20 ATTACHMENT 05 - Laserfiche WebLink

Bill Hicks stated that he grew up in the Happy Valley area and has seen a lot of changes during the years, particularly with respect to new buildings and houses. He indicated that he was a plumber by trade and had done a lot of work in the area, including helping Ms. Rocha with upgrades in her house. He noted that if one actually saw the property prior to its purchase by Ms. Rocha, one would realize how much she has done is to improve the site. He stated that Ms. Rocha tried to do as much as possible to be on everyone's side, but there is always conflict with change, and there comes a point when one neighbor will be happy but another will not. Mr. Hicks noted that Ms. Rocha needs the water tank with the way the site is landscaped and that during the summer months, that tank would be drained out and would have to be refilled to provide daily watering to keep the landscaping as it is. He stated that Ms. Rocha got rid of a lot of rubble and things that should have been condemned a long time ago as they were unsafe conditions with rodents and other concerns. He indicated that he did not understand why the location of the tank was a big issue when the pump broke and had to be replaced. He noted that the photos taken of the tank were askewed to show the tank in more detail, but looking straight on, only a little bit of the tank is visible as the garage hides about 90 percent of it. He stated that some thought went into the placement of the tank, and for functionality, Ms. Rocha had followed the experts' recommendation. Ms. Amos clarified that the staff report pictures that taken from the rear neighbor's property were done by staff and that some of the other pictures were provided by the applicant. She noted that the neighbor to the rear of the property did not provide any pictures taken from their property. Frank Ziemer stated that he has lived in the area all his life and noted that Ms. Rocha had worked very hard on her place and made great improvements there. He indicated that the tank does not bother him and his family and that if it were moved back to where the old one was located, it would be more noticeable. He added that he did not notice the tank until somebody pointed it out. He stated that people should get behind Ms. Rocha and help her rather than hinder her. He noted that the Fire Department would be happy to have the tank in place for fire protection as the pressure of the City water line is not that strong. Phillip Segundo stated that his main concenl in this matter is the water tank and the view of the tank from his property. He noted that the tank is about 18 feet high and sits right outside his front door. With respect to the comment about the entry to his house being on one end, he explained that he has two entries to the house and that the side entry is now the front entry. He indicated that the tank is an eyesore that is visible from his home frontage, his rear patio deck, his family room, his kitchen bar, and his front door. He noted that the tank could have been placed anywhere else on the over one-acre property and is visible from Diamond Court because Diamond Court is at a different grade. He added that 70 percent of the tank is visible from Diamond Court regardless of whether the fence at the end of the road is solid or open. Mr. Segundo stated that the size of the tank is an overkill, given the amount of water needed to irrigate the property. He stated that he had no complaints about the property and agreed that it has improved greatly. He noted that he did have conversation with Ms. Rocha regarding the installation of the tank and suggested that she install a smaller unit which would be lower in EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, Apri19, 2008 Page 7 of 15