Laserfiche WebLink
Honorable Mayor Hosterman and Members of the Council <br />December 8, 2004 <br />Page 3 <br /> <br />The alternative of adding to the back of the Erv'm building was considered and rejected <br />because that design is incompatible with the City's design guidelines for the Downtown. <br />The standard suburban design of front yard parking and deep setbacks is incompatible <br />with the kind of pedestrian oriented environment the PDA and City are seeking to <br />encourage in downtown Pleasanton. <br /> <br />Mixed use is what makes downtown Pleasanton so special. Downtown Pleasanton is a <br />real downtowh, not a mini-mall, providing habitat for a fi:oth of different uses with a 24 <br />hour population. Any given location can be residential, or retail, or office. The <br />downtown mix of uses and buildings has been designed primarily by market forces over <br />more than 100 years, and it is always a dynamic work in progress. <br /> <br />In general, that progress can be best encouraged by using generally applicable, planning <br />principles - clear zoning, design, historical and parking guidelines that' inform potential <br />investors and businesses in advance what roles will be applied to potential projects. In <br />order to avoid future surprises, like Mr. Ervin got with his Planning Commission denial, <br />we ask the City to work with the PDA to identi~ in advance the historical structures that <br />will be subject to exact preservation (as opposed to, for example, exact replication, partial <br />preservation, historical consistency, or historical compatibility depending on the building <br />and setting). The worst thing that could happen to stifle the revitalization of Downtown <br />Pleasanton would be. a series c~f erratic case by case decisions on uses and rules of <br />development based upon changing political criteria and neighborhood protests. The <br />kinds of small business start-ups and small property imProvements that have energized <br />our downtown over the last twenty years would flounder and decrease significantly. <br /> <br />For all the reasons set forth, the Pleasanton Downtown Association feels the proposed <br />retail addition to the Ervin building will be an important addition to Railroad Avenue and <br />a great step forward for Downtown Pleasanton. <br /> <br />Very Truly Yours <br /> <br />Peter MacDonald <br />President <br /> <br />Cc' <br /> <br />Board of Directors <br />Executive Director <br />Design Committee <br />Planning Commission <br />Planning Department <br />James Ervin <br />Charles Huff <br /> <br /> <br />