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out that if the City is going to have density above what it normally has, this would be the <br /> site to have it. <br /> Commissioner Pearce stated she was simply curious as to how they arrived at the <br /> number. She indicated that she toured Pleasant Hill as part of the Hacienda Task Force <br /> and inquired what its density is. <br /> Chair Narum replied that she believed it was 55 dwelling units to an acre. <br /> Mr. Williams stated that depending on how it is calculated, portions of it are 55 dwelling <br /> units per acre, and other portions are up to 80 dwelling units per acre. He added that in <br /> South San Francisco, there is a seven-acre site, with structures no taller than three <br /> stories, that has achieved 50 dwelling units per acre. He noted that Pleasanton can get <br /> the 75 dwelling units per acre with a maximum of four to five stories in different portions <br /> of the site. He further noted that those buildings would still be in scale of the other <br /> buildings within the Hacienda Business Park and still not come close to the 85-foot <br /> height limit of the other office buildings there. <br /> Commissioner Blank stated that a lot of people have approached him about density, <br /> and he commented that he thinks that care should be taken in terms of the guidelines <br /> as it is so early on in the project, and the City wants to encourage interest in the site as <br /> development. <br /> Mr. Dolan stated that 85 feet tall residential building sounds scary, but he noted that as <br /> presented earlier, densities can be approached in much lower heights. He stated that if <br /> the Commission wants to remove some of the fear factor from the community, the <br /> Commission can go down this line when it comes time to refine these things. <br /> Mr. Fleissig stated that with respect to cost implication, if the developer constructs at <br /> 65 feet, which is the type of construction seen throughout the Bay Area, and the <br /> developer wanted to add two or three more levels, it would become a different type of <br /> construction which is much more costly. He indicated that he is not conceding that this <br /> is the normal prototype that would likely be built, but he would like to see what would <br /> happen with structured parking that was built as part of this shared parking idea. He <br /> added that maybe because this has been so successful and there are people who want <br /> to work and live in proximity, and people would like to get up and see some gorgeous <br /> views there, that maybe the numbers will change on construction. He stated that they <br /> would like to leave appropriately where the structure is located, so that the notion of <br /> how this would all work is someone who for some reason wanted it to be 85 feet high in <br /> a specific area or to emphasize a certain corner to have a little bit more height is given <br /> the opportunity to sculpt it. <br /> Commissioner Blank stated that he thinks perhaps the City might want to engage in an <br /> educational or outreach process with the community. He noted that there are many <br /> third rails in Pleasanton politics, and height is one of them. He added that if folks <br /> understand what the City is dealing with and why it is the way it is, the electricity in that <br /> third rail would diminish significantly. <br /> EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, MAY 25, 2011 Page 11 of 18 <br />