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Rodger Rager expressed concern about traffic and wished to emphasize that no one had told him to make that statement. He had worked with Traffic Engineer Mike Tassano on this issue for four months and noted that this was not a truck route. He noted that the heavy trucks for the project being built across the street from the rodeo were a problem. He added that he had attended the community meeting hosted by M.T.O. and had found them very friendly. He was not questioning their character and was only concerned about the traffic problem. Mazy Sehrgosha spoke in support of this project. He had been a resident of Pleasanton for ten years and has two children in local schools; he appreciated the emphasis on family values in his hometown. He appreciated the compliments given by the neighbors and agreed that traffic was a critical issue and safety was their primary concern as well. He believed that taking Pleasanton to what he considered to be the next level of family and spiritual values was very important to him and the members. He that traffic was a critical issue and believed this project would bring Pleasanton from a great town to an excellent town. Soosan Mahjorinad spoke in support of this project. As a member of the congregation, she has learned about self-awareness from the classes and hoped other members of the community could benefit as well. She believed the beautiful building could benefit the neighbors and the City as a whole, increasing the value of the surrounding areas. Shaida Zehnam, M.D. spoke in support of this project. She noted that she was a family physician in town and served the underprivileged families in the area. She had attended the M.T.O. meditation and exercise classes, which helped her cope with the stress of her job, which, in turn, benefited the wellness of her patients. With her busy schedule, she would be able to attend more classes if the center were to be located in Pleasanton. Jeanne Maltby noted that she was a Pleasanton resident and that her son just graduated from Foothill High School. She did not have any additional comments and was undecided regarding this project. Elaine Scagliotti noted that a friend of hers attended the Pleasant Hill center and had invited her to attend a presentation at her home; she found the practices to be beautiful. She indicated that she understood the concerns over the traffic but noted that there was traffic everywhere; additionally, she did not believe this facility would have a traffic impact during peak hours. She looked forward to participating to learn to meditate and believed it would be a positive addition to Pleasanton. Carla DeTevis noted that while the applicant stated they reached out to the community, no one in her development had heard of the proposed project before the City had notified them. She was very concerned about the proposed traffic impacts in addition to the BART traffic. She noted that their clubhouse could accommodate parking for 31 people, and when she held a party, their parking overflowed to Dublin Canyon Road because the clubhouse was at the end of the road. She was concerned that the addition of this center’s events to the rodeo, three other churches on the road, and a new storage facility would PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES August 8, 2007 Page 9 of 24