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David Browne asked the Council to pass the proposed ordinance allowing residential beekeeping. He <br /> referred to the staff report for his full recommendation. He shared some of his personal experiences <br /> with catching local swarms, one of which was to assist the Police Department and all of which he <br /> believed originated from feral hives. He said that the honeybee population needs the community's help <br /> to diversify its genetics and to sustain its future. He reminded the public of the modern world's <br /> continued dependence on bees, considering that several major farm crops are 90% pollinated by <br /> honeybees. He noted that the city of San Francisco, with higher density and population equal to 11 <br /> times that of Pleasanton, goes so far as to allow residential beekeeping even in apartment settings with <br /> success. He encouraged the Council to consider the value that residential beekeeping would bring to <br /> Pleasanton in allowing it to market a green city approach. <br /> Bill Clark also asked the Council to support the proposed ordinance, in part in hopes that his hometown <br /> of Dublin will follow Pleasanton's lead and do the same. He noted that one benefit of having local <br /> beekeepers such as himself and Mr. Browne is that they commonly help to respond to swamis and <br /> reported one such event last year where a hive had established itself within an in ground water meter. <br /> Mayor Thome closed the public hearing. <br /> Councilmember Narum thanked Mr. Weinstein for an excellent research effort. She said she was <br /> pleased to see such a strong example of the city listening to needs and desires of its citizens. <br /> Mr. Weinstein acknowledged the multidisciplinary effort which included work by the Police Department, <br /> City Attorney and, largely, Associate Planner Amos. <br /> Vice-Mayor Brown admitted to being initially hesitant to support the proposal, largely out of concern for <br /> the 2% of the population with severe bee allergies. Through speaking with others and the education <br /> she received from staff she found that she was not as concerned as originally anticipated. She <br /> requested support for instituting a minimum lot size. <br /> Councilmember Pentin declined the request. He referred to the city of San Francisco as an example of <br /> how beekeeping can be a safe operation even in very densely populated residential areas. <br /> MOTION: It was m/s by Pentin/Narum to introduce and waive first reading of Ordinance No. 2113 <br /> amending Title 18 (Zoning) of the Pleasanton Municipal Code to establish a permit process and <br /> performance standards for beekeeping. Motion passed by the following vote: <br /> AYES: Councilmembers Brown, Narum, Olson, Pentin, Mayor Thorne <br /> NOES: None <br /> ABSENT: None <br /> Mayor Thorne noted several Boy Scouts in attendance. Ms. Pierce introduced the young men as <br /> Tenderfoot Scouts Matthew, Jaylen and Amir and Second Class Scouts Andrew, Giovanni and Aaron. <br /> 10. Consider the formation and composition of a Civic Center/Library Facilities Master Plan Task <br /> Force <br /> Mr. Fialho presented the staff report, stating that the City Council Work Plan includes the preparation of <br /> a preliminary planning study to evaluate options for developing a new library and civic center on either <br /> the existing library site or other locations including the Bernal property. Staff is recommending that the <br /> Council being the process through a broad based community approach involving an ad hoc committee <br /> of representation from various organizations within the city. While staff anticipates that the majority of <br /> the Master Plan will be developed over time through the committee process, it foresees that the <br /> activities and scope will include several things at minimum: 1) an assessment of space needs and <br /> community expectations regarding the location and scope of civic center facilities to be evaluated; 2) <br /> City Council Minutes Page 10 of 12 February 17, 2015 <br />