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raised and is hopeful the Council will recognize that he has brought forth a quality project in a very difficult economy. The Mayor closed the public hearing. Mayor Hosterman said that by and large, she likes the project. She said the City needs higher density housing within the downtown area and she appreciates the overall look of the project. She said she visited the site, read the reports, does not believe the existing bungalow has the value consistent with a historic site, and could support demolishing the structure. She said that while she would hope to never see a tree cut down in Pleasanton, especially heritage trees, it makes more sense to think in terms of replacing them with something healthier and more in keeping with the foliage in the rest of the neighborhood. She said she would definitely like to see some sort of small area in which kids can play, perhaps situated as a buffer between the rear homes and railroad line. She also strongly encouraged the applicant to work with staff to increase green building points. Councilmember Thorne said visiting the site greatly altered his position regarding the trees and he believed the applicant's recommendation is, in fact, warranted. His primary concern is that the project is 3 years in and it seems that some issues are not yet resolved. While he absolutely respects and appreciates the public process, it does need to be streamlined so people are not tied up for so long. He hated to ask the applicant to return to the drawing board, but would like the Planning Commission to address concerns related to density and the future of the overall neighborhood. Councilmember Cook- Kallio said she too could support removal of the trees and bungalow. Regarding parking issues, she said she believed four spaces for each home to be adequate. She acknowledged one speaker's concerns regarding traffic and parking along Stanley Boulevard and said the condominium complex to the east of the project site is lacking parking, which is not this applicant's issue. She liked the look of the development in general, recognized the PHA's comments and said she would like to be part of creating a set of guidelines for future developers, though it is not reasonable to hold this project to those standards. Councilmember McGovern said the applicant intended to do right by this project and has put forth an attractive development. It would be a much better development if more trees could remain, the bungalow were preserved, and the density reduced, but it is irrelevant whether or not the bungalow is on a registry. It is a 102 year old home that could be preserved and adds to the ambience of the entire community. She requested a new arborist report, specifically by Mike Fulford and said the development should live within the noise guidelines the city has in place rather than rely on manipulated studies. She reiterated concerns regarding the lack of green space and said that increased density needs to be associated with an eye towards adequate space for children to play. She requested that "Bernal property" under Condition #34 be changed to "Bernal Park" and for the irrigation guidelines under 6a to be reflected in Condition #38. She said she would like the project sent back for the Planning Commission to consider in full and with an eye towards the entire landscape of Stanley Boulevard. Councilmember Sullivan disagreed with the idea that these issues should have been resolved before coming before the Commission and Council. He welcomes this discussion, which is what the public process is about, concurred with much of what was said, and agreed the application should return to the Planning Commission with consideration given to the entire community. He City Council Minutes Page 13 of 16 December 7, 2010