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4 <br />City Council Special Meeting Minutes <br />May 25, 2023 <br />The Council then considered using ceded time to allow Mr. O’Connell to make an additional <br />public comment. <br /> <br />Councilmember Schmidt said there were a number of misconceptions going around the <br />room and asked to have some time devoted to clearing up the misconceptions and the <br />consequences of what we are doing. <br /> <br />John O'Connell, Los Altos Hills (using ceded time from Carol Gottlieb), said he would be <br />making comments to HCD on the town’s complete failure to meet the requirements under <br />HCD and state law for public outreach, and consultation. <br /> <br />Sandra Georgescu, Los Altos Hills, said she observed the process of how this <br />happened. Said she was part of the meeting that happened yesterday and one of the things <br />that became clear in the meeting yesterday, was the discrepancy between what the residents <br />had to say and what the town staff had to say. <br /> <br />Council discussion ensued. Councilmember Tyson asked the City Manager to explain <br />what is happening currently with the housing element and to clarify that a project is not <br />currently before the Council. <br /> <br />Councilmember Schmidt said that there are several steps in a process that has been going <br />on for a year and a half. We are not here to adopt any development; we are not even close to <br />that step. Anything proposed will have to go to the Planning Commission and through the <br />entire process. We are trying to comply with state law to turn it in on time. If we don’t get <br />it submitted in time, we lose the ability to regulate the planning in our town. <br /> <br />City Manager Pirnejad explained the housing element process. This is the very beginning <br />stages that have been unfolding for many years. It started at the state level, and it affects <br />cities in the entire state. The Town was mandated to add 489 units to provide a place in our <br />housing element to provide where they might be located. We need to comply with state <br />statutes to determine that they are fair, affirmatively further fair housing, and that they are <br />affordable at various levels. In the last housing element, we were given a number by the <br />state, and we almost doubled it. Right now, we are dealing with very strict deadlines on <br />when we can comply and one of them is May 31. If we do not have a certified housing <br />element by May 31 deemed substantially compliant, then we basically must have an EIR, <br />the zoning ordinance, and the objective design standards between now and January 31, <br />2024. There will be more opportunities for public input over the course of the next year. <br /> <br />City Attorney Mattas emphasized that Los Altos Hills has historically had one-acre <br />minimum lots with single-family zoning or institutional uses. The state has imposed a <br />requirement on cities that requires towns like Los Altos Hills to provide for the number of <br />housing units the City Manager mentioned and that involves having some multi-family <br />zoning. Currently, the Town does not have any multi-family zoning. The objective design <br />standards are to develop those rules and regulations. Those will be public hearings heard at <br />the Planning Commission and the City Council. There will be ample opportunity for the <br />public to have input.