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Ms. Hagen responded that she had reached out to planners in other cities who voiced no concerns; however, she did not speak with those cities' Police Departments to obtain feedback. Chair Allen inquired about other cities allowing this use and whether they were located in similar neighborhood centers or more industrial areas. Ms. Hagen said she did not have background on the locations of the uses in other cities. Chair Allen inquired about the zoning of this location, noting this is PUD-Commercial. She asked how this relates to the Neighborhood Commercial Zoning District. Ms. Hagen responded that, per the PUD, use requirements fall back to Service Commercial (CS) and not Neighborhood Commercial (CN). The particular PUD for this center is somewhat unique in that each building within the shopping center points to a different section of the PMC. In this case, all uses permitted in the building within which the Axe Lounge is proposed relate back to the Commercial Services District. Mr. Dolan added that the axe-throwing lounge located in Berkeley is on Telegraph Avenue between Parker Street and Blake Street and is in a commercial location near the UC Berkeley campus, which is a similarly zoned area as the proposed project location. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED Applicant Michael Hill gave an overview of his experiences in owning other related businesses (escape rooms) and mentioned the trend surrounding axe-throwing lounges. He gave an overview and displayed photographs surrounding the trend and explained the safety measures involved for all individuals who sign up to play, including that it is within a controlled environment and there are barriers established between lanes. He said the North American Throwing Association has thousands of members throughout Canada and the United States, and there are thousands of social media followers that will continue to grow. He recognized that safety is a concern for everybody and said no one can throw without first receiving instruction. A certified coach will lead players and train them on various protocols of the activity. The lanes are separated by a four-inch thick metal mesh wire with supports above that are chain link to prevent axes from flying over. He continued by stating that all equipment is properly checked, no one is allowed to bring their own axes, all users must be at least 18 years of age or must have a guardian who stays with them the entire time, there will always be a food and beer/wine option available, and employees go through Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) training. He then presented a video of an example of axe throwing from various media clips. He said a major part of their business is for corporate events and they would like to operate in the City of Pleasanton to help support local groups. He stated it is also a family friendly activity and any business he's operated next to in other locations does extremely well. Commissioner O'Connor inquired how to control alcohol consumption, either before or during the activity session, and questioned axe throwing activities while consuming alcohol. Planning Commission Minutes Page 4 of 9 August 14, 2019