Laserfiche WebLink
when he got a copy of the EIR that stated an EVA was on his property. He came to the Planning <br />Commission, there was no agreement on his part to have this on his property, people discussed <br />eminent domain, they indicated they would use the existing city easement which he pointed out <br />on the map and although it was too steep at 20 feet, the rules had been changed from 15 to 20 <br />feet to address this. He felt the process was very difficult for him, but the City Manager was <br />willing to have continued dialogue with him. He said the EVA issue has been resolved and it is <br />to be used for fire vehicles only. It will be gated and fenced to prevent vehicles from coming <br />back out that way, it is not paved and will be landscaped to make it unappealing for any vehicles <br />to exit, and this addresses issues on Grave Court which are way too narrow to have fire trucks <br />and hundreds of cars streaming down through his property in the case of an emergency. He <br />said the EIR talks about the distance from trees and shrubs from the roof, fence and windows <br />as two times the plant height. If one follows that rule, none of the trees would be able to exist <br />because they violate this and there were a lot more than 57 trees that would be removed. <br />Regarding height, structures are allowed to be 44 feet tall in this proposal and this is different <br />than any other house in Pleasanton. All others are allowed to be 30 feet, which is very different. <br />Regarding screening, a tree must be 60 feet away, it is down slope and the best it can screen is <br />the very bottom of the house. <br />Mike Brown said he lives in the last house on the left at the Hearst Drive cul-de-sac, he <br />reviewed the grading plan which he felt was deceptive, he walked the lot himself and even with <br />the new Lot 2 being removed the development will severely impact the beautiful ridgeline he has <br />behind his house. He was told the ridgeline was sacred and that no one would ever be able to <br />build on it. Lot 2 is actually about 40 degrees from his deck, it is a significant impact on the <br />ridgeline and he asked for consideration to have this moved somewhere else. Regarding one- <br />way in and one-way out access road, he referred to the small fire last year where many people <br />from all over drove up Hearst Drive to find out what was going on. He said driveways 10 houses <br />down from the cul-de-sac were blocked by people who didn't even live in the neighborhood, he <br />felt there would definitely be a fire in the future, having one way in and out would create a huge <br />danger to those who live there and asked for a second access road out of the development <br />other than Hearst Drive. <br />Deborah Wahl said her comments are from a trails perspective, Oak Grove will result in 497 <br />acres of open space that will be trail-accessible, a trail staging area will be provided as well as <br />trails, it will provide spectacular views, it will be able to link this space with the planned regional <br />trail to Veneer Avenue and the existing Shadow Cliff Park. Oak Grove is a unique land grant, <br />she noted that open space costs money, she believes the compromise meets open space, trails <br />and development concerns, that over 71.5% of residents polled supported the development, <br />and she asked for its approval. <br />Lou Astbury opposed to the project in its current form, said the Kottinger Ranch HOA Board has <br />never taken a vote for or against the project, they have been depicted of a small splinter group <br />of potential tree sitters on a Don Quixote quest; however, as an idealist he agrees with <br />Councilmember McGovern that the southeast hills ridge land area should be treated the same <br />as the Pleasanton Ridge. Measure F restricted where development could occur on the ridge. <br />We need to have the same safeguards for all of the Pleasanton ridges including the southeast <br />hills and felt they were too important for the community and future generations. He echoed Allen <br />Roberts' comments about visual impacts, felt the presentations made tonight of the homes <br />reflected a likely size, but he wanted to see their actual potential size rather than a likely size. <br />He voiced concerns regarding public safety and echoed Megan Williams' comments. He felt the <br />staging area and trails should be within a 5-minute fire response time, said the General Plan <br />Program 22 requires developers to pay for the police safety improvements required of new <br />developments and this development should require additional police enforcement to secure the <br />area due to future nuisances. He felt there was also a community character element that needs <br />City Council Minutes 13 October 2, 2007 <br />