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arriving with a plan that would address the needs of the Church and the neighborhood from an <br />impact standpoint, he asked if this would be a process that St. Clare's would be interested in <br />pursuing? <br /> <br /> Reverend Culmer believed that the process St. Clare's followed plus the additional <br />meeting attended by he and Mr. Willmore, addresses the issue as mentioned by Mr. Sullivan. <br />He believed St. Clare's has reached a point of acrimony and did not see how the Church could <br />move forward with its proposed master expansion plan. The other concern is that the longer St. <br />Clare's delays it project, the greater its costs increase which is a concern to the general <br />membership. He believed St. Clare's had worked with the neighborhood and reached in <br />impasse. <br /> <br /> Mayor Hosterman believed there is a perception in the neighborhood that the process <br />has not worked, but also there is a perception in the neighborhood that it is not all St. Clare's, <br />and staff could have done a better job. If Council were able to aid and assist St. Clare's in <br />getting some meaningful dialogue going, would St. Clare's be willing to do so? <br /> <br /> Reverend Culmer implored upon Council to deny the appeal and approve the master <br />expansion plan to allow the expansion of the existing church facility in three phases, and to <br />approve the design review for Phase I construction requiring future design review by the <br />Planning Commission for Phases II and Ill. If Council decided this evening to deny the appeal, <br />he would not need to speak with St. Clare's elders before making a unilateral decision. <br /> <br /> In response to an inquiry by Mr. Thorne, Mr. Mattheis said St. Clare's is on a timeline <br />and set on a schedule that begins construction documents now in order to begin construction in <br />March 2006. He noted that the project has already been delayed four months. <br /> <br /> Steve Yeffa, a Pleasanton resident, spoke in support of the application and noted that he <br />was not a member of St. Clare's. He noted that he was the scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop <br />908, which is sponsored by St. Clare's. The troop, which has 102 members, meets at Hart <br />Middle School instead of its sponsor's location due to lack of space. He urged Council to reject <br />the appeal and vote in support of the congregation, which will have a positive impact on the <br />community. <br /> <br /> Joe Cunningham, member of the Valley Trails Homeowners Association and Pleasanton <br />resident, urged Council to support the appeal. He supported the expansion of the Church but <br />narrowed it down to the parking problem and parking lot location, which would affect the <br />neighboring homes. He believed there were other alternatives to address the expansion of the <br />existing parking lot. <br /> <br /> Patricia Howard, a Pleasanton resident, noted that she has been a member of St. <br />Clare's for several years. She moved to Pleasanton primarily because there was an Episcopal <br />church in Pleasanton. She mentioned that she had attended a number of the neighborhood <br />meetings and seen St. Clare's volunteers work hard to try and come up with a plan that not only <br />addresses the congregation's needs but also addresses the concerns that have been raised. <br />She pointed out that St. Clare's is a growing congregation that wants to make this not only a <br />larger building but also a beautiful building. She urged Council to deny the appeal and approve <br />the master expansion plan so that St. Clare's can plan its progress and move forward for the <br />next 25 years. <br /> <br /> Pleasanton City Council 11 07/19/05 <br /> Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />