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Code, and the code of many, many other communities, and they all support the notion <br />that roads and retaining walls are types of structures. He indicated that what he has not <br />heard from anyone, not from the staff, not from the audience, are any concrete reasons <br />why roads or retaining walls are not structures; not one cited code nor dictionaries or <br />ballot materials. He stated that to decide something this important, it is necessary to be <br />able to point to something that supports the notion that roads and retaining walls are not <br />structures. He noted that at its last meeting, the Commission found itself in a position <br />that some walls are structures and some walls are not, that some roads are structures <br />and some roads are not. He added that people have learned since then that roads are <br />structures, that walls are structures, and that thousands of truckloads of dirt are going to <br />have to be moved. He stated that one of the proposals involves building 1,000 linear <br />feet of 10 -foot tall retaining walls, roughly two football fields worth of grading, and <br />20+ Heritage trees being removed to cross a creek. He stated that there is no doubt <br />Measure PP voters voted against that. <br />Mr. Melaugh stated that looking at the traffic numbers from the report, it is very clear <br />that his neighborhood is experiencing far more traffic right now than Ventana Hills is, <br />and all of the traffic from this project is added to the Ventana Hills neighborhood, they <br />would still be experiencing less traffic than Ventana Hills. He encouraged the <br />Commission to act as a Community of Character and enforce the law and honor the role <br />of the voters. <br />Carol Spain, a member of the Ventana Hills Steering Committee since its inception in <br />1991, stated that she spoke at the June 24th meeting and will not repeat what she said <br />then. She indicated that she would like to address two specific items that did come up <br />during that meeting that she believes warrant some clarification: <br />1. A statement made by the biologist working with Greenbriar Homes indicated that <br />using Lund Ranch Road to access the Lund Ranch II development would simplify <br />the permanent need for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Regional Water <br />Quality Board, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Greenbriar's <br />current plan is mapped in the draft EIR in Figure 4.3 -1A which shows the creek <br />bed will need to be removed for the purpose of constructing seven to nine lots <br />which would go over the existing creek channel. This construction will relocate <br />the creek by approximately 243 feet with hundreds of linear feet of retaining walls <br />that will back up to or over the former creek bed. The creek - crossing with bridge <br />abutments on either side of the creek channel will pale in comparison to the <br />wetland impact with this proposed lot layout. <br />2. The second item refers to the potential need for a small portion of a 25- percent <br />slope to build a new connector road as well as the previously proposed retaining <br />wall infrastructure to support this road. At the special City Council meeting held <br />on June 26, 2008 which was prior to the vote of Measure PP, Councilmember <br />Karla Brown, who is one of the Initiative sponsors, clarified that the intent of <br />Measure PP was to control construction of residential and commercial structures <br />and not roads that may be on 25- percent slopes. Given Ms. Brown's clarification <br />in 2008 that Measure PP was never intended to include roads, the voter <br />information statements that were in the ballot indicating that Measure PP would <br />not apply to roads, the vote from the City Council in April 2013 that supported a <br />road is not a structure, and the new 24 -Foot Road Option proposed by City staff <br />which does not require infrastructure retaining wall support, the Planning <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, August 26, 2015 Page 8 of 43 <br />