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surrounding homes and she and other neighbors will have to look at two-story windows in her <br />backyard. The view of the dwellings to the west of the Kottinger Park property has a large <br />driveway between it so there is no privacy impact, but there are many property owners who <br />have spent a lot of time and money restoring their homes and their backyards and privacy are <br />important. <br />John Weir said his home has a direct line of sight to the project, he asked if a study has been <br />done as to what the need will be in Pleasanton for the next 5-20 years for seniors. He said if <br />Pleasanton Gardens is improved, there will be an increase of 60 units and he questioned how <br />that addresses the City's need. He said seniors are the best neighbors one could have, but the <br />change between what they have now and what is being proposed is dramatic. The neighbors <br />were not able to discuss the plans, but were simply told what would happen, and no one <br />followed up with their questions. <br />Becky Dennis, Vice Chair of the Task Force and Board Member for Pleasanton Gardens, said <br />both bodies have worked diligently on the conceptual plan, much has been considered to <br />ensure quality of life and protection of seniors while minimizing the impact on the neighborhood <br />and balancing those two things is not easy. She asked for the Council to approve funding, said it <br />would be expensive to bring the existing buildings up to standards, and because Pleasanton <br />Gardens' mortgage will soon be paid off, their contract with HUD will be over, and they will not <br />be able to provide the level of affordability any longer that they currently provide. So, the <br />housing will have a chance in its financial dynamics and in order to preserve that they can take <br />the entitlements residents currently receive and combine them with what is available through <br />Kottinger Place's residents, which can support a redevelopment project. She discussed the <br />decision-making process and assets, given each step they take to further their mission and said <br />they truly want to partner with the City. <br />Kenneth Jones, Christian Church Homes, said their firm exclusively handles very affordable <br />housing for lower income seniors and this was why their firm was chosen. Their goal is to serve <br />the goals, aspiration, values and desires of the community and this drives the pro forma and he <br />would argue that the quality of living will actually improve through newer, more functional, better <br />design, better safety and improved services than what currently exists. Also, housing projects <br />are suffering from reduced contributions from the federal government and eventually, the City <br />will need to decide how they are going to treat that asset. <br />Mayor Hosterman closed public comment. <br />Councilmember Sullivan questioned if a survey has been conducted and how did the City end <br />up with the 150 unit number. Mr. Bocian said a survey of need has not been conducted, but the <br />Task Force has discussed the needs they currently see with operators of many senior projects <br />in town and clearly there is a pent up demand for senior housing. The 150 unit is a mix of many <br />things; primarily, does a development fit on a site appropriately and also funding options for a <br />development of that size. They can look at a reduced number of units to see what the impact of <br />that is, as well. <br />Mayor Hosterman confirmed with Mr. Bocian that he could return with two or three options the <br />Council could look at if it were to support staffs recommendation to approve the recommended <br />conceptual site plan and the amendment to the professional service agreement for additional <br />architectural design and administrative services. <br />