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opening on the east side of the property. She noted that the other entrance appears to be an Emergency Vehicle Access (EVA) for fire trucks. Ms. Rondash replied that the main access is provided off of West Las Positas Boulevard, and there is an additional access off of Stoneridge Drive which residents could use. She added that they could also access their units from Stoneridge Drive, and ValleyCare could also access its facility from West Las Positas Boulevard. THE PUBIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Commissioners Pearce, Narum, and O'Connor disclosed that they had met with the applicant about this project. Ardie Zahedani, with St. Anton Partners, presented a brief background of the company. He stated that unlike a lot of other developers who acquire land, develop it, and then sell it off, St. Anton Partners purchases land and then develops it, builds on it, and retains ownership and management of the property for the long term. He indicated that St. Anton Partners has built and still manages over 6,000 units throughout California, 1,700 of which are in the Bay Area. He noted that they have recently completed a project in San Ramon and have projects in San Jose and Sunnyvale. Mr. Zahedani stated that the company is privately owned with 300 employees and was founded and formed in 1995 by two gentlemen who have been involved in every detail of their projects. He noted that one of them, Steve Eggert, who is present tonight, knows where the water feature and the dog park are located, and that his cell phone is always available to anybody who might have any concerns about the project. Mr. Zahedani stated that because the company is a long -term holder, it is important to develop strong relationships with the homeowners associations (HOA) around the projects. He noted that in Sunnyvale, their high density transit - oriented development was approved the past week and both of the neighborhood HOAs came out in support. He added that the HOA Chairman from their project in Sacramento came out to their Napa project for its approval. Mr. Zahedani stated that when they first looked at the site and began negotiations with Nearon, they went across the street to look at the Verona complex, which is what this proposed project is patterned after: a mission -style pitched roof with traditional architecture, tuck -under parking, and private parking garages. He noted that it took three architects and two landscape designers to come up with the site plan that would yield 168 units. He pointed out that the real beauty of this plan are the three -story buildings in the front, the one -story community amenity center in the middle, and the 92 -unit four -story building in the back. Mr. Zahedani stated that landscaping veils most of the buildings from pedestrians along West Las Positas Boulevard. He added that all of the buildings have private garages; there is pedestrian circulation from every access point to the pocket park, which has a PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 14, 2012 Page 19 of 31