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to small businesses. So, he felt they were looking at a best case of a worst case scenario with <br />the PRC study. <br />Councilmember Sullivan said most important is the overwhelming public opposition to the <br />project. There has not been this much objection for a long while, said a previous Council <br />approved California Splash which was heavily opposed and he hoped the current Council would <br />not make that same mistake with this project. When he first met with Regency, he told them that <br />the only way he could support the project is if they got community support, which has not <br />occurred, felt the project did not make sense for the location, for traffic and business reasons, <br />for the local economy, and he felt the Council should take a step back and look at the site given <br />the Eastside Study, the circulation element and look at how they all fit together. To significantly <br />downsize a project there will most likely not work for the developer and the Council needs to <br />take a step back and consider options for the next meeting. He acknowledged people in that <br />area want services and retail and this should be done. The old shopping center, Vintage Hills, is <br />pretty much abandoned, we talked a long time about what would work there, we talked to <br />grocery stores, but as he looks at the site there are high density apartment buildings, and <br />resident on the other side. He felt the City should talk to something that is a walk able <br />neighborhood center with a mixed use project. <br />Councilmember Cook-Kallio said she read all of the information and data, thinks it was good to <br />take a pause, said she struggled a lot in voting for it and her concern was Home Depot, but <br />what tipped the balance was the truck issue down First Street. She said she was so focused on <br />what was going to be done with Valley and Stanley that she missed the point at the last <br />meeting. She noted that the trucks are bad down Valley and horrible down First Street and the <br />fact that the Council would condition it, enforcing it would be impossible. She appreciated the <br />personal comments of everyone, said the Council struggles with projects and how they affect <br />the entire City, they try and balance things constantly, and how numbers are interpreted is <br />manipulated at times. She looks forward to the circulation discussion and said the Council will <br />have to make some immediate decisions about circulation. She is increasingly convinced that it <br />is irresponsible for the Council not to have the County pay for the extension and said it will not <br />solve everything but will help the situation. <br />She said she would like to see some retail on the site, said the developer has been very <br />cooperative throughout the process, she would like some attention to be paid for the developer <br />to look to locate local businesses rather than chains and thinks whatever is there to have value <br />for the entire community. While there have been many contentious issues lately, she reiterated <br />how appreciative she is with the respectful nature she has been approached as it makes it easy <br />for her to listen and also realize she is struggling with the issue and making her decision based <br />on evidence. <br />Councilmember McGovern said each time the Council has such discussions, it brings up <br />additional concerns about other problems in Pleasanton. She asked Mr. Tassano today if a <br />study was ever done about what traffic would look like if Pleasanton did not build another thing <br />tomorrow, ever. Right around us, so much growth is occurring, Livermore is about to meet <br />Pleasanton at EI Charro, Dublin is developing its side of the freeway, and she felt the City <br />needed to get into perspective of just what we are going to be looking at in the future and how <br />much development will affect the community even if we do not build. Each time Stoneridge is <br />discussed, she remembers a 2030 build out and if you were to Stoneridge today with I-580 and <br />Route 84 not improved, you could create traffic coming into Pleasanton because drivers want to <br />get off in Pleasanton from freeways that do not move. If this comes on to Stoneridge, it will also <br />come to Valley. <br />City Council Minutes 14 December 4, 2007 <br />