CCMIN041613 - Laserfiche WebLink

Ayes: Councilmembers Cook-Kallio, Pentin, Mayor Thorne Noes: Councilmember Brown Absent: One Vacancy Councilmember Pentin said he read the intent of PP to describe construction 103 feet from the top of the ridgeline. He said the initiative did not stipulate whether that starts with the roof or pad elevation, the City has always measured from the pad elevation and 'he did not support the Commission's recommendation. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio said she asked two members of Planning Commission to walk her through their logic on this issue and that ultimately, the addition of a horizontal element potentially expands the restrictions of PP beyond the original intent. She noted that the text of initiative speaks to preventing grading and that you grade for a pad, not the roof, of a structure and concurred with Councilmember Pentin. Councilmember Brown disagreed. She said that view sheds of the ridgelines were critical to the argument for PP and that 38 foot tall residence with a steeply sloped roof could very much impair those views. She said she very much supported the Commission's recommendation. Councilmember Pentin asked if he could provide evidence that this perspective was shared with and voted on by the public. Councilmember Brown said PP was clear in its effort to protect Pleasanton ridges and their views. Councilmember Pentin suggested that it would have been more appropriate to adjust for current practice and increase the vertical setback to 150 feet. Mayor Thorne said that in his experience with construction this sort of thing is always measured dirt to dirt, because what they are actually measuring is grading. He suggested that if the goal is to protect views of the hills, it would be more appropriate to limit building heights as a condition of approval on projects as they come forward. MOTION: It was m/s by Pentin/Cook-Kallio that the ridgeline setback is the continuous horizontal ground line measured 100 vertical feet below the ridgeline. Motion passed by the following vote: Ayes: Councilmembers Cook-Kallio, Pentin, Mayor Thorne Noes: Councilmember Brown Absent: One Vacancy Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio said it is a constant struggle for elected officials to dc what is right for the greater good of the entire community, not just two neighborhoods. She said it is important to realize that while the Council is being asked to define the term "road," the public's investment really comes down to the traffic situation in two neighborhoods. She assured the public that she considered the issue carefully, walking the neighborhoods with residents, developers and staff. She also downloaded copies of the General Plan, Municipal Code, California Building Code, and California Public Resource and Zoning Codes to review references to structures and roads. She found that it is relatively easy to cherry pick a definition that suits your goal but also that in reading the entire section or chapter, it is clear that these references and definitions are not meant to be generalized. She noted that the General Plan mentions structures a number of times but never defines a road as such. She spoke with several engineers with whom she has no prior acquaintance and found that the commonly held definition is that roads are infrastructure, not structures. Infrastructure is defined as public works that connect communities together for economic benefit, networking, quality of life and safety. She referred to a letter to the Council from Brock Ruby which talked about the unintended City Council Minutes Page 11 of 23 April 16, 2013