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Councilmember Sullivan disclosed that he had a conversation about this with Mr. Dolan today <br /> and as he understood it, the thick purple band is the fault zone but the fault is not accurately <br /> mapped within that band. Mr. Dolan agreed and said there has not been detailed trenching, but <br /> staff knows it is in there and it has been verified with extensive trenching in another area. <br /> Councilmember Sullivan said he has some concerns about these houses and would typically <br /> not want to approve them. He said he is willing to take Councilmember McGovern's suggestion <br /> and have the Planning Commission review the specific houses, grading, how homes sit on each <br /> lot, and visual simulations for how houses look and not rely on what has already been received. <br /> If there are any houses that are 40 feet tall or stepped in any way, the Planning Commission <br /> should have the discretion to indicate it is too massive or visible and require something different. <br /> Mr. Dolan said staff is supportive of this procedure, as well as the applicant. However, the way <br /> the process is set up, the applicant's project architect does an internal design review and then it <br /> comes to staff and it is forwarded to the Planning Commission, they would have the opportunity <br /> to appeal. But if the Council requires homes to be reviewed and approved by the Planning <br /> Commission, he would like to eliminate the other preliminary step proposed to have the internal <br /> outside architect reviewing the individual projects. He confirmed staff would still review it, and <br /> the Council said they were comfortable with this. <br /> Councilmember Cook - Kallio questioned if the applicant was entitled to 14 units and they are <br /> asking for modifications. Mr. Dolan said they have an approved PUD plan of 14 units. Their <br /> tentative map expired and there are some feasibility issues with the 14 lots. Councilmember <br /> Cook - Kallio questioned and confirmed with Mr. that the plan went from 8 lots, 6 lots which was <br /> approved by the Planning Commission, and now the plan is at 4 lots due primarily to <br /> environmental concerns. <br /> Councilmember Cook - Kallio said there are different stages in a planning project, and the City is <br /> more environmentally sensitive now than it was 20 years ago. She said houses can either be <br /> graded down flat and a house could be placed, or the house can be wrapped around the <br /> topography which is more environmentally sound. Mr. Dolan said this is generally true with lots <br /> of exceptions. Mr. Dolan said houses are less visible if wrapped around the topography <br /> depending upon the angle and topography and it really depends on the design. In general, the <br /> more one works more with the topography as opposed to creating a flat spot that does not <br /> currently exist, it is more environmentally sensitive. <br /> Councilmember Cook - Kallio said when Councilmember Sullivan referenced the letter from U.S. <br /> Fish and Game, she confirmed that the City had tried to address their concerns, but they had <br /> not responded back, which she said was odd. <br /> Councilmember McGovern referred to Condition 32 on page 9 and questioned the construction <br /> equipment and noise level at 83 decibels at a 25 foot distance from the property boundary. She <br /> was not sure how many feet the Science wing is from this boundary. Mr. Fialho asked Mr. <br /> Tassano what the road width was in front of the Yee property, directly across from Foothill from <br /> one stretch to the other. Mr. Tassano said it is about 55 feet. Councilmember McGovern asked <br /> that this also be looked at to determine whether the decibel level will restrict children from <br /> learning in the Science wing. Mr. Dolan said he thinks it will be fine because building sites will <br /> be far up the hill and Vice Mayor Thorne agreed and said noise travels but it tends to deteriorate <br /> according to the inverse square law so it will lose half the sound power at 50 feet. <br /> Councilmember McGovern still requested this be reviewed to ensure the City is good neighbors <br /> to the school. <br /> City Council Minutes Page 14 of 16 June1, 2010 <br />