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foundation, the house could also easily be moved to accommodate a driveway that <br />would go back to the proposed units behind it. She indicated that preserving the house <br />would be greener than demolishing it. <br /> <br />Ms. Bourg stated that Craftsman homes are currently very popular and have been for <br />years. She presented three periodicals on 1900 Craftsman homes: American <br />bungalows, Arts and Crafts homes, and the Revival homes. She noted that she sees <br />houses like these listed on the market, and, if fairly priced, they are purchased <br />immediately. She commented that she would think that the profit derived from a <br />renovation would be greater than that of one unit. <br /> <br />Ms. Bourg then cited a passage from page 39 of the Downtown Design Guidelines <br />(DTDG) of May 2006, under Multi-Family Zones: exes or triplexes located behind <br />single-family homes are preferred over large-scale structures to maintain the small town <br />character of Downtown neighborhoods and to retain the single-family residential <br /> She then read from page 61 of the DTSP, under Historic Preservation: <br />The rich character of Downtown Pleasanton stems from its abundance of historic <br />buildings that have been constructed over the past 150 years. The architectural styles, <br />small town scale of buildings, and tree-lined streets all combine to create a setting <br /> Lastly, she read from page 76, #22: Discourage the demolition <br />of single-family homes which exceed 50 years of age. The replacement of any <br />single-family home should be compatible with the neighborhood scale and architectural <br />style. <br /> <br />Ms. Bourg then thanked staff for their assistance with the neighbors. <br /> <br />Mr. Martin stated that he has been at all the hearings for this project and listened to the <br />passion and emotion surrounding the old home. He agreed that Pleasanton does have <br />a rich history. He indicated that he lives in a ho <br />added that while it is a public benefit to everyone, it can be a burden to the owner. <br />Mr. Martin noted that the City has a good method that requires an expert to evaluate the <br />structure and arrive at a recommendation, and this procedure should be given some <br />deference. He stated that in this case, the report concludes that the house does not <br />rise to the level of recognition as a historic structure. He asked the Commission to <br />weigh this in its decision. <br /> <br />With respect to parking, Mr. Martin stated that the project has a good ratio with <br />59 parking spots for 13 homes, seven of which are for guest parking and 26 are <br />uncovered. <br /> <br />Regarding shading, Mr. Martin stated that ironically, the removal of the Deodar cedar <br />trees might improve shading. He added that they tried to be sensitive to this issue when <br />they proposed an open space area adjacent to the PV panels on the neighboring <br />property. <br /> <br />PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MINUTES, February 9, 2011 Page 11 of 41 <br /> <br />