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01
City of Pleasanton
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CITY CLERK
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2013
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050713
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CITY CLERK
CITY CLERK - TYPE
AGENDA REPORT
DOCUMENT DATE
5/7/2013
DESTRUCT DATE
15Y
DOCUMENT NO
01
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Laurie Saxton said that she, like many others, voted for no homes on Pleasanton ridges when she <br /> voted for PP. She referred to recent comments by homeowners in both Ventana Hills and along <br /> Sycamore Creek, stating that Sycamore Creek Way was designed to handle the kind of traffic Lund <br /> Ranch II is expected to generate whereas Ventana Hills was not. She requested that the Council do its <br /> due diligence and visit both neighborhoods before making a decision. <br /> John Spotorno said his family has been the stewards of nearly 160 acres east of Sycamore Creek Way <br /> for over 140 years. In 2002 they annexed the land into Pleasanton, which enabled development of the <br /> golf course. He reviewed an excerpt from the General Plan and discussed the value of current <br /> ordinances and ridgeline protections, noting that any new development must comply with a whole <br /> series of findings before any project is approved. He presented a diagram from the staff report that <br /> demonstrates the manner in which a ridge is measured. He noted that the slopes on the Spotorno <br /> property are extensions of ridges originating on the Foley property and said he did not believe there to <br /> be any ridges, as defined, on the Spotorno property. With regards to roads, he provided a photo of a <br /> service road on his property. He said that the road doubles as a fire break and follows the existing <br /> grade and noted that the very top of a slope is often the flattest and least impactful place to create such <br /> access. He concurred with staff's assessment that a road is not a structure and said they should be <br /> subject to the same guidelines and approval processes already in place. He acknowledged the <br /> importance of ridgeline protection and said it is clear that building on top of hillsides is not necessarily <br /> ideal or desirable, but noted that it has also been done tastefully and respectfully in some areas. <br /> Councilmember Brown asked and Mr. Spotorno confirmed that he did support a ridgeline inventory. <br /> Don Cross, Ventana Hills, discussed the negative consequences of increased traffic in the Ventana <br /> Hills area. He called particular attention to existing congestion, hazards and subpar conditions <br /> surrounding the neighborhood park. He also asked that the Council visit the area during peak park <br /> activity before making any decisions. <br /> Julie Finegan, Ventana Hills, implored the Council to approve the Lund Ranch connector road as <br /> originally planned with access through the Sycamore Creek development. She concurred with Ms. <br /> Saxton that the Sycamore development is better situated, both from the perspective of design and <br /> existing burden, to handle the increase in traffic that a connector road would generate. She encouraged <br /> the Council to accept staff's recommendations and let PP be the guide for future development. <br /> Vic LeLaurin said he researched "structures" on his own following the last meeting. He stated that the <br /> insurance industry defines a structure to include driveways, fences, outside walls or private roads. He <br /> saw little difference between public and private roads other than ownership and said it followed that <br /> roads are then to be considered structures. He said he would like to see the conversation shift from one <br /> of "not in my neighborhood" to one that seeks to uphold the larger intent of PP, which is to prohibit <br /> development in grading in the hills. <br /> James Frost shared information from a civil engineering organization and the California Department of <br /> Transportation, both of which reference roads as a type of structure. He said that when interpretations <br /> differ, such as is the case with PP relative to roads, the rule of law generally falls to common use. In <br /> this instance, both he and the Department of Transportation understand a road to be a structure. <br /> Douglas Herz said he strongly disagrees with any plans to further develop Pleasanton's hills because of <br /> the visual impacts, traffic and effects on the value of his property. <br /> David Miller concurred with staff's assessment that a road is not a structure. He interpreted PP as <br /> intending to protect the hillsides from uncontrolled development. He said he further interpreted <br /> "structure" to include such things as garages, cabanas, swimming pools, or other outbuildings, not <br /> roads. He also noted that each industry has its own definition of a structure and because PP did not <br /> precisely define the term the way it did a housing unit, the Council has the latitude to decide as is <br /> City Council Minutes Page 6 of 23 April 16, 2013 <br />
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