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Ms. Hosterman noted that this was her first opportunity to support a new <br />development of this size and scale in the community. She was concerned that some of <br />the more recent buildings were less than what she would have liked to have seen. It <br />appeared to her that this building could be aesthetically pleasing, but it will depend on <br />how the building is actually built out. If Council decided to approve this project, she <br />asked if there would be a fight review process? She was looking for a Stanford Shopping <br />Center rather than a Sun Valley Mall. She asked staffifit believed this project would fit <br />nicely within the rest of the downtown and be an addition aesthetically? <br /> <br /> Mr. Swift said that staffbelieves this will be an aesthetically pleasing building <br />when it is constructed. Staff was concerned about the Spanish Colonial style architecture <br />that is shown as the general design concept. Staffhas included a list of requirements for <br />this building, which address many details. The City's peer reviewing architect has <br />looked at the building and has made suggestions along those same lines, which have been <br />incorporated into the design of the plans. Therefore, staff is very comfortable that the <br />building itself will include all of the elements, from the wrought iron gates and grill work <br />to the exposed wood timbers, the type of stucco, the type of tile roof, and the deep <br />recesses of the windows, all of which are specified in the conditions. From an <br />architectural standpoint, this site is very difficult because it is in a location where there is <br />a mixture of buildings. As the building faces Ray Street, there are two ends, which will <br />almost appear as if there are two small buildings. He noted that the courtyard sits <br />between the buildings and although they are linked together, it will probably look more <br />like two separate one-story buildings rather than one massive building. <br /> <br /> Ms. Hosterman wanted to hear from other councilmembers as to how they felt <br />about the second story change. She recognized that high density in the Downtown is a <br />goal that benefits the health of the downtown, but at the same time, she wanted to be sure <br />that Council is protecting the integrity of the surrounding neighborhoods. She noted that <br />there are several places in the staffreport that state that the neighborhood has seen the <br />same square footage that is being proposed, and in other places in the staffreport it <br />indicated that the neighbors have seen a design, which is substantially similar to what is <br />being considered. She wanted the neighbors to be given the opportunity to see what the <br />building will look like to avoid any surpr/ses that might occur after the fact. She asked <br />staff if it could assure her that the neighbors would be shown the same design plans for <br />the office building that Council had been shown this evening? <br /> <br /> Mr. Swift was not sure what designs the neighbors had seen, but noted that the <br />applicant has taken a number of plans to the neighbors. The plans have evolved from the <br />time they were shown at the neighborhood meeting that staff attended, which was in <br />September of 2003. He noted that the building is slightly different now but has the same <br />square footage. The height has evolved from the first drawing to a taller building, which <br />is a result of where the heating and air conditioning equipment is placed. The neighbors <br />did not want it placed on the roof. He noted that this project has not yet gone through the <br />building plan check process, and usually in this process, a building will change slightly. <br />The neighbors would need to continue to attend the Planning Commission and or City <br />Council meetings to see the plans as they are finally approved, and review the conditions <br /> <br />Pleasanton City Council 11 02/17/04 <br />Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />