3A Public Hearing 2006 0905 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerptsfrom the Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Agenda No. 06-11 June 8, 2006 Page 5 of 10 Hearing no other questions from commissioners, Chair Kleebauer invited the public to make comments. Virginia Eldridge, 959 Lee Avenue, said she owns Unit 6 of the Garden Terrace. She said that residents on the north side of Garden Terrace would be forced to look at ugly stucco walls if the project is built as proposed. She said the three houses on the south side of the proposed project would completely obliterate the beautiful view that residents now have. She said that condominiums on the north side of the building are currently selling for $350,000. She anticipated that the loss of views would lower the value of the nine northerly facing Garden Terrace units by $100,000 each for a total loss of $900,000 in owners' equity. She said that several owners have mortgages higher than $250,000 and some owe more than $300,000. She asked the Planning Commission to create a compromise that would reduce financial impacts on the north-facing Garden Terrace units. She also said that the nearest city park is Memorial Park at Bancroft and Callan. She suggested that the project build just three houses and create a park on the remainder of the property. She noted that she had submitted a petition with eighteen signatures on it. She said the petition states that the Langon development proposal, as it currently stands, would result in too great a hardship on Garden Terrace Condominium owners. Kathy Goodall, 1599 Hays Street, No. 107, said she moved to Garden Terrace in January 2006 and had never heard about the proposal to develop the property at 1537 Hays Street. She said she is a single mom with two small children and that she is employed by the Sheriff Department. She said she had saved money and had been granted $30,000 from the City of San Leandro to purchase her second-story condo, which is the only property she owns. She said the 1537 Hays Street project would create a huge burden for her and her children should she attempt to sell her property in order to move up to a detached home. She spoke supportively about the park proposed by the previous public speaker, saying that a park would help San Leandro. She said her unit, built just above the ground floor parking level, would look out at a stucco wall. Commissioner Wohltmano asked if she had other windows in her unit. Ms. Goodall said she had four adjacent living room windows 71 inches high by 45 inches wide and a window in a den used as her son's bedroom, all facing the proposed project. She said she also has two bedroom windows facing Hays to the east. Lester Williams, 1599 Hays Street, No. 205, said he had requested that the Community Services Department show him what he would be looking at if the project is built and was told that such a request was not justified because of the nature of the zoning. He said he and his partner had used a computer program to generate their own simulated view of the project from the vantage point of their north-facing windows. He provided commissioners a hard copy of one computer-generated view. He said it showed the peak of a roof line with the rest of the view dominated by the wall of one of the proposed houses. He said he could not believe that anybody would have bought his unit in 1964 if they had been told that the proposed project could potentially be built. He said he felt the City had created a covenant with past purchasers of Garden Terrace units promising that such loss of views would not happen. He said that covenant should now be upheld by the City. He said there are a myriad of ways the developers could put buildings on the underlying lot and still preserve the views. He said if the City allowed the project as