20 ATTACHMENT 05 - Laserfiche WebLink

Chair Blank stated that the applicant is proposing to install a wall on one side to screen the tank. Commissioner Fox stated that she would like the tank screened from Diamond Court as well. Chair Blank stated that he did not think it was the applicant's fault that the Diamond Court fence was replaced and that he felt that requiring the applicant to screen the tank from Diamond Court is equivalent to punishing the applicant because somebody replaced the solid fence with an open fence. Commissioner Fox stated that if the Commission were considering this use permit without any work having been done previously as in the case of the sprung structure for the Presbyterian Church on Valley Avenue and Busch Road, the Commission would have considered the property placement to make sure it was properly screened and was right in the neighborhood rather than looking out someone's door. Chair Blank stated that this site is zoned agriculture and would have a different standard than the environment of the sprung structure which is surrounded by houses and people. Chair Fox noted that there have been other agriculturally zoned properties such as the St. Elizabeth Seton Church where the Commission ensured that the location of the heating and air-conditioning units for the expansion were away from the neighbors. Chair Blank noted that the site in question is and open agriculture, unlike that of the St. Elizabeth Seton Church property. Commissioner Narum stated that she did not support installing any structure around the tank and that if the Commission wanted the applicant to do that, the structure should look like a barn to keep in line so it blends with the agricultural character of the site. Chair Blank noted that planting bushes and painting the tank would blend in with agriculture. Commissioner Narum stated that she did not want to make the determination of what color would blend in with the site because a color that might blend in her opinion may not appear to be so to someone else. She recalled that for the Sarich property, the Commission went through visual analysis and planting bushes on-site. She suggested that 25-gallon bushes on the back side might screen the tank, including the view from Diamond Court. She added that with respect to screening from Diamond Court, she did not think the applicant should be punished for something over which she had no control. She reiterated that she would not support building a structure around the tank unless it looked like a barn. Chair Blank inquired if the color of the paint could be left to the discretion of the Director of Planning and Community Development. Ms. Decker noted that the typical colors of City tanks that have gone up include Pleasanton green, which is more or less the same color as the tank; beige, which is meant to fade into the beige landscape when summertime comes; and a lighter sage color that fades off like the tank on Bonde Ranch. She noted that staff has had discussions with respect to brown colors, and those EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, Apri19, 2008 Page 13 of 15