Minutes - Council Work Session - 05/26/2015 - Joint

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Commissioner VanScoy stated that he was a part of the group when the plan was originally developed and since that time, as the City has gone through process of approving projects, there is more varying from the original concept. He stated that it makes him uncomfortable for the City to consistently approve variances from the Ordinances, as that inhibits the ability to accomplish the original goal. He questioned if the original concept is still valid or whether he is holding onto old values that simply do not work. He stated that he measures applications against the Ordinances and whether or not the project fits within the desired intent of the City. He believed that the City should review the basics and if the vision has changed, make the necessary amendments. He stated that parking is still an issue, noting the desire for shared parking but the lack of a plan to reach that end result. Mayor Strommen stated that multiple plans can still bring the City to the same vision. She questioned whether the Commissioner believes the vision is the same but the plan has changed or whether he believes the vision and plan have changed. Commissioner VanScoy stated that he believed both the plan and vision have changed, noting that he does not oppose the change but simply believes that the vision and plan should be amended to fit the City's current path. Commissioner Bauer stated that the idea had been that The COR should never look like Riverdale. He stated that there is a sense that perhaps the development is moving in more of a Riverdale direction. He questioned the Council's idea for the future development of The COR. Commissioner Levine stated that things have changed just as life changes and that currently the City is not "playing by the rules". He stated that the City should review what is being done and what needs to be done and amend the rules to better fit the desired outcome as that has changed over time, rather than continuing to issue variances. Mayor Strommen agreed that the Master Plan has changed several times throughout this course but believed that many elements of the vision remain the same. She stated that there may be degrees of implementation to reach the vision, noting that some elements of the original vision may still exist but in a different manner than originally thought. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that one of the main issues is parking strategies, specifically surface parking, and believed that some of the language in the zoning code could be further clarified. He noted that mixed use is another large component and confirmed that there may also be better language to address that component. Mayor Strommen agreed that clarification of the zoning code could be made but stated that perhaps there should also be a higher-level discussion regarding the elements of the original vision as some of those items may have changed over time. Community Development Director Gladhill questioned whether that discussion should occur at the Planning Commission level, a joint Commission and Council meeting or whether public input should also be gathered. City Council Work Session / May 26, 2015 Page 2 of 7