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He expressed concern that if Safeway would not be able to have the fuel station, they may not locate in the project. He indicated that he did not want to condition the project in such a way that it would not pay for Safeway to do the project. Mr. Trobbe noted that the staff report was explicit that staff did not want to have a fuel station in the project; the fuel station would be an important and critical piece of the Safeway lifestyle center. Commissioner Olson asked about the typical traffic pattern in the Safeway area, whether it be a shopper using the store or a car exiting the freeway to buy fuel. He wanted to ensure that the flow of traffic would be considered. He believed the retail would pull pedestrian traffic from the immediate housing area, which would be a positive aspect of the project. Commissioner Pearce inquired about the nature of a lifestyle store. Mr. Trobbe replied that the lifestyle concept was a result of the changing, more active consumer who would want to buy more healthful prepared meals; the first grocer to grasp that concept was Whole Foods. Safeway intended to provide a similar shopping experience, including walk-in wine rooms, bread hearth, pizza ovens, and fresh entrees; he noted that the Livermore store was a good example of this kind of store. He noted that this store would be unique as Safeway's flagship store; they would have the space to roll out different concepts that would not be possible in other stores. He added that there would be components similar to other lifestyle stores. Commissioner Fox noted the master site plan and the retail tenant list and inquired what pedestrian path would be taken from Valley Avenue to the retail tenant. She pointed out what appeared to be the end of the path. Mr. Rodriguez pointed out the pedestrian path on the overhead screen and described the route. He noted that they had worked closely with staff and Larry Cannon to enhance the pedestrian walkways and connections. Commissioner Fox noted that the prof ect looked close to I-680 and inquired what would happen if CalTrans added lanes to I-680. She inquired what the distance was to the I-680 right-of--way. Mr. Rodriguez replied that he would have to look at the dimension site plan and noted that there was a large landscape buffer all along the entire I-680 area, which met the setbacks for the site. He noted that a ring road connected the parking elements; Safeway would have an additiona125 feet of landscape. He noted that the off-ramp was already improved and that there were no plans to widen it. He noted that the landscape setbacks would be similar. Commissioner Fox inquired whether the blue notation between the buildings was a water feature. Mr. Rodriguez replied that it was a large two-story glass connection which would enable people to see through the entire building to the open space. In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Fox regarding whether water features would be included in the pedestrian area, Mr. Rodriguez replied they planned to include water features. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, May 28, 2008 Page 7 of 17