PC 111313 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mr. Raty stated that as a longtime resident of this community, whose first home was on Third Street in 1979, he values the historic charm of Downtown in a big, big way. He added that as the Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer in the 1980's, he is still proud of the work that its Downtown Committee did with City staff to craft design guidelines for commercial properties Downtown that proved effective in providing certainty to those who would come forward with new projects to move the community forward while retaining historic character and charm and community values. He noted that the historic charm and value of the Downtown is really Main Street, the commercial core; Second Street and Third Street and the other neighborhoods were not discovered until long after that. He recalled some of the standouts that have happened here over the years, and he is still proud of the two -story building at Main Street and Angela Street that Brad Hirst built on the former site of the Roundup Saloon; the Vaughn Building right across the street from that with its ground -floor retail and second -story office building uses right now that used to be the site of Clyde Vaughn's transmission shop where the parking lot was gravel and the roof was corrugated tin; and the Chamber office stared right across the street at it every day. He continued that at the other end of the block, 450 Main Street, an entire new building behind the fagade of the original two brick walls was a labor of love by Joe Callahan, Mark Sweeney, and Pat O'Brien; and there is the Rose Hotel at the end of the block that the Maddens built on the former St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store building pad. Mr. Raty stated that what he is circling back around is where the community is with so much of the Downtown charm and the things that have moved forward really are rooted in what happened here commercially and with the business community that remains the magnet. He added that what was accomplished was accomplished with a lot of design guidelines, but the ball was kept moving forward. He indicated that it is his hope that with the adoption of these new rules that he imagines the Commission will move forward, the City can pursue commercial revitalization with the same commitment and zeal that residential historic preservation was pursued. He emphasized that the City needs to move forward with this but continue to encourage and assist those who come again with proposals to enhance retail, dining, and entertainment in Downtown to move it forward because that is where the real ball is and that is where this community will continue to grow and flourish. Matt Morrison stated that he has been a resident of Pleasanton for a long time and that it is his understanding that the reason Pleasanton, as all its surrounding communities, has historic Downtowns is because Pleasanton was so far off the freeway in the 1960's and 1970's that its historic Downtown did not get torn down and Pleasanton had an opportunity to preserve something. He indicated that what happened is that money came in and started to rebuild and change the character of the community. He stated that this is why it is important to support the guidelines as the City cannot build any more historic Downtown; it is really important to have something stable and a place to keep something that is already in place. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 13, 2013 Page 31 of 50