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Commissioner O'Connor inquired if it went a great enough distance into the Val Vista <br />and Inglewood neighborhoods. <br />Mr. Weinstein said yes, noting that the noise analysis essentially extends out as far as it <br />needs to in order to identify the point at which noise generated by the project becomes <br />less than significant. <br />Commissioner O'Connor noted that with respect to the outreach, there have been <br />issues in the past where people did not think they were properly notified. He inquired if <br />the notification area covered only a 1,000 -foot radius from the project site. <br />Mr. Weinstein replied that per City standard practice, notices are sent only to property <br />owners and resident within a 1,000 -foot radius around the project site. He added that <br />notice of this meeting and other meetings are also published in the newspaper and have <br />been announced on the City's website and through social media. He indicated that this <br />is something staff could revisit for future meetings, but staff felt appropriate noticing was <br />done for this project in light of other ways the word gets out for projects like this. <br />Commissioner O'Connor stated that from all the people he has talked to about this <br />project, the only comment he is getting is that Costco is coming; nobody seemed to <br />know that with the rezoning, some uses go away and others come in. He added that it <br />might be more appropriate to use a newspaper ad or try to do something a little more <br />intense for projects of this size that will be creating this kind of traffic, whether potentially <br />unmitigated or mitigated, or paid for or not, rather than have folks coming up at the <br />Planning Commission and City Council meetings. <br />Commissioner Piper stated that was her biggest concern. She indicated that the <br />outreach seemed very limited, considering that 1,000 feet only covered a small number <br />of homes in Val Vista. She noted that the outreach needs to be a lot bigger for <br />significant projects such as this; the whole northern half of Val Vista should be notified, <br />as well as apartments and potentially the northwestern corner of the Stonedale <br />neighborhood, because they would all be impacted. She added that it seemed odd that <br />the outreach for a little tiny project is 1,000 feet, and it is still 1,000 feet for such a <br />significant project. <br />Commissioner O'Connor added that noticing could also go to homeowner associations <br />so they can distribute to their homeowners and have less of an impact on that. <br />Chair Allen stated that she felt that way too. She indicated that this is not as big as the <br />East Pleasanton project, but it probably is the second biggest; there should be <br />neighborhood meetings and outreach and discussion of options so people really <br />understand, and really seek input about variations there to get the best quality of <br />thinking. She noted that the benefit here is $1 to $2 million in City revenue, assuming <br />no issues of traffic costs that the City has to bear, traded off against traffic delays for the <br />businesses and residents in the area as well as people who use Stoneridge Drive to <br />come home to the east side, and the potential risk of the pollutants which can pose a <br />risk for folks with lung disease and even healthy individuals. She added that there is <br />also the desire for many to shop at Costco and at some retailers such as Pottery Barn <br />and Crate and Barrel, which is another benefit to the residents. <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, September 23, 2015 Page 12 of 19 <br />