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something happen on this property. He noted that what he is proposing will contribute to the integrity of the Downtown will support the revitalization that the City is looking for. He referred to the 66 signed letters of support that was included in the staff report, and he read an email of support from Bonnie Shamblin who could not attend the meeting. Mr. Cunningham stated that in developing this house with Charles Huff, project architect, they took into consideration the need to blend in with surrounding homes, matching their style of wood and color. He added that they have done the best they can, moving the front porch and balcony a step away from the street. He noted that the garage and front doors are a major issue and indicated that a door company will build his front door to match the garage door. As to the landscaping, he indicated that the old bushes in front of the house will be replaced with flowerbeds, and pavers will be installed going to the garage and the front porch. In conclusion, Mr. Cunningham stated that it is homes like this that will bring young families and those who want to downsize into the Downtown, thus bringing about hospitality and vitality. Charles Huff, project architect, stated that following the Work Session, they have taken all the comments into consideration and tried to come back with a project that meets a lot of those questions and hopefully a quality project. He added that they have also met with Mr. Dolan a few weeks ago, who mentioned some of the positive aspects of the design of the project, as well as his feeling that the house is too large for the site in terms of scale. Mr. Huff distributed a graphic that shows the massing of the house which is blocked by the palm tree in the front. He stated that, as Mr. Cunningham had explained, in terms of the distances to the neighboring properties and the vegetation, they feel differently about the comment that the house is too large for the site. He displayed another graphic showing what the neighboring property at 4512 Second Street sees when they look at the house, basically the second floor area and the deck out in front. He stated that they felt good about having the opportunity to work with the existing vegetation in terms of massing. He continued that he thinks this is a quality project; its scale as viewed from the street is softened by some of the vegetation. Mr. Huff stated that some of the things he read from letters supporting the project are interesting, one of which stated that those objecting to change had contributed to change at an earlier time. He noted that this is true of many projects in Pleasanton and other cities across California; people are happy to have a house they have built or added on to, and when they see something different in the neighborhood, they might object to it. He added that he thinks this house is in good accord with the Downtown Design Guidelines, and finding that the house as oversized is actually setting a precedent for proposed future homes that are designed well to fit within the Downtown. Linda Garbarino, Pleasanton Heritage Association (PHA) President, voiced opposition to the demolition of the cottage at 205 Neal Street, where all but one short wall on the side of the current cottage will be demolished, which is a weak gesture to preserve history. She stated that story poles were erected for the project to show everybody what they feared, which is that the proposed structure looks too big because it is too large for the lot. She added that it is somewhat of a flawed process to attempt to justify PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 9, 2011 Page 14 of 29