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:' why staff was conservative with their projections. She believed th.at a golf course with very <br /> limited housing in the Happy Valley area is a real win for the area. She acknowledged the <br /> special quality of life there and the desire to maintain it. On the other hand, there is a real need <br /> for Pleasanton residents to have a golf course. She wants the entire community to realize there <br /> is a risk and the property owners have a risk too. Some of her questions were: if this is a real <br /> success, how will the City use the funds; what happens if there is a difference in the estimated <br /> land value for the residential units? She wants to support this, but still has a lot of questions and <br /> would appreciate more time to address the concerns. She suggested continuing the matter for <br /> two weeks. <br /> <br /> Mr. Pico indicated that before he was elected to Council, he had made commitments to <br /> the people of Pleasanton. Some of those commitments were: to stop the urbanization of the <br /> south Pleasanton hills, to find a way to preserve the rural quality of Happy Valley; and to find <br /> a way to provide a municipal golf course. He feels this project can take care of those <br /> commitments. He believed that there has not been a consensus reached as yet and wanted time <br /> to meet with the neighborhood. He referred to some points raised: low projections are because <br /> of a need to be safe; developers are only paying for some of the amenities, the City is paying <br /> for a lot of the costs of the pool and tennis complex from general fund money and surpluses; <br /> he does not think the golf course has to be totally self-sustainable, some city money could be <br /> used to subsidize the project if it means fewer houses or to do other things to mitigate impacts <br /> on the community; and he was also concerned that the City does not lose this opportunity as it <br /> did for the community park in Hacienda Business Park. This golf course will provide a lot of <br /> positive things for this community and we need to proceed with it and still address the concerns <br /> of the people who live in the neighborhood. He proposed "community-based conflict resolution" <br /> and hiring a professional facilitator to hold meetings to help the parties come together. He did <br /> not think that would require staff time. If, after three or four weeks, it looks like a consensus <br /> cannot be reached, there is still time to stop the golf course project without a major investment. <br /> <br /> Ms. Dennis was happy to see this proposal. Three prior proposals have not been <br /> successful because of impacts on neighborhoods, too much development and too much <br /> environmental damage. This proposal is the best so far. She supported the conflict resolution <br /> process and felt the Alisal Improvement Association can be helpful in keeping track of what the <br /> issues are which need to be addressed. She felt there was a good opportunity to define the <br /> problem areas and to present them to the City so it can resolve them. The City is at risk for the <br /> $700,000, but she felt there was support to set aside that money so there is a fund to work with <br /> once the questions and concerns are addressed. She hoped that seeing the final project design <br /> will help. <br /> <br /> Mr. Tarvet did not want people to feel the City is pushing a project. He had the same <br /> commitments to people before the election as the ones Mr. Pico stated. He agreed there should <br /> be a plan for the Happy Valley area. He feels there are benefits to annexation and it would not <br /> necessarily disrupt the lifestyle of the residents. He did not believe there would be total <br /> agreement on the final plan'because there are people who do not want anything done in the area <br /> <br /> 03/05/96 <br /> -12- <br /> <br /> <br />