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Posted 7/10/12 – The City Council approved the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the proposed Kensington Assisted Living Facility project unanimously this evening. They also instructed the City Attorney to draft simple language for an amendment to Measure V that would exempt the two project parcels from the density aspects of Measure V.
The discussion of the project opened with an early suggestion from Council member John Capoccia that perhaps the Council could bypass the entire discussion of whether or not the project conforms to Measure V, and the discussion of what constitutes a dwelling unit by simply putting an amendment on the ballot to exempt the two parcels from Measure V. There was consensus among the other Council members that that seemed like a practical, positive way to move the project forward. There was extensive public comment, with nearly all the residents who spoke calling for a Measure V vote. In a dramatic plea to the Council to move the project forward, resident Tom Brady spoke of a friend that has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer who may no longer be alive by the time the vote takes place, noting that “It’s about dignity, not density.”
That quote was brought forward later in the meeting by Mayor Josh Moran in discussing the right of residents to have microwaves in their units, which had been a bone of contention for the Planning Commission, because the Commission was trying to avoid having the suites classified as dwelling units. The Council’s decision to amend Measure V made that issue moot, so the Council chose to remove the language that restricted the developer from providing microwaves for its residents.
The Council came to agreement on the Specific Plan, but chose not to vote on it until they’ve had a chance to review changes to the document, including one to add an expiration date to the Plan.
The Council also tabled the Text Code Amendment to the Municipal Code, because it referenced the Specific Plan, which had been tabled, and the Amendment could not be passed until the Specific Plan had been passed.
The Council chose to continue the Conditional Use Permit to the next meeting as well.