PC 112812 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commissioner Olson noted from the plans that the second - floors of all the houses are bedrooms and bathrooms. He inquired if there were living areas upstairs. Mr. Myers said no Acting Chair Blank asked Mr. Myers if he had thought about putting up some story poles and taking some pictures just so he would have a sense of what would be blocked and what would not be blocked. He indicated that this is not the Commission's ideal solution but that it is not all that expensive to do. He stated that that applicant can install them, and the Commission can come out and look at the place. He added that it is a way to quantify, and sometimes, once the neighbors see the story poles, they realize that it is not as bad as they originally thought it would be. Mr. Myers stated that he was open to that concept if the Commission thinks it is necessary. He reiterated, however, that the project has some substantial setbacks. Commissioner O'Connor asked Mr. Myers if these issues came up in his earlier conversations with the neighbors or if tonight is the first time he is hearing about them. Mr. Myers replied that they had conversations about them. He indicated that they had actually staked a corner of the building when they were looking at the orientation of the home and was sharing those plans with the neighbors as we went so he could educate them a little about what was being doing. He stated that he showed them the elevations and the setbacks, and they talked about the building a seven -foot tall fence leaving the existing chain -link fence. Commissioner O'Connor inquired if they had come to some agreement. Mr. Myers replied that part of the feedback was that they were concerned about the yards being close to their home, but expanding the footprint would bring the living area and the outdoor living area closer to their homes as well. He reiterated that this was a balancing act to arrive at that right mixture and thoughtfully incorporate everything into the design. Commissioner O'Connor noted that there were no view easements here but the Specific Plan does reference trying to preserve views and includes a big section on the transition area. He further noted that the homes coming in from Sunol Boulevard are all older single -story homes, and further down onto Sycamore Road and Sycamore Creek Road are the newer two -story developments. He indicated that he is now torn about being consistent in the transition area, there being mostly single -story homes there on both sides of the street. He noted that he can understand the argument in relation to the Specific Plan, but it does not mean that there can be some variances from the Plan if the Commission so desires. He added that he did not know if the Greenes really have a view that the project is obstructing or if it is really less significant because they do not really have a view. He indicated that he liked the idea of installing story poles because they can answer a lot of questions when there are controversial things like this. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 28, 2012 Page 31 of 38