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For the benefit of the audience, Chair Blank read a section of the Measure PP Initiative: <br />"Policy 15 on page 11 -19 of the City of Pleasanton August 6, 1996 General Plan is <br />added as shown.... lll. The provisions of this Initiative may be amended or repealed <br />only by the voters of the City of Pleasanton at a City general election and overrides any <br />existing General Plan." He stated that he understands the issue about the 25 percent <br />manufactured slope but that he was a little nervous about the exception language, <br />particularly the landlocked part of the exception, because he was worried it could be <br />used not today and not by the people in this room, but 10 or 15 years down the road to <br />start the whole process over again. <br />Commissioner Olson stated that he really resonated with what the second speaker, <br />Ms. Spain, said about agreements made way back when that ought to be honored. He <br />indicated that if calling a road a structure will prevent that road from being built and <br />results in traffic affecting an established neighborhood which building that structure <br />would have prevented, then he thinks that in a case like, an exception process is <br />necessary. He added that, at the same time, if an exception process is applied to <br />everything, then everything is open and soon enough, a ridgeline that all would agree is <br />a ridgeline is vulnerable to development. He recalled that when the Commission <br />previously considered this matter, the idea surfaced regarding creating an inventory of <br />ridgelines in the City to which Measure PP would apply. He stated that the Pleasanton <br />Ridge would obviously be one of those ridgelines, even though as, Mr. Roberts pointed <br />out, it has a descending slope that extends for several miles. <br />Chair Blank commented that Commissioner Olson's statement was a great idea and <br />asked staff to comment on the Pleasanton Ridge. <br />Mr. Dolan replied that he is aware there have been disagreements in the past on what a <br />ridge is, but staff thought then that the definition was adequate and that that it would not <br />be that difficult to identify what a ridge was. He noted that was is difficult to identify is <br />when does it end, and the definition could be faulty when applied to the Pleasanton <br />Ridge; however, he did not think there is necessarily any developable land on the Ridge <br />that would be affected by that. He added that it is a kind of theoretical opportunity <br />where, as described by Mr. Roberts, one could run into a situation where that definition <br />would be problematic; however, he did not think that in that specific instance, that <br />question would ever have to be answered. He noted that the Council spent most of its <br />time on the manufactured slope and roadway issues and suggested that the assumed <br />situation was not something that troubled the Council. He added, however, that staff <br />could take another look at it. <br />Mr. Dolan stated that if the Commission addresses the exceptions to the roadway, it <br />ought to make a distinction between its comments about whether or not it would defer to <br />existing Specific Plans and PUDs, which the Council pretty much agreed to defer to, <br />and any exception process beyond that for some circumstance that the Commission <br />thinks makes sense. <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, January 23, 2013 Page 16 of 44 <br />