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The interpretation of these areas relative to the Lund Ranch II property would affect its site design, number of lots, and potential street connections to adjacent neighborhoods. 1. Measuring Slope Staff defined slope as the ratio of rise (height) over run (distance). A 25-percent slope' is the ratio of 1 unit of height over 4 units of distance. Staff also defines the 25-percent slope as a nominal value and not as an average value, since an average value would enable development to be located on hillsides greater than a 25-percent slope. 2. Identifying Ridges and Their End-Points Identifying what constitutes a ridge is an important part of interpreting Measure PP. While the Municipal Code provides a broad definition2, that definition is subject to different interpretations and does not distinguish between other landforms such as hills, knolls, and bluffs that we find in Pleasanton's landscape. The definition also does not distinguish between major or minor ridges or small ridge-like landforms that are inconsequential relative to the stated purposes of Measure PP. Staff has identified the ridges on and surrounding the Lund Ranch property, as shown on the Slope Map prepared by RJA Engineers Planners Surveyors, dated September 15, 2011 (Attachment 7, Sheet 4 of 6), using our best judgment in applying the definition in the Municipal Code while considering the purposes of Measure PP. Also important to the application of Measure PP is determining where a ridgeline ends. This is important if you have identified a ridgeline that runs perpendicular to a proposed development area as opposed to parallel to the area. If the end of the ridgelines are not determined, then the ridge continues all the way to the flat land, and because of the 100-foot vertical setback requirement, nothing could be developed on any property containing or near a ridge. Staff believes that a reasonable end of a ridgeline definition is "the point where the ridgeline no longer rises in elevation." The Planning Commission was supportive of this methodology. The only other definition for the end of a ridgeline that has been suggested throughout the City's long discussion of Measure PP, is the point at which the ridge elevation drops to within 100 vertical feet of adjacent flat land. Use of this definition would not substantially affect project compliance with Measure PP. 3. Vertical Setback from the Ridgeline During the extended review of the project with the Planning Commission, staff reconsidered its previously proposed methodology for implementing the required restriction on development 100 vertical feet from the ridgeline. The previous methodology was unsatisfactory because it inherently penalized homes that were proposed adjacent to, but not on, very small ridges. The lower the ridge, the A 25- percent slope is equal to a 14-degree angle. 2 A"ridge" and "ridgeline" are the topographic high points of property connected by a continuous line flanked on both sides by relatively steep slopes. For the purpose of applying Measure PP to hillside properties, staff ended the ridgeline at the peaks and similar highpoints on the Lund Ranch II property. Page 10 of 26