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Mark Smead, 862 Gray Fox Circle, noted that the pictures in the presentation were taken from his backyard and expressed concern about the visual impact of the project. His immediate concern was that he did not want a two-story house replacing the current one-story house and added that he also did not want a large structure on top of the hill looking into his yard. He was not yet convinced that a one-story solution would work. He noted that the roof pitch was not as important to him as the lowered grade. He thanked the applicant for the number of trees he would be planting and favored evergreens and fast-growing trees. He expressed concern about any changes in the mitigation measures if the property were sold to another owner. He would like a condition added to ensure the maintenance of the trees as well as moving the structure five feet to the north. He agreed with the change in color as noted in the staff report. Frank Jardin, 751 Clara Lane, recalled the background of the neighbors’ involvement with the Delco Builders project and the extension of Clara Lane. He expressed concern about the loss of frontage he would experience by the building of two retaining walls and was very concerned about the impact on the front of his property. He was very concerned about the seeming lack of candor on the part of Delco Builders. He did not want road improvements on his property and would like it to be moved. He expressed concern about the impact on his property value and demonstrated the location of his home on the overhead map. He noted that if he had anticipated the current events, he would not have agreed to the changes. Bruce Torquemada, 3071 Alburni Court, expressed support for this project. He believed that the applicant had followed all the rules and did everything the Planning Commission had requested. He asked when looking at an attractive home became a negative occurrence. He noted that slight changes in design may be desirable to make them appear more custom-made, but he did not have a problem with being able to see another home. He believed this will be a good project. Mr. Aminian thanked the speakers for their input and summarized the background of this project, especially regarding the road-related and easements granted to deed to the City. With respect to Mr. Nespor’s comments regarding the extension of Clara Lane, he indicated that he would have his engineer contact him and ensure that there was minimal disruption from the construction. He added that their contractor was bonded and insured and that they had no intention to disrupt the neighbors’ lives. He noted that the olive trees and pepper trees in the backyard should be fast-growing. He did not believe a one-story home would help the neighbor, but that they were willing to take two feet off the top and push the home north to the hillside in order to make the lot more workable. The pitch and height of the roof would also be reduced; he believed it would look very attractive. He was also considering putting more trees on all the properties. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED. In response to an inquiry by Chairperson Fox regarding staff’s position on Clara Lane, Mr. Iserson replied that the Clara Lane extension was shown on the Vineyard Corridor Specific Plan and that it was delineated to come up from Vineyard Avenue, curve around, PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES January 10, 2007 Page 6 of 27