07-06-2020 Regular CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Minutes July 6, 2020 Page 6 further stated they didn't feel it was a good time to change the zoning before the Comprehensive Plan review scheduled this year. Mayor Dietz closed the public hearing. There was some initial discussion about various components of the project, such as parking requirements, but Councilmember Westgaard suggested ruling on the land use amendment first as the rest of the items may not matter if the amendment fails to pass. Councilmember Westgaard stated in 2019 Council made the decision to support this project when they approved the letter of support because they weren't sure the 169 Redefine would change anything to make this property more marketable for commercial use. He stated there will be less traffic with this project versus commercial business traffic, which has been determined from many previous studies. He supports the project noting the property has been on the market for many years and sympathizes with the fact that this property has been hard to sell. He noted there is a need for affordable housing and the applicant is not asking for financial support. He stated many of the arguments discussed are based on fear and not fact. He noted there a many young people or displaced families who need an affordable place to live. He further commented the applicant will be required to follow the architectural design standards if this project is passed. Councilmember Ovall concurred and thanked residents for their thoughtful presentations. He stated he doesn't see this project as low-income housing, but rather workforce housing for people from the community. He struggles when area residents and businesses speak against the project. He stated there is single family housing on large lots in the surrounding neighborhood and this would be a high - density project in the same area, which he struggles with whether it will work. Councilmember Christianson expressed two issues: one, after all the community engagement efforts, the public still has the same concerns that have not been resolved; and two, a lot of responses he received feel the Council should follow the Comprehensive Plan, which guides the property as highway business commercial. He didn't feel it had been vetted to explore other areas in the city already zoned for high density residential. He stated he is not in support of going against the Planning Commission recommendation and the Comprehensive Plan. Councilmember Wagner stated this is a difficult decision, noting the city has a Comprehensive Plan for a reason. She questioned if it is right to follow the plan in this case. She discussed how people ask her many times to do something for the tax base of the city and this is a good project for it. She stated there is a need for workforce housing and it has been discussed many times throughout the community. She believes it is a good project but questioned if it is right for the area. She stated both sides have their merit. 1 a E A E B B Y NATURE