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developed to fully understand what is feasible to build within the space and are presented here <br />for review (see Attachment 1). <br />DISCUSSION <br />Design <br />The City is expanding the existing parking lot on the transportation corridor between Bernal <br />Avenue and Abbie Street to increase parking and connectivity to the downtown, and to <br />implement the transportation corridor plan following the Firehouse Arts Center parking lot design <br />elements. The proposed project will be similar to the Firehouse Arts Center parking lot which <br />has a two-way drive aisle, a ninety -degree parking configuration on each side, a walk path and <br />landscaping. This project will include a retaining wall, site lighting, a shared bike/pedestrian <br />path, electric vehicle charging stations, drainage improvements, stormwater quality treatment, <br />curb, gutter, asphalt pavement and striping. The proposed project will provide 40 parking <br />spaces, or an additional 82 parking spaces more than the existing parking lot. <br />The design consultant HMH developed parking lot alternatives in an attempt to meet the goal of <br />maximizing the parking, developing a multi -use trail and create a linear park like the Firehouse <br />Arts Center parking lot design. The parking lot alternatives ranged from a one-way drive isle with <br />diagonal parking to the current design. The diagonal parking concept allowed for the full <br />development of the multi -use trail and linear parking, however, the concept only provided an <br />additional 30 parking stalls. To meet the demand of parking identified in the Downtown <br />Pleasanton Parking Strategy and Implementation Plan, a perpendicular parking stall strategy <br />was selected, providing an additional 82 parking stalls. The east property line was reviewed in <br />detail to see if the parking lot could be shifted east to provide as much room as possible for the <br />trail. Conflicts with the Kinder Morgan high-pressure gas line, and mature trees planted and <br />maintained by adjacent property owners, prevented the parking lot from being moved any <br />further east. The selected concept was thought to be able to provide a nearly 12 -foot -wide <br />space along the west property line to implement the multi -use trail, however, as the design <br />developed, it was identified that some of the width needs to be repurposed as landscaping to <br />overcome constraints associated with adjacent elevation differences and private property <br />improvements. <br />The challenge of the project meeting all the intended goals became apparent when reviewing <br />the available right-of-way and determining it is only 75 feet wide, compared to other segments <br />that are 100 feet wide. To further complicate the design, a Kinder Morgan high-pressure gas line <br />is located near the east property line, with many restrictions on what can be built on and over <br />the pipeline. There is an over 4 -foot grade differential between the east and west property lines <br />in some areas, with the largest near Bernal Avenue. The adjacent property owners on the east <br />have planted many trees that have matured and have maintained landscaping along the <br />properties. The west property owners have utilized the area for access to the back side of their <br />businesses and some of the buildings encroach into the actual right-of-way. <br />Extensive outreach to the adjacent property owners and tenants was conducted to work through <br />the issues and develop a project that meets the needs of the community while being a good <br />neighbor. This outreach led to allowing the City to help adjust grades, correct drainage and work <br />beyond our right-of-way. Landscaping improvements will be made through existing beds to <br />create a consistent look and to provide a more cohesive look with the corridor design elements. <br />In addition, fencing and landscaping will be installed to promote access to safer locations. <br />Although the trail width is limited, it will provide three critical elements indicative of a trail in <br />Downtown Pleasanton. First, it provides a "sense of space" by contributing to a more human - <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />