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was approved by the County over the objection of the residents. A petition with over 200 signatures had been presented to the County and was ignored. He said the original schedule did not create too much havoc in Sunol. However, with no notification that schedule was modified several times. The PLA added the weekend wildflower trains in April, additional train days on Sundays, the Polar Express in December, first Wednesdays for school children, business clubs/organizations, group charters, Saturday PLA events, special events and weddings, two additional Saturdays a month, etc. He demonstrated this increase by showing a calendar with red marks for train days. It has gotten to a point where there are major problems with congestion, noise, safety issues, and fumes. This is unbearable to the residents. The County has not acknowledged the complaints of the residents. Town meetings have been held and County representatives invited along with PLA members. He said the response has been dismal. He felt Pleasanton's biggest problems will be traffic, congestion and issues of safety. He believed the biggest problem with the PLA is its desire to expand ridership and denial of associated problems. Robert Cordtz supported the train. He felt the Downtown Specific Plan was flawed. The train recommendation was made with an incomplete study. No other excursion train operators were contacted to determine key elements of success or problems. Consideration should be postponed until all the relevant facts are determined. He objected to the composition of the Specific Plan Committee and said he was the only residential representative. He presented a flyer that was distributed at the Farmers Market and objected to it because it was not signed. He disputed its contents. Larry Dom, 5150 Case Avenue, indicated he supported the train. He believed that the senior residents at Ridge View Commons were being used to sway the Council's decision. He noted that there was no opposition from the apartment complexes on either side of Ridge View. He urged Council to approve the Specific Plan and include bringing the train back to Pleasanton. Jim Hoge, 739 G Main Street, indicated he was on the Downtown Specific Plan Committee and on the Parks and Trails Task Force. He commended the chairs of the two organizations for a commendable job. He has spent four years on these committees and commended the City staff members for their support. He indicated the Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA) supports the plan with three exceptions. The first two concern the Main Street gateway and the Niles Canyon train. The PDA is taking no definite position on these issues, but would like them to remain open for further study. He felt this study period would not delay implementation of the balance of the Specific Plan. The third exception concerns the land use designation for the east side of Peters Avenue. The current designation is office, which prohibits a retail use. The PDA believes that designation should be changed to commercial, which would allow retail and office uses. He felt the downtown planning process was a milestone and many people have worked hard for four years. More work is needed to turn the vision into a reality. The PDA looks forward to working with the City and other interested parties to help create the downtown of 2012, which the plan envisions. The PDA has identified seven priority items from the draft Specific Plan and has assigned them to four operating committees for action: Economic Restructuring; Design and Beautification; Promotions; and Marketing Committees. He encouraged anyone with an interest in downtown to volunteer for the PDA committees and gave the address and phone number of the PDA. Pleasanton City Council 12 03/05/02 Minutes