21 ATTACHMENT 07 - Laserfiche WebLink

Since then the Council has moved onto its general plan update and we know that traffic is not likely to get any better in town. She indicated the city can do a lot by raising the bar in increasing safety and mobility throughout the valley and maintaining the existing quality of life. She said she has concerns about the true economic impact to the local economy and felt it should be addressed. In the Iowa State University Study, she asked if there were models to measure the impact to the local economy and she questioned how difficult this was to achieve. Ms. Wagner said the Iowa study was done for the entire state. We are only looking at the impacts on Pleasanton and once you model the Tri-Valley, Contra Costa and Alameda it becomes more and more difficult to calculate. She indicated she was interested in the site, what it looks like and having the very best development possible. Secondly, she was interested in the positive and negative impacts to the neighborhood and to the entire community. She did not care about Home Depot's business model and if they think the Pleasanton community can support two Home Depots. What if we lost the other Home Depot, she asked if Ms. Wagner would agree that this is a very valuable piece of property and we would likely be able to turn it into another valuable development, and Ms. Wagner said absolutely. She said the location at the 580/680 intersection was in high demand. Mayor Hosterman questioned if it was realistic for the Council to ask for the opportunity to measure economic impact citywide. Could it be done in such a way for the developer to pause and look at this for the city to have a better understanding of how a second Home Depot would affect True Value and other businesses? Ms. Wagner said staff looked at this; the sales tax information the City has access to is confidential so they provided information on a square foot basis. Councilmember Cook-Kallio said she has been incredibly impressed with Regency, Home Depot and neighborhood groups in terms of their attentiveness to this project. It is beyond her to think that if this would be a negative impact to the downtown association they would not have had a representative here. She feels very confident and comfortable with the analysis. She felt a grocery store would actually generate more traffic, but also felt the development was one of an economic balance because while the project will create traffic, it will also reduce some trips across town. She felt the conditional use permit was strongly worded and the Council will have to enforce it. The developer is being asked to jump through a significant number of hoops and they have shown good faith. She recognized the number of hours the neighborhood has put into the project and felt it was all about balance. She supported the project. Councilmember McGovern said she wants the Valley Avenue neighborhood to know that the Council is listening to their concerns regarding safety, traffic, sound attenuation, sound walls, painting, and landscaping. She hoped Regency will look at tenants like bookstores, cleaners, a good restaurant or things that people need in order to not have to travel so far. She said she was not concerned about box stores in Pleasanton because there are many that are not. She asked if Kollen Hardware was affected by Home Depot. City Manager Fialho advised that the owner sold the property and that when the property was sold the new owner wanted to renovate the property and rents were raised. This resulted in the closure of the store. Councilmember McGovern felt the project was a good one, believed the developer has bent over backwards to work with the city and community. The project is subject to many special conditions, if the CUP needs to be pulled, it will be because it is the Council's way of saying live up to the conditions of approval. City Council Minutes 15 May 15, 2007