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Dawn Brum expressed concern about this project and did not believe that sufficient study of the traffic had been performed. She noted that they called the blind curve Dead Man’s Curve and that an accident on I-580 backed traffic up onto Dublin Canyon Road. She did not understand the logic about the number of parking spaces and inquired where class attendees would park upon buildout. She was very concerned about the safety of the many children in the neighborhood. She noted that during the rodeo, attendees parked on their road. She inquired about the church’s plan to grow and expand, and where the attendees would park at that time. She was concerned that the applicant may wish to buy the residents out at some future time to gain additional land. She noted that the rural aesthetics and character of Dublin Canyon Road were important to her, and she believed such a large building would change the aesthetics. She noted that the church and kingdom hall on Dublin Canyon Road were screened by trees and was concerned that the large dome would not blend with the existing character of the neighborhood. Chairperson Fox noted that many people raised their hands in agreement to Ms. Brum’s statement. Commissioner O’Connor wished to clarify that there will be 84 parking spaces, not 60, at buildout. Paolo DiCandia spoke in support of this project. He believed this building was beautiful and would be an improvement to the community. He noted the fatal accident was due to a drunk driver doing 85 mph on the road. He believed that while the traffic was bad, it was not an issue with respect to this project. Steve Gauthier noted that many people had expressed his concerns about traffic and parking. He was concerned about the effects on the creek and inquired whether the existing crossing would be improved. He inquired about the membership numbers and was concerned that because most churches tend to expand with time; 250 people within the first year may expand within a few more years. While the parking was sufficient at this time, he did not know whether it would continue to be sufficient. He believed an authorized traffic study should be done and that an EIR should be done on the creek. Steve Mayo agreed with the concerns about the creek and the traffic. He was concerned that large get-togethers would lead to their children going over to the private park, which he did not believe was that safe. He noted that he had almost been hit on the road by a car that had come speeding around the corner and passed him. He indicated that traffic problems exist in the morning and evening and strongly urged a traffic study regardless of whatever would be built. He stated that he had no problem with Sufism or any other religion and took issue with Mr. MacDonald’s statement which intimated that racial discrimination existed if any comments about traffic were made. He stated that traffic was a problem and was not sure that 84 spaces would be sufficient upon buildout. Jennifer Miller spoke in opposition to this project. She noted that she was a civil engineer and that she lived on the retaining wall side. She noted that it took every penny they made to buy a house in Pleasanton, which she considered to be a great community PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES August 8, 2007 Page 11 of 24