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that did not appear to be a fast -food restaurant. She indicated that they knew a Craftsman style of building is very popular in certain areas of the City, and when they met with the architect, they oriented the entire site so the drive -thru is a dual lane on the inside, away from the street. She pointed out that the building has that Craftsman style architecture, and one thing that is noteworthy is that at the actual corner, the building is eight feet in a hole so that coming off the freeway ramp, what is visible on that one elevation on the north side of the building is pretty much the top half of the building. She added that they want to get the City a sign that welcomes visitors into Pleasanton, with two 16 -inch box oaks to flank the sign to create an entry statement. Ms. Kerr stated that they have been working for years with Caltrans to get ownership of that excess property, and that process has not yet been completed. She indicated that this has been a very, very complex application to file and figure out all the nuances and entities. She added that they have gone through and agree with all of the conditions, including the recommended changes about signage and those in the staff memo. She noted that also present tonight are Jennifer Dodd, Development Manager for Chick- fil -A, and Drew Nichol from Reynolds and Brown, to answer any questions the Commission may have regarding the project. Commissioner Allen stated that she knows the red "Chick- fil -A" sign is part of the company's brand, but asked Ms. Kerr if they have ever designed a building with a signage that is a little more subtle or in a black color instead. Ms. Kerr replied that "Chick- fil -A" is their registered trademark sign and that the red color for that lettering is a standard sign implementation. She indicated that they have worked with Planning staff on the wall signs and the north entry sign, which is the only chance for people to see the sign, and that they tried to work with the size of the sign so it is well - balanced with the wall facing the sign. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. Chair O'Connor stated that he could tell staff worked hard with the applicant on this proposal and that he was very impressed with it and liked the way it looked; his only concern is meeting the General Plan's Community of Character goals, No. 2 on page 23 of the staff report, which is the PUD District. He noted that this proposal is an improvement over what is currently in the area, and that corner can be improved with the landscaping that can be put in there. He indicated that his only area of concern with respect to entering the City is the look of the hardscape on the Hopyard Road side of the building which has no signage; all the signage is on the other three sides and the drive -thru has been hidden on the other side as well. He proposed that it could be softened in some way by either adding some kind of trellis work, or covering the stucco walls with some greenery, which may also be problematic with so many glass windows. He added that the trees that are already in the center of the building could also be extended to the north, noting that at some point, the canopies of the trees will be high enough where the windows will be visible, but it would soften the look of the building from that east side. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, October 22, 2014 Page 7 of 30