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Regency Centers to abide by all of the conditions and felt the truck traffic issue has been <br />well addressed. She said she voted against California Splash because of not only the <br />amount of traffic it would generate, but also because of the traffic numbers presented. <br />Since then the Council has moved onto its general plan update and we know that traffic is <br />not likely to get any better in town. She indicated the city can do a lot by raising the bar in <br />increasing safety and mobility throughout the valley and maintaining the existing quality of <br />life. She said she has concerns about the true economic impact to the local economy and <br />felt it should be addressed. In the Iowa State University Study, she asked if there were <br />models to measure the impact to the local economy and she questioned how difficult this <br />was to achieve. Ms. Wagner said the Iowa study was done for the entire state. We are <br />only looking at the impacts on Pleasanton and once you model the Tri-Valley, Contra <br />Costa and Alameda it becomes more and more difficult to calculate. She indicated she <br />was interested in the site, what it looks like and having the very best development <br />possible. Secondly, she was interested in the positive and negative impacts to the <br />neighborhood and to the entire community. She did not care about Home Depot’s <br />business model and if they think the Pleasanton community can support two Home <br />Depots. What if we lost the other Home Depot, she asked if Ms. Wagner would agree that <br />this is a very valuable piece of property and we would likely be able to turn it into another <br />valuable development, and Ms. Wagner said absolutely. She said the location at the <br />580/680 intersection was in high demand. <br /> <br />Mayor Hosterman questioned if it was realistic for the Council to ask for the opportunity to <br />measure economic impact citywide. Could it be done in such a way for the developer to <br />pause and look at this for the city to have a better understanding of how a second Home <br />Depot would affect True Value and other businesses? Ms. Wagner said staff looked at <br />this; the sales tax information the City has access to is confidential so they provided <br />information on a square foot basis. <br /> <br />Councilmember Cook-Kallio said she has been incredibly impressed with Regency, Home <br />Depot and neighborhood groups in terms of their attentiveness to this project. It is beyond <br />her to think that if this would be a negative impact to the downtown association they would <br />not have had a representative here. She feels very confident and comfortable with the <br />analysis. She felt a grocery store would actually generate more traffic, but also felt the <br />development was one of an economic balance because while the project will create traffic, <br />it will also reduce some trips across town. She felt the conditional use permit was strongly <br />worded and the Council will have to enforce it. The developer is being asked to jump <br />through a significant number of hoops and they have shown good faith. She recognized <br />the number of hours the neighborhood has put into the project and felt it was all about <br />balance. She supported the project. <br /> <br />Councilmember McGovern said she wants the Valley Avenue neighborhood to know that <br />the Council is listening to their concerns regarding safety, traffic, sound attenuation, sound <br />walls, painting, and landscaping. She hoped Regency will look at tenants like bookstores, <br />cleaners, a good restaurant or things that people need in order to not have to travel so far. <br />She said she was not concerned about box stores in Pleasanton because there are many <br />that are not. She asked if Kollen Hardware was affected by Home Depot. City Manager <br />Fialho advised that the owner sold the property and that when the property was sold the <br />new owner wanted to renovate the property and rents were raised. This resulted in the <br />closure of the store. <br /> <br /> <br />City Council Minutes 15 May 15, 2007 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />