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neighbors to the rear would be utilizing, the tank would have to be moved anywhere between 20 and 30 feet to be fully screened. Commissioner Narum inquired if the 30-foot rear yard setback of the new water tank presented in the chart on page 5 of the staff report was an actual measurement or an estimate. Ms. Amos replied that this was measured. Commissioner O'Connor noted that the staff report states that the fence at the end of Diamond Court was changed. He inquired if it was originally a solid fence. Ms. Amos replied that from her conversation with the property owners at 455 Sycamore Road, the property owners had removed the fencing and landscaping along that area to open up the area for those living on Diamond Court to provide a greater sense of openness in that area. She added that she was not sure if the fence was originally solid and that the owner were present and could provided that answer. Chair Blank indicated that he wanted to make sure that he had the right chronology and inquired if staff had the date when the poly tank was put in and if this occurred before the a conditional use permit application was filed. Ms. Amos replied that staff did not have a date on when the new tank was put in but that it occurred before the conditional use permit application was submitted. She explained that after the applicant had installed the poly water tank, Code Enforcement was contacted regarding the installation and relocation of the new tank. She noted that the Code Enforcement action provided the applicant with the two options of either putting the same kind of tank back in the same location or applying for a conditional use permit. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Janny Rocha, applicant, indicated that she would answer some of the questions that had been raised before presenting her comments. She stated that the capacity of the old tank was about 10,000 gallons and that while the estimates she received from the well companies indicated that it would take 10,000 gallons to irrigate her property, she only replaced it with a 5,000-gallon tank. She noted that the new tank is actually smaller, shorter in height, and not as wide in diameter as the old tank because it is only half in size. With respect to the question regarding the fence at the end of Diamond Court, Ms. Rocha stated that it was a solid fence and that there was vegetation in the area as well. She noted that from her bathroom window, she could see the neighbor in the driveway of that court, whereas she was not able to see them before the fence was removed. Ms. Rocha then stated that as an architectural student at Berkeley, she learned that design is not arbitrary and that form follows function. She pointed out that the old water storage tank was a good example of this principle. She stated that the function of the tank is to store water and that it should logically be close to the source. She noted that she could have replaced the old tank in the same location and would not have needed a conditional use permit; however, it did not make sense to go through the expense of installing a new tank and pump without considering the issue of efficiency. She indicated that the old set up was not working, and she did not want to make the same mistake. EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, Apri19, 2008 Page 3 of 15