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Commissioner Nagler commented that this has been a terrific discussion and <br />remarkable effort, and he cannot imagine a group of volunteers putting more time into <br />trying to make a good decision than this Commission has, and the sincerity of staff <br />trying to find a resolution to this. He noted that one of the comments made was that an <br />option of simply not building this development was not discussed. He pointed out that <br />one could make a very convincing argument for not going forward with it, but the fact is <br />it is in the General Plan, and the developer has done everything the City has asked. He <br />indicated that this is fundamentally a well- designed development and that he supported <br />it going forward. <br />Commissioner Nagler stated that the comments he made at the last meeting, which <br />very much mirror what Chairman Allen and others have said, absolutely stands pat. He <br />indicated that fundamentally, what is most important is the weight of all the prior <br />discussions and agreements and direction that has been given to this over the course of <br />many meetings and many years. He added that what has changed for him is exactly <br />what Commissioner Balch was talking about: an attempt to further refine the <br />compromise just maybe was not well- founded logic, and so he supports Option 2. He <br />stated that he believes, as he explained last time, that this road that could be built <br />without a retaining wall, is completely plausible, appropriate, allowed under <br />Measure PP, and as Commissioner Balch said, the amount of traffic being discussed <br />now going through the Sycamore neighborhood is substantially less than has ever been <br />considered before, such that, in fact, the neighborhood comes out much better under <br />this current development plan, which the Sycamore residents agreed to allow when they <br />acknowledged the CC &Rs for each of their home purchases. He noted that Option 2 <br />holds true to those agreements and recognizes that the level of traffic is not ridiculously <br />burdensome to that community. He further noted that the option of building the <br />connector road without a retaining wall speaks to all the issues and is the right position <br />for the Commission to take. <br />Commissioner Piper stated that her position has not changed a bit and that she feels so <br />very strongly that Ventana Hills should not take the burden of this traffic for so many <br />reasons that have been touched on many times tonight. She indicated that she feels so <br />deeply about this and is so distraught over this because she also feels like it was the <br />intent of the voters at the time Measure PP was passed that a road was a structure. <br />She added that she has to take into consideration what the voters would think today if <br />they were asked to approve another 50 homes, and she did not feel the voters would <br />approve building any more homes. <br />Commissioner Ritter stated that his thoughts have not changed from the Work Session <br />dates. He pointed out that Greenbriar bought this site in 1998 and has been working on <br />it ever since, going from 149 homes down to 50 homes. He indicated that he <br />understands what Commissioner Piper is saying about not to build, but the Commission <br />does not decide who builds what; the Commission's job is to zone and to make sure the <br />zoning fits the application and the need of the community, and to see if a developer <br />makes it feasible or not. <br />Commissioner Ritter stated that he thinks Measures PP and QQ were measures <br />everyone believed in as the actual Save Pleasanton Hills and Housing Cap Initiative; <br />the concept was no hilltop mansions, and the word "road' is not mentioned anywhere in <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, August 26, 2015 Page 23 of 43 <br />