Members Present: Chair Rose Kausek; Comm. Neil Love; Comm. Amrit Verma; Vice Chair Dawn Hopkins

Staff:  Amy Chan, City Manager; Steve Lynch, Associate Planner; Joey Mariano; Recording Secretary

Members of the public:

CONSENT CALENDAR

A.      Approval of May 4, 2005 Draft Minutes

B.      Approval of June 8, 2005 Draft Minutes

Vice Chair Hopkins noted a change on the bottom of page 2.

SCHEDULED PRESENTATION

A.     City’s Philosophy, Values, and Guiding Principles by Council Member Julia Miller and Amy Chan, City Manager

Amy Chan, City Manager, thanked the Commission for the opportunity to meet with them.     She said that the City of Sunnyvale has been very fortunate to have good staff over a long period of time. Ms. Chan said when she accepted the appointment of City Manager, she committed to Council to work on continuing the long hallmark of the City culture with a commitment to excellence for both the organization and for the community.  She presented the City’s Philosophy, Values, and Guiding Principles.

Ms. Chan has encouraged staff to focus on providing research and data in the Reports to Council (RTC) so the Council and the public have as much information and options as possible to help them make their decisions. Ms. Chan said, “We believe that quality decisions need to come from diverse views and perspectives”.  One of the reasons the City has public hearings is to hear what the public has to say. Also, since Sunnyvale is located in Silicon Valley, technology needs to be kept in mind and it needs to be used in a smart way.  Technology is not the answer to everything, but it may help staff reach the goal of delivering the best service as possible at the lowest cost. 

Ms. Chan noted the high standards of staff.  She made a note that she is always available for questions.  She thanked the Commission and ended her presentation.

Comm. Love asked Ms. Chan who she actually works for. Ms. Chan responded that she works under the Council’ direction.   

Julia Miller, Council Member thanked the Commisison and asked if they were able to attend the State of the City on the 4^th of July holiday. 

PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS

NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS

1. Staff Follow-Up: 

Mr. Lynch noted an appeal of item # 2005-0319. He further clarified questions from the Commission. 

Vice Chair Hopkins asked staff about a house on the corner of Fremont Avenue and Fremont High School. Mr. Lynch noted that it is of no historical significance.

Chair Kausek asked staff about funding for the Commission’s budget. Vice Chair Hopkins asked how the Commission could apply for a grant and asked about the inventory. Mr. Lynch clarified different criteria. 

Comm. Verma noted that a 50-year old home should have historic significance since the City is 100 years old. She noted that there must be records available regarding several properties in Sunnyvale. Mr. Lynch noted that the Historic list has stood the test of time and so far has not found any historic structures that have not already been recognized on the list. 

Vice Chair Hopkins asked staff about the Eichler homes in the City. Mr. Lynch noted that an Eichler homes inventory was persued by the City but never adopted. Comm. Amrit noted about a particular Eichler home along Cascade Drive which was renovated very nicely. 

Chair Kausek formally introduced Amrit to the rest of the Commission. She also asked the Commission if they would like to hold a special meeting next month. Staff suggested to create a tentative meeting date in case a meeting may be needed before the next regularly scheduled meeting in September. 

Comm. Amrit asked about the future downtown plans. Mr. Lynch talked about focus groups and clarified about future meetings for the downtown design plan.

ADJOURNMENT