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fact that Pleasanton is a small, quaint town, that the forefathers had the foresight to plan and plant a gazillion trees and have parks, and that families want to live here because the School District has schools where parents want to send their children. She pointed out that Costco is not going to help her one bit; it will not make her life any better and will impact her quality of life. She indicated that she lives close to the area and loves the fact that she can look at the foothills every day. She noted that people come up and talk about water, air quality, and traffic; it all boils down to quality of life and priorities. She stated that she became a teacher and taught for 32 years because it was her passion and not because she was going to make a lot of money. She stated that Pleasanton does not need a Costco or any other big -box store; the City should consider what its forefathers did, make better priorities, and keep Pleasanton a small town. Kevin Goebel, General Manager of the Doubletree Hotel on Johnson Drive, stated that he is a small business, single owner, owning only this one hotel. He expressed concern about the traffic from his hotel towards Hopyard Road and Owens Drive with 6,000 vehicles going in each direction. He stated that development is good, but it has to be smart. He noted that one of the things he tells his sales team all the time is that every piece of business is a good piece of business, but it has to be the right piece of business; and in the same fashion, every piece of development is a good piece of development, but it has to be the right piece of development. He pointed out that a citizens committee should be put together to discuss what does fit in this area, what the City really needs here. Mr. Goebel stated that only 12 of the 36 properties in the area were considered to be part of this program. He indicated that they have an adjacent empty lot right next to the hotel that they would like to develop, but it is not included in the project. He noted that they actually had three studies done in the last five years, which told them that a convention center would work there but they had to build a $12 to $15 million parking garage, which made it in feasible. He further noted that they are now looking at a 100- to 150 -room hotel which would not have a parking issue and which the existing hotel market would sustain; but he questioned whether that market would sustain a hotel on their property and a hotel down the street. He stated that the City should look at everything from the FedEx building to their vacant lot and see how this whole area would be developed as a whole, rather than developing only 12 properties now, then look at the next 12 properties, and then at the last 12 properties. He pointed out that what usually happens is that a road is place in the middle of some place the owners want to develop. He stated that Costco does not help his business at all, but the additional traffic will kill it because his guests are already complaining about how long it takes to get in and out of the hotel and how dangerous it is to go out the main drive and make a left -hand turn or even a right -hand turn. He asked the City to slow it down and look at what is really best for the City. Chair Allen expressed her appreciation for everyone's comments. She indicated that they will all be on the record and will be part of the public testimony that would be addressed in the EIR. She asked staff what the timetable is for additional public input. Mr. Weinstein replied that public involvement is a really critical part of the EIR and thanked the folks who have shown up to this meeting tonight. He indicated that there is still a pretty long public involvement process ahead, and the City has extended the PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 18, 2015 Page 6 of 34