CCMIN090412 - Laserfiche WebLink

will certainly take business from the existing Shell station, it will also capture some of the traffic that is currently leaving Pleasanton. This would also provide some healthy competition in an end of town that is currently dominated by the existing station, hopefully forcing prices down some. Mayor Hosterman said she has expressed strong concerns over the years about whether fuel tank leakage could negatively affect or contaminate the City's drinking water supply. She acknowledged the safety measures to be installed as part of the project. Mr. Fialho noted these are the same standards to which the Arco station and adjacent Shell station were built. He confirmed that what Mayor Hosterman read off is true and represents the most advanced technology and protocol relative to fuel storage and safety monitoring. Councilmember Thorne agreed that groundwater contamination is one of the biggest concerns in the eyes of the public. He asked and staff confirmed that there is a potable water source located beneath the site. Mr. Dolan clarified that the site is within the City's aquifer but noted that the aquifer covers approximately 85% of the city, including the thirteen other fuel stations. Councilmember Thorne acknowledged that at one point there was a lot of press on buried tanks leaking and contaminating ground water. He noted that those were single walled tanks, many of which had been buried for years and begun leaking long before they were detected. As someone experienced with the installation of fuel tanks, he felt comfortable with the safety and precautions built into the proposed system. Mayor Hosterman also shared concerns relating to the construction timeline. She stated that she received two emails from individuals eagerly awaiting the construction of the new Walmart store off Santa Rita, which the developer does not seem to be eager to move forward with. She asked if the Council could condition the project timeline. Mr. Fialho recommended that they allow the applicant to address the Council before crafting such a condition. Mayor Hosterman referred to regional and state mandates requiring local jurisdictions to address their carbon footprints and said there is a very real nexus between approving this project and requiring that the applicant install charging stations for the eventually increasing number of electric vehicles. She hoped that Safeway, who calls Pleasanton its home, would be excited to help the city meet its goals by providing four charging stations, with the infrastructure laid for two additional stations, that would be fully operational at the time the fuel station opens. Councilmember Thorne noted that staff originally did not recommend a fuel station at this site and asked what had changed. Mr. Dolan explained that staff's primary concern related to urban design at a gateway and the proposed location. As the project evolved with the new location and design, tucked between two other commercial buildings and significant landscaping, staff felt that it was a lesser concern. Councilmember Sullivan said he spoke with the City Traffic Engineer about the circulation of the overall site. He referred to the slide that demonstrates the fuel station's queue pattern and felt that represented more of a utopian vision than reality. He asked the Traffic Engineer to explain the site circulation in greater detail. City Traffic Engineer Tassano discussed the queue pattern and the potential for a bit of difficulty in turning into the very last row of pumps when the station is full. With exception of that, he felt that patrons typically adhere to the lane striping that is proposed and focused traffic at the station should be relatively easy to manage. In terms of the overall center, he demonstrated the anticipated flow of traffic City Council Minutes Page 6 of 11 September 4,2012