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Mr. Duggan has been required to do the same things over and over again and conditions have <br />been imposed to make certain he does things in a reasonable time frame. Each time he has <br />missed those time frames. The neighbors keep showing up for these meetings and Mr. Duggan <br />never does. Mr. MacDonald said if Mr. Duggan had been there, he would like to apologize to <br />the neighbors. Mr. Kennedy said that was laughable. He has lived in the neighborhood for five <br />years and on many occasions Mr. Duggan has passed by with no response to him. Many <br />neighbors have attempted talking to Mr. Duggan and he has closed the door on them. He has <br />made no attempt to communicate with the neighbors. There have been several statements that <br />Mr. Duggan felt if he built the porch it would interfere with his plans to build a larger porch in <br />the future. Any cost associated with building the porch or having to redo anything is entirely his <br />own fault because he did not obtain permits to start the work in the first place. He believed the <br />cost of adding a porch, fixing the stucco, and generally cleaning up the house and landscaping is <br />probably less than Mr. Duggan paid for his counsel to come to this meeting. Instead of asking <br />Mr. Duggan to do these things as part of the condition for approval, Mr. Kennedy preferred that <br />Mr. Duggan be required to finish the items in the December 7, 2001 letter before he gets <br />approval for the additions. He just has to build the porch and do a little general painting and <br />landscaping. If that were to happen, all the neighbors would be happy to see the addition. They <br />have no objection to the size. It is just the fact that it has taken him seventeen years to get this <br />far. He suggested Council make a motion that Mr. Duggan must meet the conditions of the 2001 <br />letter before he gets any approval to move forward. <br /> <br /> Ms. Ayala expressed the concern of the Council and felt it would be helpful for speakers <br />to suggest specific conditions. For instance, can Council require him to hire a contractor? <br /> <br /> Ms. McKeehan said it is legal, but it would not mean anything. She pointed out that if <br />work is done without a building permit and the City discovers this, the property owner is <br />required to pay a much higher fee to get the permit. That is the only penalty she is aware of. <br /> <br /> Mr. Kennedy urged Council to deny the application until certain conditions are met. If <br />Mr. Duggan has money to spend on the house, why not spend a little up front to make it <br />presentable to the neighborhood. He was not suggesting a massive amount of work, but felt most <br />of this could be accomplished relatively cheaply. <br /> <br /> John Mannion, 3570 Kings Canyon Court, said that in 1998 there were no windows in the <br />Duggan house for about six months. He called code enforcement in January 1998 and it is very <br />difficult to get anyone to do anything. The neighbors have used every channel and have been <br />very patient. They have attended every meeting they have been asked to attend. He asked <br />Council to deny the request and require Mr. Duggan to do what is stated in the December 7, 2001 <br />letter. Ms. Ayala asked about conditions. There have been four meetings at which Mr. Duggan <br />has been given conditions and he has not met them. Mr. MacDonald said a person should be <br />able to improve their home. Mr. Duggan was given permission by the City to do this and he let it <br />lapse. There have been references in the staff report about making some progress or finishing in <br />a timely manner and allowing another six months to do something. Mr. Mannion was not <br />comfortable that. Nothing has led him to believe that will actually happen. Actions speak louder <br />than words and what Mr. Duggan has not done speaks louder than what Mr. MacDonald can <br />present in a few minutes at this meeting. There is a lot of pride of ownership in the <br /> <br />Pleasanton City Council 33 03/18/03 <br />Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />