CCMIN022001 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mr. Hirst said all three landscape experts did not recommend a berm, but he was willing to put in a four or five foot berm if Council wanted it. He felt the most attractive place for a fence would be on the berm rather than on the property line. Mr. Campbell inquired about whether Mr. Hirst would be willing to investigate other means of alternate energy. Mr. Hirst said he was willing to do that. There are many issues to be addressed. If photovoltalc panels are installed on the roof, they will be visible above the parapet. He anticipated the building would be prepped to handle alternative energy sources. Ms. Dennis asked about the trash enclosure and whether it included room for recycling containers. Mr. Hirst said that could be accommodated. Mayor Pico asked if any architectural design could be incorporated to mitigate the Heravis' concerns about privacy. Something on the outside of the building that would restrict the view out, but still allow natural light in. Mr. Hirst said a tremendous amount of time had been spent on the design of the building. There are a lot of windows on four sides to make it symmetrical and to allow as much natural light in as possible. It would have been less expensive to have a building with fewer windows. Tim Bowe indicated that when he deals with projects, he looks for problems. Sometimes a lot of time can be spent pursuing a problem that may not be a problem. He asked Council to consider the alternatives for this lot. If it were developed as residential, there would be structures and windows far closer to the Heravi home than what is being proposed. This project has been designed to place as much separation as possible and has included much more landscaping than is required which will mitigate and screen better than anything that can be done architecturally. He pointed that when one looks at a window from 190 feet away, typically one only sees a reflection, not into the interior. The only time one could see inside would be at night and typically the office will be unoccupied during that time. He believed that even though the Heravis' concern appears to be one that needs to be addressed, if you look at the location of the building, the landscaping and the physical reality of what happens with light during the day and evening, the concern has been addressed. Mayor Pico asked about some kind of glass coating that would allow an occupant to look out during the day but not at night. Mr. Bowe said from an engineering perspective, what Mayor Pico proposed was possible, however from a practical point of view, he did not believe the problem needed to be addressed at that level. He was confident the landscaping would take care of the issue. Pleasanton City Council 9 02/20/01 Minutes