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"The DTSP further notes that; '...height, floor area, bulk, massing & setbacks should be consistent with those elements of buildings in the immediate neighborhood, & the design of new buildings should NOT represent a SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE from the existing neighborhood character' AND, 'Protect the established size and spacing...by avoiding excessive lot coverage and maintain appropriate separations between buildings.' "Mr. Cunningham's proposed NEW home VIOLATES the DTSP criteria I have cited above, thereby detracting from our neighborhood's character and would represent a significant departure from that of its surrounding properties. "The Staff report points out that the subject property is located on a LOWER PAD from the historic Hall home at 215 Neal which has he appearance of, and function as, an independent lot. A retaining wall bisects the property and effectively makes the 2 properties appear independent and separate. Treated independently, the proposed home would have to fit between the retaining wall and our property line a distance of only 35 feet. And the lot is less than 80 feet deep. If it were considered a separate lot, it would need a fourth variance for having less than the required 100 foot depth. "The Staff report points out that it would be an 1844 square-foot home on a 2808 square-foot parcel, thus presenting itself as a home with a FAR of 65.6, a SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE from any other home in the neighborhood, thereby violating DTSP guidelines regarding massing and scale. "Using Zillow.com I researched every home on 2nd St., 3`d St., Neal from 1st to 3`d & East Angela, from 1st to 3`d. I took the home size and lot size and calculated the FAR of each house. "For these 74 homes the average FAR is about 25. The proposed home would thus have an FAR...OVER TWO & A HALF TIMES the average for our neighborhood, which the DSP refers to as the 1st-2nd 3`d-Neal St. neighborhood. No other home in the neighborhood comes anywhere near this 65.6 figure. "This is DEFINTELY OUT OF CHARACTER with the neighborhood. "In addition, for these 74 homes in our neighborhood, the average size is about 1870 square-foot or about the same size as the proposed home. However, the average lot size is 8,263 square-feet, almost THREE times bigger than the site of 205 Neal St. "The proposal would make our home, the Cunnningham's new home and the Hall home on our block look like part of a high-density development. Let me remind you that our home and the Hall home, which would 'BOOKEND' the proposed home, are 2 of the most historic in all of Pleasanton and have been recognized as such and given plaques by the City Declaring them heritage sites. EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, NOVEMBER 9, 2011 Page 7 of 17