />any additional changes to the site concept that the City Council should consider. <br />Member LeTourneau agreed that a 55 decibel restriction should be put in place and asked if a <br />200' setback was necessary with a 55 decibel restriction. <br />Management Analyst Brama advised the noise restriction is at the property line and the reason <br />for the setback was not purely for noise but also for aesthetics, safety, land value, and to address <br />potential spot zoning arguments. <br />Member Skaff indicated he would like to see more information about including a park amenity <br />on the site with park dedication fees from the site used to develop a small neighborhood park. <br />Economic Development Authority/May 16, 2013 <br />Page 4 of 7 <br />