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Ms. Michelotti said this lot was existing prior to the creation of the Foothill Overlay District and the Foothill Overlay District guidelines state developments should meet the spirit of the Overlay District. There are a lot of stucco houses being built within the area. Perhaps the guidelines need to be more clearly defined. Ms. Ayala said staff granted concessions to the applicants by not requiring them to install wood siding if they were willing to go to a darker color. Mr. Swift said the Overlay District does not mandate that no stucco be allowed. There are many homes that use stucco instead of wood siding. There are significant fire hazards in that area, so most of the houses are trying to have building designs that are fire safe. Staff has tried to minimize the use of stucco and maximize the use of rock. The problem with stucco is the reflection, no matter what time of day. Ms. Ayala asked if the color is approved, what recourse would the City have in requesting the color be darker for any future applications. Mr. Swift said each application would be reviewed individually. Staff uses Council's guidance in determining what is best for the area. The Planning Commission has requested staff to review the regulations of the Overlay District. Ms. Michelotti said the guidelines for the Overlay District do not state specific colors. It says no bright colors can be used and asked if the paint chips were a fair analysis of the two colors. Mr. Swift could not say. No paint chip on a piece of paper matches the color once it is applied. Ms. Dennis said it is not as much the color that concerns her but rather the process in which the decision is made. She could not support the motion because the color had not been approved by staff when applied and there is a long paper trial verifying this. Mr. Pico said Council is not here to make a decision about the process. He agreed there are concerns about whether the process applies to pre-existing lots. But tonight's decision is on the color. He said if the color for this house is not okay then there are some problems with the guidelines for the Foothill Overlay District. He believed the color on this house was perfectly acceptable, that it blends into the environment and meets the spirit of the Overlay District. He felt the Nelsons should not be penalized. Mayor Tarver said he would be glad to revisit the color scheme for the Foothill Overlay District. He remembers past complaints from people about white houses on the Ridgeland. He did not think white houses were okay and they do not fit in. That is not what he had in mind Pleasanton City Council 11 01/05/99 Minutes