PC 082714 - Laserfiche WebLink

Ms. Ayala then addressed the subject of roads. She stated that her number one goal in this project is to do the right thing for Pleasanton, do the thing that was planned since 1991 when Ken Mercer was the Mayor, and Pleasanton being a community of character means being true to the written word. She noted that back in 1991, the written word on the Lund Ranch project was that if it were to be developed, the access would be through North Sycamore. She continued that in 1992, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2011, in the General Plan of 2005, and in all the PUDs from 1991 until the present day, there is not any one document that designates Lund Ranch Road as an access road to this property. She indicated that she would like to meet with each of the Commissioners individually, if they would allow her the time, to give them the history that should have been done for this application. David Melaugh complimented the Commissioners as well for their patience and dedication. He then inquired whether it was appropriate to consider the nature of the residences on the streets being studied as two facilities have recently opened in the Sycamore Heights neighborhood: the Sunol Creek Memory Care Center, which specializes in the care of Alzheimer patients, and the Care Meridian facility, which specializes in the care of people who suffer traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries. He noted that residents of both facilities, located at the mouth of the Sycamore Heights neighborhood, would be particularly sensitive to changes in traffic patterns, in noise, and in things and scenarios that route significant additional traffic through the Sycamore Heights neighborhood. He added that to some extent, Sycamore Heights residents have done their share for the expansion of Pleasanton, and with these two new facilities that have increased traffic to their neighborhood, it would seem fair to route traffic to the north end. Mr. Melaugh stated that he would like to address the letter submitted by the Ventana Hills advocacy group, Exhibit I of the staff report. He referred to Table 4.6.1, page 4.6 -4 of the Revised Draft EIR, which shows that there are 3,400 cars per day on the Sycamore Heights collection point, and indicated that it might be more persuasive to phrase the EIR in comparative effects. He noted that Ventana Hills complains that the EIR claims the noise impact in Scenario 6 (Sunset Creek Lane connection) to be significant, yet the difference in decibel levels compared to the noise on Lund Ranch Road to Independence Drive and Junipero Street is only 0.2 dBA. He pointed out that the percentage increase between the current road noise and the proposed noise level in Sycamore Heights is about 20 percent versus the 5 -10 percent increase in road noise level for Ventana Hills. He suggested that the comparative numbers be taken into account in staff's response to the Ventana Hills letter. Phyllis Lee submitted a speaker card but left the meeting earlier and did not speak. Justin Brown stated that he had previously submitted his comments and wanted to speak on behalf of the Ventana Hills neighborhood. He noted that the letter submitted by the Ventana Hills Steering Committee addressing the EIR points out a number of inconsistencies and apparent biases in the assessments, including a distinction that a 0.2 dBA difference is significant in one scenario but not in other scenarios. He indicated PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, August 27, 2014 Page 39 of 44