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organizations, and individuals. He credited Ms. Bengtson with organizing the Garden Club to upkeep the grounds. He described the building as having osteoporosis, stating that its major systems are very old and that as they fail, a full renovation will be required. He said that Pleasanton Gardens is soon approaching a point where it will have to either redevelop with additional and more up to date units or else close. He noted that Arroyo Vista was forced to close at only 30 years old. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio said it is difficult to envision replacing such a longstanding and integral part of the community with something that cannot yet be imagined. She said that the community is aging and it would be shortsighted to believe that an increase in affordable senior opportunities is unnecessary. She said that as a community of character, the first charge should be to care for our elderly. She said she was interested by Mr. Fialho's suggestion of assisted living and /or skilled nursing communities and said that there would most certainly be an increased need for that as people live longer and on fixed incomes. She said it is the duty of the Council to look ahead to that, realizing that not everyone has the good fortune of others. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio opened the public hearing. Public Comments: John Weir said that while the task force has been very creative, it cannot escape the issue of trying to stuff too many units into too small a space. He said that splitting the units between both parcels would relieve much of the pressure in terms of satisfying Pleasanton Gardens' requirements and retaining sufficient open space. He said the current designs change what are small garden style apartments to condominium living. He said that concern over splitting the community in two is a false lead. He said that people tend to pick and choose their own neighbors in any case and doubted that residents from one end of a 150 -unit building would socialize with those from the other end. He encouraged the task force to investigate what the additional costs would be for maintaining an additional community room and grounds and how that compares to maintaining the current lifestyle these residents deserve to retain. Councilmember Sullivan asked his opinion of the 2 -story, 128 -unit design. Mr. Weir said it was overall a better plan. He said the 150 -unit option compresses too many people into a small space and gives the impression that the City would institutionalize senior living because it is more economically viable. Jeff Morgan, Christian Church Homes, thanked the Council for the opportunity to serve the City of Pleasanton. He said there is an upcoming onslaught of seniors in need of housing, that the City must recognize that regulatory agreements and use restrictions at Pleasanton Gardens will soon expire, and that this project is an opportunity to preserve a good portion of the City's affordable senior housing. He cautioned the Council not to underestimate the value of the assets gained by a 150 -unit development both in terms of housing and the land at Pleasanton Gardens. He said that as a developer of affordable housing, he would move immediately to develop a feasible project with this level of detail. He said the City would essentially gain a leverage of $40 million for an investment of only $4 million as well as an extremely valuable asset. He encouraged the Council to consider the 10 years of public process and community involvement that developed this plan and asked that the effort be recognized in whatever path is taken. Wayne Couto commended the task force for its efforts and the Council for considering a project of this nature. He said there is no doubt that both developments are an integral part of this City Council Minutes Page 12 of 16 December 1, 2009