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which will be to the north, will rise to 51 feet, 11 inches. He pointed out that based on this view, there is a 15 -foot difference that is not represented by blue sky that will block most of that view from their side of the Arroyo. He explained that on these particular views, Buildings C and D are shown from the rear, and Buildings A and B are seen 15 feet over the roofline of Buildings C and D, but the drawing does not show how much of the sky will be blocked by Buildings A and B. He added that they currently have a slight view of Mt. Diablo, and that will be totally erased by the Summerhill project. George Bowen, an original Parkside resident, stated that they bought their house in 1985 and have lived through the many changes that have impacted the Parkside community. He indicated that he would like to start with some important general comments that are less specifically related to Summerhill. He stated that he believes there is a sense among the Parkside residents who were surprised that they are standing here with a development that is zoned and is moving forward. He stated that there was a notice that was sent out, and along with that notice were assurances that there were no plans to develop and they should not expect a development on that property in the future at all. He indicated that that really removed their concerns, and they did not come down and address the rezoning. Mr. Bowen stated that he thinks it would be worth going back and looking at some of the additional comments made about the zoning changes, that they were just finding spaces to accommodate the lawsuit that occurred. He noted that the City was really put in a spot in that lawsuit, but now there are developments that are either existing, being built, or in the process of being approved which make Las Positas a high- density housing corridor and will have a significant impact on the Parkside community. He added that on one side, they have a wonderful sports park that they are proud of and grateful for; it does create noise for them, but the benefits far outweigh the detriments. He noted that they do have noise from the sports park that is actually currently reflected off of the buildings on their backside which is along the Arroyo. Mr. Bowen stated that one other thing they heard discussion about this specific project is the adjacent property, and the Parkside community would very strongly appreciate a review of the zoning of the adjacent property to have an even larger housing development next to this 177 - dwelling unit property, and which would have a much more significant impact on them than this current project has. Mr. Bowen stated that they appreciate the concessions that have been made on the part of Summerhill, who has listened to the concerns expressed and have made the efforts to make the project more tolerable for them. He noted, however, that they have a few specific concerns that he would like to raise, one of which has to do with the sound wall. He indicated that he has a background in acoustics, and the term that is been used, "sound wall," is a bit of a misnomer. He explained that sound reflects off of hard objects, and that is why recording studios tend to be made up of very soft objects. He noted that masonry has about the lowest co- efficient absorption of sound of any material out there: only.02 percent of sound that strikes masonry is absorbed; 99.98 percent of the sound is reflected. He pointed out that on the proposed property PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, January 22, 2014 Page 8 of 22