PC 091113 - Laserfiche WebLink

homes; it is really close to them and will affect them quite a bit. He indicated that he agrees with a lot of the speakers who spoke before him, noting that the Arroyo is very nice because there is a nice trail there and they do see a lot of wild animals and birds that are there all the time. He stated that he would appreciate anything the Commission can do to change the proposal. Jane Bowen stated that, like many of the residents, she is also an original owner, moving into the area in 1985. She indicated that she also back up to the Arroyo and is also bearing the brunt of the impact of what is being proposed here. She noted that as they have lived here, they knew the sports park was there, which has had a lot of impact on the residents in the neighborhood, as they get a lot of cars parking on their streets on the weekend and even during the week with the practices, and the lots of traffic and noise that come with that. She stated that as has been mentioned earlier by another resident, the trail behind them was opened not that long ago and has brought a lot of noise and who knows what. She noted that they find alcohol bottles behind their fence; they hear joggers back there at 1:00 in the morning, people walking and talking. She stated that another resident mentioned things being stolen out of their yards, and indicated that they did have someone jump their back fence and run through their yard one night, followed by the police, so there is already quite an impact on them and this neighborhood by what is happening in the Arroyo behind their houses with that trail being opened. Ms. Bowen stated that when they purchased their homes, they were told that the trail would never be opened up to the public, that it was a Zone 7 service road, and that there was water in the canal which seemed obvious was a hazard to children. She added that then the whole trail thing came up, and suddenly that was not a consideration any more. She noted that the middle school and the business park have also had their impact on the residents. She stated that she also went over to the middle school and talked to the principal about the loud speaker. She then read a quote from the Hart Middle School website: "Rush hour traffic in the city has nothing on the traffic around Hart before and after school. Wow, what a mess! But if we all follow the rules and treat each other nicely, we can make the situation much more bearable." She stated that she often drives down those streets, and there is a lot of traffic there with carpools all lined up down West Las Positas Boulevard to pick up children, driving in and out, everybody in a hurry to get their child dropped off and get off to work. She noted that the school itself is acknowledging that. She added that there are just over a thousand students at that school, and with the faculty, administration, and parent volunteers, the number of people on that campus every day would probably be well over 1200. Looking at the site plan, Ms. Bowen suggested that the proposed pool be moved farther forward and not close to the fence at the back of the project as that is a noise producer. She stated that she agrees with the suggestions of having lower -story buildings at the back if the project were to go forward and that she disagrees with the exception for setbacks, which are designed from experience to mitigate noise and congestion as well as for aesthetic reasons. She added that, as was mentioned earlier, there is already PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, September 11, 2013 Page 13 of 27