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Mr. Laver said he had not investigated that but it would be extremely expensive. Don Sundell, 430 Hamilton Way, expressed concern about privacy and he felt it would reduce his property value. He asked Council to reject the application. Forrest Sass, 462 Hamilton Way, indicated when he purchased his home, one of the things he liked best was the view of Pleasanton Ridge. The cypresses now obscure that view. A second story addition will further obscure their view. He felt the addition would be inharmonious with the plan of Rosepointe. He acknowledged there are many second story homes in the neighborhood, but most are on the outer perimeter of Rosepointe and don't constitute a visual problem. He felt the Laver addition would be an eyesore. He strongly objected to planting more cypress trees and related the problems from starlings and blackbirds in the spring. He urged Council to reject the application. Diane Sass, 462 Hamilton Way, referred to the General Plan policy that seeks to maintain the character of existing neighborhoods. Rosepointe is a single story neighborhood that provides privacy and views that are not available in other neighborhoods. She felt the real issue is whether it is acceptable to change the character of any neighborhood for the benefit of one family and the detriment of many. She believed the Laver addition would be top heavy and create a massive appearance on the court. She felt the reason the existing two story homes don't look awkward is because of the balance of the two single story homes on either side of the court, one of which belongs to the Lavers. The orientation of houses on lots was not planned with second story additions in mind. There are 62 homes in the nei~borhood and eight are second story. Six of the second story homes back onto open space or to Sunol Boulevard. Two additions were built over the protest of neighbors, including the Bartholomew residence. Her family specifically selected a single story neighborhood and paid a premium price for their home. She also believed this would have a financial impact on the value of homes and she felt she was losing her quality of life and enjoyment of her property. She referred to the staff recommendation for additional cypress trees and believed the mitigation was worse than the addition. She related the problems with birds in spring. The Lavers have refused to cut the trees or do anything to stop the birds from nesting. She asked Council to reject the application for an addition and to require the Lavers to remove the cypress trees or at least cut them down to ten feet. Pat Brick, 421 Arlington Court, indicated he was the first to add a second story in the neighborhood. His addition was unique because he removed the existing garage and lowered the floor of the garage to street level and then built the addition. His house does not look like it has been remodeled. He is not against the Laver addition, but he believes there are other ways to look at the project. There being no further speakers, the public hearing was closed. Ms. Dennis indicated this is a difficult decision because Council is being asked to restrict the ability for people to build additions in the future throughout a neighborhood. She felt one person should be allowed to do what someone else has done. She felt the Pleasanton City Council 7 11/02/99 Minutes