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r,.,, Commissioner Fox stated that the project is ahigh-intensity use and should be located by the freeway. She noted that traffic would be attracted to this azea and that while she could support a Long's Drugs since this is a neighborhood use, she could not envision a big box superstore with eight to ten lanes three miles from the freeway. She indicated her agreement with the comments made regarding the pedestrian and biker situation on Kolln Street and Valley Avenue and recommended that they be referred to the Traffic Committee. She added that with the Iron Horse Trail coming to Valley Avenue from Santa Rita Road and children crossing Stanley Boulevard to go to the Shadow Cliffs location, she would like to see an elevated pedestrian bridge to carry biking and pedestrians traffic across the widened Stanley Boulevard rather than having them cross a major arterial. In terms of the azchitecture, she stated that the Home Depot store still looks like a big box compared to the rest of the center and agreed with Chairperson Arkin that the azched doors need to be removed and the huge blank mass in front broken up to make the store look more attractive. She indicated that staff needs to look into mitigation measures to address the traffic along the Valley Avenue and Santa Rita Road area such as taking out the train overcrossing to widen the underpass on Valley Avenue. Commissioner O'Connor indicated his agreement with the recommendations made by the other Commissioners with respect to a safe passage for children and the architectural elements. He stated that he would also like to see proposals on how to limit some of the intense units which can increase traffic to the area as well as result in parking shortages. He requested staff to look into traffic-calming measures for Valley Avenue, whether it be to widen the bridge or adopt some of the suggestions made by the community such as ('~' installing elevated speed limit signs and speed dots and moving stop signs back from crosswalks. He further recommended that staff look into what can be done to direct 18 wheelers away from Sunol Boulevard and First Street and limit delivery trucks for this project to major arterials such as Isabel Avenue and Stanley Boulevard and away from Valley Avenue and residential streets. Commissioner Blank commended the good relationship existing between Home Depot and the synagogue and requested that delivery truck schedules be sensitive to the synagogue's activities, particulazly the Friday night services and Sunday school. He expressed agreement with Commissioner Olson's comments but indicated that he is not prepazed at this time to endorse the project until he sees the final design of the project. He noted that the azchitecture is definitely moving in the right direction and that the project is beginning to look more like Pleasanton. He stated that the design of the smaller stores look good and agreed with Commissioner Fox's comments that the Home Depot store needs more design creativity, particularly where the garden center is located, and that the arched doors needed to go. He recommended that staff look cazefully into the uses for the peripheral stores and limit the list to low traffic-generating uses. Finally, he requested that staff define traffic routes for trucks and have Home Depot commit to having their delivery trucks follow that route. Chairperson Arkin expressed appreciation for the Commissioners' comments. He indicated that with respect to the architecture, he believed the applicant would be able to ~., come up with a design that he could support. He stated that he would really like to have a PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, May 24, 2006 Page 30 of 34