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Chair Pearce noted that some of the Commissioners have not had the opportunity to have the discussion about stepping homes versus the flat pad and the differences in the elevations and asked staff to speak to the visual impact of the stepped homes at 40 feet versus the 30 feet. Ms. Stern replied that the main difference is that less grading is required when the homes are stepped so a more natural slope can be maintained. She noted, however, that when this is done, the house sort of cascades down the slope and can create some areas where there is a visual experience of the house being taller than if it were on a flat pad. Commissioner O'Connor asked staff to speak to staff's preferred layout and if staffs concern is mostly with heritage trees. Ms. Stern replied that the originally proposed layout does not touch any of the trees. She noted that maintaining the natural appearance of the hillside with the trees goes a long way in satisfying the objectives of the Specific Plan. Mr. Dolan noted that if this proposed project is looked at independently of other projects in the neighborhood, it is probably the most sensitive to the land. Commissioner O'Connor inquired if all the heritage trees are oak trees. Ms. Stern said yes. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Frank Berlogar, Applicant, stated that he lives on the property and that when he started looking at submitting an application for the three -lot hillside residential development, he came to the conclusion that it was not possible to get three lots up there and have it look reasonable, as it would be too massive and have too much of an impact. He indicated that he made a number of decisions: first, to apply for two lots instead of three; and second, to put the road between the new homes and the existing homes to avoid the backyard -to- backyard impact on neighbors, which would be a more sensitive approach. With respect to the oak trees, Mr. Berlogar stated that he loves the oak trees and that they were the main reason he bought the property. He indicated that he really wanted to maintain the trees and that he believes the initial application for the two lots is the best plan for that site and would like consideration on that. He indicated that the architect who developed the design guidelines for the existing Silver Oak homes and developed the design guidelines for these proposed two homes as well as prepared the photo simulation is present tonight to answer any questions the Commission may have. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, July 24, 2013 Page 8 of 20