10 - Laserfiche WebLink

ATTACHMENT 2 z6 November 2014 Pleasanton City Council zoo Old Bernal Avenue Pleasanton,CA 94566 RE: P14-1173 Appeal To Whom It May Concern: �'l L .. O rl 2 t j [[The appeal shall be made on a form approved by the Commission and shall state specifically wherein it is claimed there was an error or abuse of discretion by the person or body making the decision or wherein a decision following a public hearing is not supported by the evidence in the record. (Ord.1656§1,1995;Ord. 152o§ 5, 1991;prior code§ z-5.1o)1] Public bodies responsible for making decisions crucial to the well-being of Pleasanton's businesses and their clients have an obligation to be transparent as regards the factors on which their decisions are made. That was not the case in the Commission's consideration of this CUP. We were told that"noise and safety"were the general issues, but we were given no indication of the"technical and practical factors"on which noise would be judged. It is difficult to counter an indefinable parameter, like"noise." But it appears it was the Commission's intent that we should not be able to do so. We were exposed to the statements of one Commissioner as to her subjective objection to the sound of youngsters playing on a trampoline in a back yard adjacent to her home. Her statements assumed that all people object to the sounds made by children playing. We submit that her attitude is not the response of the majority,and likely not the response of the families who frequent the Oak Hills Shopping Center. In fact, many people find the sounds of children playing to be not objectionable intrusions, but life- affirming signs of the vitality and joy of our children. We note also that, of all the residents near the proposed site who were given notice of this application and hearing, NO ONE came to the hearing to register any objection, and only one letter was received by Planning listing potential noise as one of five concerns(including loss of a shortcut into the Center,and a rather far-fetched belief that the presence of children would necessarily attract sexual predators). There are outdoor play area installations comparable to ours in Pleasanton (one very recently approved), and another one in Dublin. Two of these three are closely adjacent to residential units, separated only by a cement block sound wall. One is located