Laserfiche WebLink
excess of the standards for those residents, with no maintenance cost to the City. The ordinance <br />allowing the credit was in the Code many years before Ruby Hill was a concept. The City could <br />have received ten acres of unimproved park land outside Ruby Hill. The City would have to <br />have paid for its improvement and maintenance. Ms. Michelotti indicated she had moved in to <br />a development of 150 units with a linear park and it took ten years to develop it through the <br />City. For the most part it is the community around it that uses that park. The Ruby Hill <br />development is not in the middle of town and she did not believe there would be that many <br />people who would go that far to use it. She feels there is a 12.5 acre facility for those residents, <br />totally improved, maintained by them, with no $50,000 annual cost to the City for maintenance, <br />and the City receives $1.4 million to use elsewhere in the community. She believes there will <br />be friendships with the people in Ruby Hill and there will be access to the park in that manner; <br />there will be additional fields for practice and a swim facility. She carefully considered this and <br />believed that if someone is told to meet standards and they will get a credit, in fairness the credit <br />should be given. Like it or not, gated communities are part of Pleasanton too. It is not fair <br />to say to someone who may live where she cannot afford, that they must pay extra because <br />others want access. <br /> <br /> Ms. Mohr indicated the issue of credit was first brought up with regard to an apartment <br />complex in the 1980's. The apartment developer wanted recreational facilities for its residents <br />and felt a credit should be given. This did not arise from an "elitist community". She realizes <br />that Council is not happy about the way this project came to the City, and in the process there <br />were tradeoffs and compromises. In life, one often does not get things the way one wants. She <br />referred to the point that somehow "those people" are not citizens of Pleasanton. These future <br />residents have the same entitlement to a neighborhood park that any other neighborhood has. <br />The project could have dedicated ten acres and then instead of $300,000 from the CIP, the City <br />would have had well over a million dollars obligated to develop that park at some point in the <br />future. There are many parks in town that have taken many years to develop. It would be nice <br />if it were not behind a gate, but this is one of those compromises that came with a development <br />like Ruby Hill. She referred to Ms. Michelotti's remarks about not being able to afford to live <br />in Ruby Hill and felt there was reverse snobbery going on here as it has against other <br />developments in town. The comment was made that because this park is behind a gate, other <br />residents in the Vineyard Corridor will not have access. There were speakers at the beginning <br />of the meeting who suggested there may not be any other new residents in the Corridor because <br />of the General Plan Committee recommendations. Regardless of that, if the property develops, <br />there will be the same obligation to dedicate land and commit park fees to serve that area. The <br />fact that Ruby Hill residents have many advantages does not mean they are not entitled to the <br />same benefits of being Pleasanton citizens that the rest of us are. With regard to the suggestion <br />that the park fees be paid in advance, there are tradeoffs for that as well. If the park fees go <br />up in the future, when the fees would normally be paid, the City might have gotten more money. <br />On the other hand, inflation counteracts that. Economic principles encourage getting funds early <br />and investing rather than receiving inflated dollars later. She believed that if Signature was <br />willing to pay up front, she was happy to accept that. There are many park needs and Ruby Hill <br />fees will not solve all of them. She believes this is an excellent compromise for the City. It <br /> <br /> 04/04/95 o14- <br /> <br /> <br />