Laserfiche WebLink
Commissioner Pearce inquired how the dual goals of being environmentally sensitive and <br />topographically appropriate would be achieved by or would relate to Lot 51. <br />Mr. Inderbitzen replied that Lot 51 was a large fill area, which was an opportunity to get <br />off the ridgeline but was also environmentally sensitive. They utilize that lot as an <br />opportunity to utilize the last area that was being filled. <br /> <br />Ed Janas, 14 Grey Eagle Court, noted that his home backed up to a direct view of Oak <br />Grove. He noted that some of his concerns had already been investigated. He added that <br />the Grey Eagle Estates CC&Rs, as approved in the early 1980s, did not prohibit parking <br />on Grey Eagle Court, but they did limit the duration that cars may be parked on the street. <br />He believed the 51 homes, open space, and hiking trails comprised a wonderful project, <br />but that he and the Grey Eagle Estates HOA had some concerns. He noted that he would <br />not be addressing these concerns had the process worked as he expected; he had read in <br />the newspaper that it would be a model of the cooperative process. He noted that the <br />Kottinger Ranch residents had experienced a great deal of cooperative spirit, but he had <br />not experienced that with respect to the Grey Eagle residents. He noted that they felt <br />compelled to force the issue when they became aware of the entry into Grey Eagle <br />Estates. He noted that their issue was not that of access, but rather, of liability, feasibility <br />and public safety. He noted that Mr. Roush had commented that the residents would <br />potentially be indemnified in some way with respect to liability. He noted that legal <br />counsel had informed the HOA and residents that indemnification may not protect the <br />Grey Eagle Estates HOA and the individual property owners from having significant <br />legal expenditures. He noted that about six weeks prior to this hearing, a representative <br />of the Grey Eagle Estates HOA met with the City of Pleasanton Fire Marshall, who had <br />indicated that Grey Eagle Court was not the primary choice for an EVA. <br /> <br />Mr. Janas noted that he had spoken to the Fire Marshall’s office earlier in the week, and <br />the staff indicated to him that the current Uniform Fire Code that allowed local, City, and <br />fire officials to waive Code requirement was about to be affected significantly with the <br />adoption of portions of the 2006 Uniform Fire Code. The new Code would severely <br />restrict deviations or waivers by local officials, which he understood happened because <br />the State had concerns that there were numerous instances where local officials were <br />making Code waiver decisions due to political pressure or tax revenue considerations. As <br />a result of that meeting, the homeowners had legal counsel spend some time with them <br />over the past several days. He submitted the analysis by the legal counsel after that <br />discussion about those affected changes that should be in place by the beginning of 2008 <br />and what their view was of the impact to the current proposal of the EVA. He recalled a <br />personal experience when he lived on a private street in Atlanta, where a moving truck <br />parked overnight by a neighbor, blocked emergency vehicles responding to a fire and <br />trying to access the EVA. The Fire Department tried to move the van, which jackknifed <br />and blocked the road. The fire truck and van were both damaged, and the two homes <br />were virtually burned to the ground, resulting in two deaths. Their HOA and numerous <br />homeowners suffered hundreds of thousands of legal expenses in liability resulting from <br />that incident. He was concerned that the same problems would be created for the <br />residents of Grey Eagle Court. <br /> <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES June 13, 2007 Page 20 of 29 <br /> <br /> <br />