3A Public Hearing 2006 0905 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerptfrom the Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Agenda No. 06-12 June 22, 2006 Page 4 of7 Jessica Dalstead, 1599 Hays Street, No. 207, said she has lived in her unit for twenty-six units. She said the units to be built next door to Garden Terrace will ruin her lovely home. She said her living room window would look out on a neighbor's bathroom window. She said she would no longer have any view. She said she was disappointed with the project. She said if the project elevation was not so high it would be okay, but the design as proposed would wreck everything. Lester Williams said he was a resident of the Garden Terrace and is still the owner of Apartment 205 in the back portion of the property. He said he had accepted Mr. Langon's invitation to discuss some ideas to mitigate the impact of the project. He said he had failed to communicate accurately the location he was proposing for garage doors. He said the structures he was proposing would be 27 feet in width. He said the entry door might have to be located on the side of the residence, but there was certainly room for a two-car garage in 27 feet of width. He said that, even with the suggestions he gave, everyone would have to give something. He said the City would have to give some exceptions on setbacks, and Garden Terrace would give up some view but would have something left that would be much more favorable to all involved than the project as currently proposed. He said he had made a personal commitment to Mr. Langon to work diligently to achieve a design that is a shining example of in-fill and urban renewal. He agreed that the applicant could have built a massive project, but the massive project would have resulted in a distance of 30 feet between the projects rather than the 22 feet separating the proposed project. He said he felt that, because the City had originally permitted the Garden Terrace project and knew that the front rooms of the Garden Terrace units faced 1537 Hays, the City has an obligation to protect the quality of life and the view that Garden Terrace tenants have enjoyed since Garden Terrace was first built. He said he was not clear why the applicant determined the units proposed by his own plan were too narrow. He said some staff reports by Planner Penaranda found that units elsewhere of 25 feet in width are deemed sufficient. He said he realized that the project as proposed looks good and would be good for the community, but the project should not result in a loss of value to owners of the Garden Terrace units. He said the applicant's presentation of his plan did not fairly represent his proposal. Virginia Eldridge, 959 Lee Avenue, San Leandro, said she owns Unit 206. She said Mr. Williams had worked long and hard on a compromise plan that other residents believed Mr. Langon could not possibly turn down. She said the compromise plan proposed six houses, located differently, with four houses at the north side and two houses at the south side, with houses closer to the property line so Mr. Williams' unit would retain some view out of his living room window. She said residents would have surrendered their view of the hills in return for a lesser impact of the stucco walls to be erected by the 1537 Hays Project. She said residents had given up the idea of the park, although residents still hoped the City would add trees to beautify the project. She said Mr. Williams had worked very hard on the compromise and residents had left the meeting with Mr. Langon happy, believing that Mr. Langon was going along with it. She said it now appeared that Mr. Langon was not in support of the plan. She said she still believed the compromise plan, with modifications to the driveway, would still work and would yield the same profit to Mr. Langon.