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the property on her other side as well. She asked that the Council uphold the Planning Commission's action. Mr. Cummings added that Mrs. Kiziloglu originally indicated that she wished to use the balcony as a place to enjoy her tea while viewing the mountains. What might not be evident from that is that one must look onto his backyard in order to enjoy those views. Vice Mayor Brown closed the public hearing. BREAK: Vice Mayor Brown called a brief recess from 9:23 to 9:32 p.m. Councilmember Narum said that as a former Planning Commissioner she always found these types of neighborhood disputes particularly difficult. Looking at it from that perspective she said she found the bulk of the project to be acceptable, if not ideal, but that she had concerns about the impacts of balcony and the precedent that would set for the neighborhood. She noted that the examples provided of similar balconies are in fact located in other neighborhoods and not really indicative of what might be appropriate on the type of lots found here. With regards to Condition of Approval No. 7 she said she could find no evidence suggesting that Cummings' privacy would be negatively impacted by the project if the balcony were excluded and she would recommend the elimination of that condition altogether. Councilmember Olson noted that he also served on the Planning Commission. He concurred with Councilmember Narum with exception of her thoughts regarding Condition of Approval No. 7, noting that it is very common in Pleasanton to use vegetation as a mitigant as it was done here. He sensed that both parties were reasonable and educated people who love this community and hoped that over time the neighborhood would be able to elevate itself beyond these events. Councilmember Pentin said he is also a former Planning Commissioner and as such tends to look at this as a land use issue. He agreed that these types of neighborhood disputes are particularly difficult and assured everyone that he takes the time to read every report and communication related to each case. He responded to those who complained that staff had not moved this project through the process quickly enough, stating that staff in fact did an exemplary job and it is unfair to expect an item like this to make it onto the very next agenda. With regards to the project itself, he said that its scope is actually quite large. Sometimes when that is the case the applicant does not get everything they want and in this instance, they have been asked to forfeit the balcony. He said that privacy, in whatever form it might exist, is particularly important to him and the proposed balcony unfairly interferes with what the Cummings might reasonably expect. He said that whatever the impetus, he felt the vegetation required by Condition of Approval No. 7 was a good idea and he would therefore recommend that the entire action of the Commission be upheld. Vice Mayor Brown said that as a residential real estate agent she has seen that major changes to a home, like what is proposed here, can sometimes lessen the desirability of a neighborhood for some individuals. She thought the neighborhood had therefore shown considerable goodwill in not contesting any portion of the project other than the balcony. She said she was personally offended by the suggestion that any decision made by the Council would be influenced by race or culture rather than what has been identified as right for this community by the General Plan, Municipal Code and Zoning Ordinance. She agreed that privacy is subjective and respected the Cummings' position as well as their willingness to compromise and accept the remainder of the project. Councilmember Narum reiterated her lack of support for a restrictive covenant in absence of the balcony, particularly given that no material changes to the western facade of the home have been proposed. Looking back to the Zoning Administrator's action it seems clear that the condition was crafted to mitigate privacy concerns related to the balcony. City Council Minutes Page 10 of 14 August 18,2015