CCMIN101999 - Laserfiche WebLink

Susan Home, 2569 Wilde Avenue, referred to earlier remarks about the Juvenile Hall on the Staples Ranch property. She contacted Alameda County and was told not to worry about that. She stated a prior proposal for a sports park would have been under the flight path for the Livermore Airport and children should not play in that location. Homes are prohibited from being built there due to adverse health and safety issues and the rest of Pleasanton should be aware of that. Carole Varela related the contributions to the community of the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club, but felt they should not be involved in politics. At the last Chamber meeting there were ten anti-CAPP speakers and none in favor. She believed there should have been a balanced presentation. She expressed her confusion about the statements of Ms. Yarbrough. She then referred to the statements of Mr. MacDonald and said last year there has been a 46% increase in the cost of housing in Pleasanton. CAPP supporters are concerned about children too. She then stated she had been driving on freeways lately and the smog is horrendous. What will happen in twenty years? Yes on D is for slower growth; not no growth. We have people at the Farmers Market who say that the Vineyard Corridor, Staples Ranch and San Francisco property will go back to agriculture zoning for twenty years. We say it goes to agriculture zoning and in order to change to residential zoning, it would have to be voted on by the people. Stan Erickson, 3684 Chillingham Court, stated the Home Builders Association is spending $500,000 against the CAPP Initiative. He referred to a statement that a developer could go directly to the ballot. Any developer can sponsor an initiative to allow development. One way to attack an issue is to create artificial exaggerations and then attack those exaggerations. The most common one used against CAPP is that all growth will stop and there will be no parks, etc. That will not happen and has not happened in other communities. Developers get wise and know how to prepare proposals that will appeal to the voters. They usually get a majority of their proposals approved by the voters. Mr. Erickson believed there will be an improvement in proposals presented to the City and a slower rate of growth. Leslie Howard, 1027 Hancock Court, indicated she had spent two and a half years working through the Planning Commission and Council to let her feelings be known on the New Cities proposal. It is tough to do after working all day. Citizens need avenue to explain what their desires are. It is difficult to have one person speaking against a big developer. She feels CAPP is a way to give a voice to people who have no other voice against big business. She is very concerned about children and concerned they will not be able to buy a home. She didn't feel giving the people a voice would take that choice away from them. She felt it would give the children a quality of life that will make them proud to stay in town. She paid a premium to live in this town and she did not want to see everything stripped away because someone who does not live here has some kind of financial interest in town. There has to be a time to say enough is enough. If we keep saying yes to people who are interested in town for personal financial gain who do not live here, it is a very sad situation. She believed Council had the same goals, but she also feels the people need more voice. Pleasanton City Council Minutes 11 10/19/99