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DRAFT Commissioner Posson noted that he was not at the November Work Session and asked for some background information regarding the issue of the bars on the windows. Mr. Dolan stated that he thinks the Commission thought that bars on the windows leaves an impression that this is not a safe place, and Pleasanton does not really have bars on windows. He explained that in this case, the applicant believes and staff agrees that this is an architectural detail that is consistent with the style and actually adds to the design. He added that driving down West Las Positas Boulevard does not typically make one think of being in an unsafe neighborhood, and staff believes that is really not going to occur to anybody. Commissioner Posson inquired if the bars will be only on certain windows and not on all of them. Mr. Dolan said yes. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Ardie Zahedani, Vice President of St. Anton Partners, stated that he appreciated the opportunity to be before the Commission to present this project. He indicated that present in the audience to answer questions are Keith Labis, Project Architect, from KTGY Group, Inc; Linda Gates from Gates and Associates; and Mike Serpa, Project Advocate and Consultant. Mr. Zahedani then presented a brief background on St. Anton Partners. stating that it is a privately -owned company founded in 1995 by two gentlemen who are involved in every detail of its projects. He noted that one of the founders, Peter Jeremy, was in the audience. He continued that the company develops, builds, owns, and manages 6,500 units throughout California, 2,000 of which are in the Bay Area. He added that the company, which has about 300 employees, never outsources its projects, such that it fixes any problems its projects may have. Mr. Zahedani then gave a little bit of project history, noting that one of the reasons the company pursued and purchased the project site from Nearon was because on June 1, 2011, this site was ranked among one of the highest with 20 points for site amenities including its proximity to transit, parks, and schools. He indicated that they submitted an application to develop in September 2012 and had a very productive Planning Commission Work Session in November 2012. He commended Pleasanton as one of the few cities that provides its applicants with upfront feedback, both from a planned development review committee and at a Planning Commission workshop, such that the developer is not out spending hundreds, if not millions, of dollars before it gets its first feedback. He thanked the Commission and staff for such a fruitful process. Mr. Zahedani stated that the application was deemed complete in January 2013, and one of its proudest achievements was getting unanimous approval from the Housing DRAFT EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, 5/8/13 Page 3 of 9