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Gene Finch expressed his sadness over the loss of former Mayor Ken Mercer, whom he described as a man of strong integrity. He reported being quite familiar with the techniques and complications related to historical preservation, having served as project manager on the Kolln Hardware building project. He acknowledged the importance of historic preservation but questioned the need for increased regulation, particularly at the behest of one or two special interest groups. He also expressed concern that the proposed guidelines would eventually spill over to encompass commercial properties as well. Linda Garbarino, task force member, said the task force worked carefully to find a balance between providing clarity in the guidelines and acknowledging the importance of neighborhood compatibility while also allowing for thoughtful remodels and new construction to meet the needs of growing families. She explained that the proposed language regarding FAR is intended to ensure that height, mass and scale are considered as part of the project and that story poles are recommended as a simple tool to assist in this analysis when warranted. The task force explored a variety of cutoff dates, including the national standard of a rolling 50 years, and ultimately landed on 1942 as the date that encompassed homes of the appropriate design and construction quality. She stated that a historic designation increases home values and attract families, which further supports the vitality of the downtown. She said the task force supported first floor design review, as described, to protect the character and value of more expensive and permanent improvements and shared an example of a home that suffered from a poor decision that design review could have prevented. She shared her support for the flow charts developed by staff, which she felt helped to clarify the process. She stressed that the proposed guidelines are intended to preserve the character and features of downtown Pleasanton for the generations to come. John Ribovich said he has restored five older homes, two of them in Pleasanton, and finds that hunting for historically accurate features such as vents, windows and doorknobs is part of what makes the process so rewarding and enjoyable. He noted that he is also a regular author for two national magazines on older homes and said that in his experience, people greatly appreciate regulation but only in so far as it is reasonable. He suggested that adopting one of the tenets of new urbanism, which is to allow for the conversion of garages and outbuildings into living space without having to compensate for parking, is one way to pick up additional living space at a reasonable cost. He said he felt first floor design review and the issue of demolition by neglect are most important to preservation of neighborhood character. He said he supported regulations provided they remain simple and consistent. Jon Harvey said that one of the many things he treasures about downtown living is the diversity in home styles. He expressed concern over what he termed a recent and extraordinary focus on minor changes and additions, all under the auspices of historic preservation and resulting from the persistent lobbying of a very few who do not represent the sentiments of downtown residents. He said that the ridiculous requests of the Pleasanton Heritage Association must end now and that residents should be allowed to maintain their homes without further impediment. He referred to the 32 homes constructed prior to 1900 as ideal candidates for historic preservation. Bonnie Krichbaum, task force member, said she was pleased to see the task force come through a somewhat controversial process with a unanimous recommendation to the Council. She stressed that their focus was on simplification, not complication, as evidenced by the flow chart prepared by staff. She also stressed that historic preservation is not a new concept and is in fact supported through ordinances by most surrounding jurisdictions. She explained that the recommendation regarding story poles is an attempt to increase disclosure and cited a recent project, for which neighbors requested but were not provided with story poles, that could have benefitted greatly from such disclosure. Brian Bourg cited the Gilmore project on Third Street as a project that would have benefitted greatly from the proposed guidelines. He described the project as uncharacteristically large and said it is rumored that even city staff is not clear on how it reached such proportions. He suggested that story poles would have been very beneficial in demonstrating the mass and scale of this project before irreparable damage was done. He supported the FAR averaging system recommended by the task City Council Minutes Page 4 of 14 January 21, 2014