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Save Pleasanton's Neighborhoods Although you may like going to parties, you probably never expected your neighbor on the other side of your backyard fence to morph into a commercial party business and financially profit by renting their backyard for large public parties (up to 600peonle. includingserving alcohol), while creating a noise nuisance for you —and that the City would condone it. Think living next to Chuck E. Cheese during the day and your local bar at night. But you say, "This isn't possible in Pleasanton where the City protects residential neighborhoods." Yet, that is exactly what is happening in Pleasanton —the City is allowing two commercial businesses to operate at the Pleasanton Masonic Lodge, located in the Valley Trails neighborhood, and is allowing these businesses and the Masons to violate the Masons' conditional use permit and conduct loud public events outside the building. Pleasanton has traditionally prided itself on being pro - resident, but the current Planning Department is undermining that position. The City is destroying the peace in residential neighborhoods to benefit commercial businesses. Unlike orior planners and commissioners, this Planning Department is allowing a building in a residential neighborhood to be used beyond anything that should be allowed in a residential neighborhood, including both loud outdoor public parties (up to 600 people including serving alcohol), and a catering company. The Planning Dept. is overriding zoning codes and allowing these violations by calling them an "accessory use" (AKA a minor use) despite the commercial uses being the major use and despite case law precedent. Who knows bow the current Planning Departments' position will impact Pleasanton in the future, including allowing commercial businesses to mushroom into residential neighborhoods --what could churches and schools start operating to supplement their income —a furniture store, a car repair shop? Of course, large parties and commercial businesses have their place —but it shouldn't be in residential areas. In fact, commercial businesses are never supposed to be allowed in residential areas. Furthermore, you wilt see that there are much bigger issues here impacting every citizen of Pleasanton: • First, this dispute has exposed a big exclusion in the noise codes —which is human voices. This was discovered when the Millers submitted a code enforcement to complain about the noise (voices of screaming children) from a Masonic party. Walter Wickboldt, Code Enforcement Officer, denied the Millers' complaint stating: "The code specifically prohibits noise created by 'machine, animal, device, or any combination of the same' but does not set any limit on non - amplified human voice noise. As such. children's voices measured in excess of 70 dba does not violate the noise ordinance. ...Since no violations of City codes were established, no enforcement action will be taken at this time." Page 1 of 18