PC 01/11/78 - Laserfiche WebLink

One of staff's major concerns regarding the development plan is access to the property via extension of Las Lomitas Drive. The slope would be about 11~ grade. Traffic is proposed to utilize Angela Street, Neal Street and Las Lomitas Drive. Staff is proposing that access be from Pico Avenue. They are requesting that design plans be redrawn to show this change, with a secondary emergency access from Abbie Street. This proposal had been discussed with the applicant. One item worth noting was that the developer is proposing to provide shuttle bus service for the residents. Recommendation is for denial of the development plan, but approval of the PUD zoning. Discussion centered on the enviromental impact report prepared for this project by Environmental Science Associates, Inc., specifically, Page 38, "Unavoidable Adverse Impacts." Deputy City Attorney Harvey Levine instructed the Commissioners on the findings they would have to make on the environmental impact report. The Public Hearing was opened on the environmental impact report review. Mr. Mullen of Mullen-Morris~Alexander, architects for the project, addressed the Commission. He reported on his experience in retirement home design work. In interpreting the. EIR, he concluded that anything done to a property other than leaving it in its natural state, would constitute some form of unavoidable impact on the environment. The question then is the degree of impact. Several persons in the audience commented on this portion of the review: Ed Catalano, 627 East Angela Street, disagreed with the bases used by the consultant in establishing the adverse impacts listed on Page 38 of the report. He thought the project could house more people than indicated in the EIR; that the development could become apartment units; that the number of employees would be higher than indicated. He then challenged the density established by the project. He disagreed with the table on Page 4.1 and the Community Services section of the report on Page 42. In his opinion, the smallest impact would be the missing alternative of leaving the property in the Agricultural District and developing it in small ranches of one residence for each five-acre minimum lot. Next, Charlotte Severin, 4513 Mirador Drive, spoke. She stated that the EIR was based on density figures of medium density residential. However, the current zoning for the land is Agricultural. She felt the impact from this development would be great. It would use up 58~ of the hookups from the Sunol plant. The steepness of the property would make it very difficult for the residents to negotiate, even if access occurs from Pico Avenue. She felt that the property should be developed as "ranchettes" and that a more suitable location for the retirement center would be off Santa Rita Road where needed services are much more prevalent. Next, Robert Gelinas, 580 East Angela Street, spoke. He is an atmospheric scientist and directed his comments to the aspects of air quality which the -2-