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Commissioner O'Connor noted that the staff report states that the fence at the end of <br />Diamond Court was changed. He inquired if it was originally a solid fence. Ms. Amos <br />replied that from her conversation with the property owners at 455 Sycamore Road, the <br />property owners had removed the fencing and landscaping along that area to open up the <br />area for those living on Diamond Court to provide a greater sense of openness in that <br />area. She added that she was not sure if the fence was originally solid and that the owner <br />were present and could provided that answer. <br />Chair Blank indicated that he wanted to make sure that he had the right chronology and <br />inquired if staff had the date when the poly tank was put in and if this occurred before the <br />a conditional use permit application was filed. Ms. Amos replied that staff did not have a <br />date on when the new tank was put in but that it occurred before the conditional use <br />permit application was submitted. She explained that after the applicant had installed the <br />poly water tank, Code Enforcement was contacted regarding the installation and <br />relocation of the new tank. She noted that the Code Enforcement action provided the <br />applicant with the two options of either putting the same kind of tank back in the same <br />location or applying for a conditional use permit. <br />THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. <br />Janny Rocha, applicant, indicated that she would answer some of the questions that had <br />been raised before presenting her comments. She stated that the capacity of the old tank <br />was about 10,000 gallons and that while the estimates she received from the well <br />companies indicated that it would take 10,000 gallons to irrigate her property, she only <br />replaced it with a 5,000- gallon tank. She noted that the new tank is actually smaller, <br />shorter in height, and not as wide in diameter as the old tank because it is only half in <br />size. <br />With respect to the question regarding the fence at the end of Diamond Court, Ms. Rocha <br />stated that it was a solid fence and that there was vegetation in the area as well. She <br />noted that from her bathroom window, she could see the neighbor in the driveway of that <br />court, whereas she was not able to see them before the fence was removed. <br />Ms. Rocha then stated that as an architectural student at Berkeley, she learned that design <br />is not arbitrary and that form follows function. She pointed out that the old water storage <br />tank was a good example of this principle. She stated that the function of the tank is to <br />store water and that it should logically be close to the source. She noted that she could <br />have replaced the old tank in the same location and would not have needed a conditional <br />use permit; however, it did not make sense to go through the expense of installing a new <br />tank and pump without considering the issue of efficiency. She indicated that the old set <br />up was not working, and she did not want to make the same mistake. <br />Ms. Rocha explained that she had two bids for the new tank, and both well specialists <br />recommended placing the tank close to the well -head and pump. She added that she <br />could have placed the tank on either side of the well -head and decided to place it where it <br />would face the garage side of 455 Sycamore Road rather than on the drawing area side. <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, April 9, 2008 Page 7 of 33 <br />