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taxes over the next thirty years and $50 million is just the tip of the iceberg. He <br />expressed concerns about required infrastructure and the use of City staff time. In his <br />opinion, the private sector could do a better job in providing the facilities the City would <br />like on the property. He was also concerned about concessions that might be given to <br />potential bidders. He referred to the Task Fome recommendation for affordable or entry- <br />level homes on the site, and did not think it was feasible due to the mount of <br />development fees that are imposed. He was upset that Council had been working on this <br />for six to eight years and had not addressed the issues surrounding a possible purchase of <br />the property by the City. He then related projects the City has started and not yet <br />completed with costs continuing to escalate: LAVWMA pipeline, Tri-Valley <br />Transportation (Highway 84 and BART), the golf course, West Las Positas Interchange, <br />and a sports park that has been moved from site to site with no final location selected. <br /> <br /> Ms. Ayala was surprised that all the presentations by staff did not answer Mr. <br />Finch' s questions regarding infrastructure. <br /> <br /> Jan Batcheller, 644 St. Mary Street, acknowledged that there were good points on <br />both sides of Measure I, but she could not support it. The $50 million bond measure, <br />which is actually $128 million with interest over thirty years, is for the purchase of the <br />land, but there is no assurance there will be funds available to construct the items <br />recommended by the Task Force. She opposed any new tax because the significant taxes <br />already being paid need to be more wisely spent. The costs of the LAVWMA pipeline <br />continue to escalate as well as the costs of the proposed golf course because of the length <br />of time both projects take to be resolved. She felt the bond ballot language was <br />incomplete. There are no guarantees or assurances that the residents can direct how the <br />money will be spent. The same situation has arisen with Measure B funds. Finally, she <br />believed this would make the jobs/housing balance even further out of sync. <br />Transportation problems are caused by the large jobs/housing imbalance in Santa Clara <br />County. She felt this would further exacerbate the traffic problems. She urged citizens to <br />vote no on Measure I. <br /> <br /> Gerry Branken, 1753 Paseo del Cajon, also opposed Measure I. It was <br />disappointing that the bond measure was rushed to the ballot without allowing sufficient <br />time for the opposition to get organized. He has followed the work of the Task Force and <br />applauded its efforts. However, since the final recommendations were just presented <br />tonight, there is not much time for meaningful review and debate before the election. He <br />believed there were two plans for the Bemal Avenue property and was upset the public is <br />only allowed to vote for one, which is only conceptual. He supported the Specific Plan, <br />which was formulated after more than a decade of negotiation and had been reviewed by <br />three Commissions. If the 70 acres of private development (which is shown in both <br />proposals) is removed, the 1998 Specific Plan outlines 85 acres of parks and open space <br />and 153 acres for a long-needed golf facility. This amounts to 60% of open space and <br />40% for residential. After the hundreds of hours of staffwork and $600,000 in <br />consultants' fees, the plan will be invalidated by Measure I. He felt few voters had ever <br />looked at the plan to see that it is reasonable and feasible. He believed there were more <br />jobs available in town than residents to fill them. People who work here cannot live here <br /> <br />Pleasanton City Council 8 02/15/00 <br />Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />