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James Paxson, Hacienda Business Owners Association, 4473 Willow Road #105, expressed strong support for the Chamberlin project. He has worked with six to eight applicants prior to Chamberlin regarding this site, none of which ever went forward. He believed the building was outstanding and scored higher than any other that has been proposed. Ms. Ayala believed the owner of Pedro's made a mistake when the building was designed and built it too big for a restaurant. Mr. Paxson said the owner of the property was not the operator of the restaurant. There was a ground lease for all three of the different restaurants that have occupied this space. He agreed there was a mistake with regard to the size. When Pedro's first opened it was very popular, but it was also the only restaurant in north Pleasanton. None of the subsequent restaurant uses were able to be as successful. Ms. Ayala inquired if that was because of the restaurant in that location, or because of the cost of the lease or necessary improvements. Mr. Paxson said it was probably a combination. He said there was a proposal to have two restaurants on the same site, but that proposal was dropped as well. It was uncertain exactly what had deterred the various restaurant owners from using this site, but he did not think it was the design of the building. Most likely it was the size. Ms. McKeehan pointed out that in the Santa Clara area next to Great America and in an office park area is a Pedro's Restaurant with a building the same size as the one in Pleasanton and it has continued to be very successful. Ms. Michelotti referred to the efforts to maintain businesses in Pleasanton. She asked Mr. Paxson if he had seen a lot of companies that are outgrowing existing facilities and looking for expansion or new locations. She asked if there is still a high demand for office space with the current economic situation. Mr. Paxson said yes. There are many success stories in the Business Park. ProBusiness is one example. It started with 12,000 square feet and it now has 200,000 square feet of office space. It is still looking for opportunities to expand. Robert Half is another success story. He said there is still a demand for office space in Hacienda Business Park, from small offices to large operations. Ms. Dennis asked how many restaurants are within a half mile of this site? Mr. Paxson estimated about 64. The two shopping centers at Stoneridge and Hopyard have about 25. North of the site is Faz and there are also restaurants at Owens and Chabot and at Owens and Hopyard, as well as some located in the interior of the Business Park. He also pointed out that within all the larger corporate campuses there are cafeteria operations. Pleasanton City Council 13 04/03/01 Minutes