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Commissioner Blank noted that one of the PowerPoint slides stated that the rezoning is moving ahead of the PUD process because of pending litigation. He inquired what the nexus was between the rezonings and the litigation. Mr. Roush replied that one of the causes of action in the pending litigation is the fact that the City has not implemented Program 19.1 of the Housing Element, which provides that the City will do the land use studies and then rezone sufficient property to accommodate its regional housing need for the 1999-2009 planning period. He noted that the City acknowledged that it is in the process of doing this but needs to complete the General Plan first. He added that the General Plan has now been completed, and the City has arrived at a General Plan designation that would allow property to be rezoned. He explained that this is what this rezoning is intended to do; it does not require, compel, or result in residential development being built in the near-term on the sites or at all, but makes that opportunity available as identified in Program 19.1. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Bo Tian stated that he moved to Pleasanton in 1997 and that the value of his house has dropped by 20 percent since. He indicated that he wants to make sure the quietness of their neighborhood will remain so that his young children are able to enjoy it. He expressed concern about the plummeting housing prices and loss of property values in the last three years. He cited the State’s budget crisis and the shortage of educational funds and inquired how the school district will accommodate children from the additional 1,000 apartment units. He voiced concern regarding Pleasanton schools’ ranking dropping from 9 to 11 and asked that a full study be done on the consequences and negative impacts of building more units on population, schools, environment, traffic congestion, and property values. Steve Bursley stated that at the City Council-Planning Commission Joint Workshop he attended a year ago, a decision was reached to form a joint task force. He noted that such task force has not been formed and that the questions raised at that time have remained answered. He indicated that he finds it difficult to understand how the rezoning can move forward without the process agreed upon in place. Kyong Suk McGough stated that she moved to Pleasanton in 1997 and cited problems from nearby apartment developments. She noted that building more units would result in a negative impact on schools and added that she did not want her property value to go down. Shenggao Li stated that he moved to Pleasanton in 2002 because he found it to be a nice city with a low crime rate. He indicated that he considered moving to the Santa Clara area because it was closer to his office, but he could not find a place comparable to Pleasanton. He added that he is proud of Pleasanton schools because they are good. He noted that building high density houses would make Pleasanton look like Dublin and that investors rather than future homeowners would be purchasing the units. He expressed concern that these investors would rent the units out to people with PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, September 23, 2009 Page 4 of 34