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Since I served on Park and Rec when the Oak Woodland was approved, I'll be waiting <br />for the oak trees to provide me shade when I'm 90. I'm just saying. I didn't expect a 5 <br />gallon pot to be planted. <br />Dolan: The City Engineer often refers to a saying attributed to Confucius: "He who <br />plants a tree does not enjoy the shade." <br />Commissioner Balch: You've become a smooth stone, my friend. So to that end, I <br />would argue that your square footages should be strongly looked at. I know the concept <br />of what you're trying to do. You're trying to look at what your needs are, your anticipated <br />growth and your square footage, and we all know that to redo or remodel is going to be <br />three times the cost of doing it larger at the beginning. I mean, I know that well. So, City <br />Hall at 40,000- square -feet, which is probably the only one I kind of have a feeling for. I <br />know that the OSC wasn't considered in this when you guys did the move plans. You're <br />talking about your five buildings here and not the OSC operations, but you know, you <br />and I served on the East Side and we talked about the moving of the OSC. I know that <br />they have space needs, so I just would encourage that if you wanted to make it a 50 or <br />60 year building, that this be a consideration if you do have enough. And, I think your <br />concept of movability, scalability or flexibility of the design is important. <br />And my last comment I'll just say is that a lot of cities I've been to —the City of San Jose, <br />City of Milpitas, City of Tracy had built brand new city halls. And I'll tell you what, you <br />should go look at them now. Some of them look like they could use a little bit of paint <br />and sprucing up. One that is nine stories tall for example that is south of us, the <br />planning department is hard to get to, hard to utilize. They made it where you have a <br />great grand space that echoes so you cannot hear a planner across the table. There are <br />some things we could lose about the quaintness of our city if we try to be grandiose or <br />illusion to grandeur. So, I would just caution us to be wise about that. And while I know <br />natural light has happened, I also know when natural light can cause a person not to be <br />able to use their desk because it's so hot because they haven't tinted the windows. <br />That's all further down and I understand that, but I have seen good design lose out to <br />practical reality in those cities —some have done better than others. I'll just say those <br />three in particular. <br />Commissioner O'Connor: I also wasn't thrilled initially about hearing that we were going <br />to take up our central parkland with City Hall, but little by little I became more <br />accustomed to it and I think you said it well tonight, someone did, about bringing the <br />people from the park so close to City Hall. It's going to beg some kind of interaction <br />whereas today, I think we are removed. Even though we're next to downtown, there <br />aren't a lot of people who come to City Hall to these buildings unless they have <br />business right here. This is going to bring a lot more people around City Hall. So, I have <br />warmed up to it considerably. <br />The parking structure though, definitely needs a third level. I mean, like you said, if you <br />park on the roof, it doesn't take that much extra room up there. You have to go at least <br />a third. I'm not real thrilled with all the parking that I think I've seen along the second <br />access road. There's no dimensions here so I'm not really sure if it's drawn to scale. I <br />think the people backing out of those parking places are going to make this not quite a <br />second access route. It's going to be hard getting in and out of there with cars passing <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, September 28, 2016 Page 7 of 32 <br />