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

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Commissioner Levine stated that this process has been underway for about 15 years and acknowledged that things change. He stated that the City is trying to be transparent and believed an open forum would be a great part of this process where the changes and vision can be discussed. He also believed that it is important for the Council and Commission to meet jointly in order to facilitate discussion of this nature. Commissioner Bauer stated that from a systemic perspective the interest in The COR has grown because this Council has been more open and residents feel that they are being listened to and are more a part of the discussion. He stated that they also need to remember that some people had expressed the opinion that the original plans were not attainable and therefore could have never been reached. Councilmember Johns stated that this would be a great opportunity to refresh on what is possible, noting the timing of the Armstrong interchange project actually moving forward. The consensus of the Council and Commission was to conduct an inventory on the elements of the original plan compared to the current status and the vision for The COR today, which will be reviewed with the Planning Commission, other relative Advisory Boards, and City Council. Councilmember Riley stated that the market must also be considered, noting that it may not be economically feasible for development to fund a multi-million dollar parking ramp. He stated in that case the City would need to fund the element or amend the development plans. Mayor Strommen agreed that the plan should be reviewed to determine if some of the original elements are feasible. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that along with this process he would like to see the plan made more user friendly as it can be very confusing to follow in the current format. Commissioner Andrusko questioned what the Commission would do in the time being. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that the Commission would continue to enforce the regulations as they exist today. Commissioner VanScoy stated he is having difficulty supporting the land uses proposed by applicants as there is conflict with the existing regulations. He stated that the Commission will still look at the land use and Ordinances to determine if they fit and make a recommendation to the City Council based on that, noting that the Council may have different priorities than the Commission. Mayor Strommen appreciated the Commission bringing this discussion forward as she believed it would be a benefit to have this refresher in order to better match the implementation items with the intent. She stated that policy decisions will need to be made as the projects come. She stated that the opinion and recommendation of the Planning Commission matters, whether or not the recommendation is followed. She agreed that the City Council does have different priorities City Council Work Session / May 26, 2015 Page 4 of 7