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-- that the City would honor the Veteran's Code_ The building was completely funded with Alameda County T7lTds and was grant deeded to the City in 1996; the City had been managing the facilities since the early 1970's. No County monies had been put into the building since that time. In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Blank whether staff considered security measures for the restrooms such as coin-operated timers or cameras, Chris Knowles, project architect, replied that they primarily examined the building design and did not do any thorough research into what other communities did in general. They examined many alternatives in this particular building on how to accommodate public restrooms and met with several City departments. This design was determined to be the least obtrusive. Commissioner Blank inquired whether unisex restrooms were the standard for such a use. Mr. Knowles replied that it was the least obtrusive, smallest, and most minimal restroom that could be fitted into the existing building without doing major alterations to the historic fabric of the building. He noted that the new steps and handicap access to the building would be added, as well as new signage. He added that there may be some fascia pieces to put on the front and sides of the building exterior, which would be considered aRer the structural engineering was completed. He noted that they did as little as possible to the building while still meeting the requirements. In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Fox whether the restroom accessible From the outside would be accessible by wheelchair, Mr. Knowles confirmed that it would be ADA-compliant. He added that there would be room for a small diaper-changing table. He described the features of the exterior of the site and displayed the site plan. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Christine Salidivar, Executive Vice President, Pleasanton Downtown Association, 830 Main Street, Suite A, spoke in support of this application. She noted that the veterans had served their country bravely and well and that it was fitting that they be provided a place to meet that was attractive, safe, and functional. She believed the proposed renovations would maintain the historical integrity of the building, which addresses much-needed revisions to the facility, including the addition of the public restroom_ She noted that the PDA was aware of the veterans' concerns and believed they could be addressed and mitigated by adhering to staff recommendations. She noted that the proposed restroom would only be accessible from the outside, and the PDA was amicable to limited hours of operation, such as when businesses are open and during events. She noted th ai the PDA and veterans were in agreement that they did not want a facility that would be detrimental to Downtown Pleasanton. Dan Soria, 5420 San Jose Drive, noted that he was past Commander of the Pleasanton Veterans of Foreign Wars <VFW~ and that he was on the task force for this project. He spoke in opposition to the restroom design. He noted that they spent a lot of time on the restroom placement and design. He noted that the restroom under discussion would be located between the two meeting rooms that the veterans use on a regular basis and. that it PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES January 26, 2005 Page 9 of 17