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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/30/2023 1 City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 30, 2023 CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL This meeting was conducted virtually pursuant to the provisions of Assembly Bill 361 and Government Code Section 54953(e) related to conducting public meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Swan called the City Council Special Meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Linda Swan, Vice Mayor Stanley Q. Mok, Councilmember Lisa H. Schmidt, Councilmember Tankha, Councilmember George Tyson Absent: None Staff: City Manager Peter Pirnejad, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Planning Director Sofia Mangalam, Management Analyst II Cody Einfalt, City Clerk Deborah Padovan 1. PUBLIC COMMENT Bob and Patti, Los Altos Hills, said they has lived in the hills for 50 years, he has seen the character of the hills change a lot, but nothing like the character change that is coming. He expressed doubts that residents would not vote for these changes if they even had such a chance. Arthur Sobel, Los Altos Hills, said he agrees with the previous speaker. He does not want high rise apartment buildings that look like San Francisco in a few years. John O'Connell, Los Altos Hills, said he circulated a petition, and they understand the challenge before the Council. He does believe that multi-family zoning would be rejected due to environmental review. The Council should reject the Housing Element that is before the Council tonight. Rigo Gallardo, Local Union 405 of Santa Clara, said he was speaking on behalf of 39,000 union carpenters across Northern California. He said that area labor standards should be upheld. He requested that the Council hire local labor and provide for living wages. Birgitta Indaco, Los Altos Hills Planning Commissioner, clarified what the Planning Commission voted on last Friday. This is an accumulation of at least 1000 hours of staff and volunteer time. This is as good as it gets so we can be compliant. She pointed out that the three identified properties with overlays was very carefully thought out with the event of SB 9 and ADU, we are creating a distribution throughout the town that handles the burden of some of those numbers. Jim Waschura, Los Altos Hills Planning Commission Chair, said this is very confusing for residents. He said that four hundred units on ten acres is not something that Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Special Meeting Minutes Monday, January 30, 2023 – 6:00 p.m. Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California 2 City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 30, 2023 is proposed. The Commission worked hard to make forced upzone for multifamily, instead it is an overlay zone. It can go down to a 20 acre per density unit and still qualify. He said that by adopting the Housing Element tonight, the builders remedy would be avoided. Sasha Zbrozek, Los Altos Hills, said he just pulled up the 2015-2023 Housing Element and read from it for multifamily residential use. 2. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Consideration of a Resolution adopting a General Plan Amendment to update the Housing Element of the General Plan for the period of 2023 -2031, making findings that the Housing Element substantially complies with State Housing Element laws and affirmatively furthers fair housing, that the Town has considered findings from the California Housing and Development Department and made revisions to the Housing Element to address and respond to those findings and making a determination that that adoption of the Housing Element of the General Plan for the period of 2023-2031 is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15283. Project Description - A Housing Element is one of the seven mandatory elements of the General Plan that describes how local jurisdictions plan to meet the housing needs allocated to their communities. Every eight (8) years, local jurisdictions are required to review and adopt a Housing Element that is in substantial compliance with state housing element law. The 6th Cycle Housing Element update covers the planning period of 2023- 2031 and will replace the 5th Cycle Housing Element for the planning period of 2015- 2023. The 2023-2031 Housing Element includes the following chapters: Introduction, Review of Past Accomplishments; Housing Needs Assessment; Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, Constraints On Housing; Housing Resources; Site Descriptions; Ability to Meet RHNA; and Housing Goals, Policies and Programs. The Housing Element identifies three sites where a multi-family overlay zone designation would be proposed through subsequent zoning amendments: portions of the Foothill College site, portions of the St. Nicholas School site, and the Twin Oaks Court parcels (at Arastradero Road/Twin Oaks Court, Los Altos Hills). Planning Director Sofia Mangalam presented the staff report. Councilmembers asked questions of staff and received responses. Vice Mayor Mok asked about SB 9 and the status of the ordinance. Director Mangalam responded that staff was currently working on it. Mayor Swan opened the Public Hearing. John O'Connell, Los Altos Hills, said that the petition in the packet is circulating throughout the affected areas of the Town and he will provide an update on the additional three of signatures from residents in Town. 3 City Council Special Meeting Minutes January 30, 2023 Mayor Swan closed the Public Hearing. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to adopt Resolution 09-23 adopting a General Plan Amendment to update the Housing Element of the General Plan for the period of 2023 -2031, making findings that the Housing Element substantially complies with State Housing Element laws and affirmatively furthers fair housing, that the Town has considered findings from the California Housing and Development Department and made revisions to the Housing Element to address and respond to those findings and making a determination that that adoption of the Housing Element of the General Plan for the period of 2023-2031 is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15283. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Mok. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha, Tyson NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None 3. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 6:42 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Deborah L. Padovan Deborah Padovan City Clerk The minutes of the January 30, 2023, special City Council meeting were approved as presented at the February 16, 2023, regular City Council meeting.