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<br />Excerpt from the Board of Zoning Adjustments Meeting Minutes June 7, 2007 <br />Minute No. 2007-11 Page 50f8 <br />Mr. Goldfarb read from Section 1-302, Subsection B, "Unless the context clearly <br />indicates to the contrary, the following conjunctions shall be interpreted, as follows and <br />indicates that all the connected words or provisions shall apply." This meant that <br />neighborhood/specialty food markets were two different things. <br /> <br />Member Gilcrest asked the applicant to define exactly which neighborhood his client <br />would serve. <br /> <br />Mr. Goldfarb stated that the store would serve the neighborhood that fell within two <br />miles of the site, as suggested by the City's General Plan. <br /> <br />Member Daly asked what data the consultant used to determine this store would serve a <br />two-mile radius. <br /> <br />Mr. Goldfarb understood the data included historical records, demographics, exit <br />interviews from people who shopped at other stores within the City of San Leandro and <br />other data. <br /> <br />Member Daly asked if the study included data from people who shopped at other <br />Grocery Outlets. <br /> <br />Mr. Goldfarb answered that it did. <br /> <br />Member Sidari disclosed that he sat on the Development Committee, and he asked City <br />Attorney Stuart if that would constitute a conflict of interest. <br /> <br />City Attorney Stuart replied that there would be no conflict of interest. <br /> <br />Chair Goldt opened the public hearing. <br /> <br />Paul Vargas, 872 Portola Drive, stated that he was speaking in support of Grocery Outlet <br />locating in the City of San Leandro. It was a small, neighborhood grocery store with no <br />produce or meat sections; it was not a supermarket. He believed the moratorium "was <br />placed as a roadblock specifically to stop Red Mountain from placing any type of a <br />grocery store there." Lucky/Albertson's had been at that location for 60 years and it had <br />served the community well. The Transit-Oriented Development Committee wanted to put <br />something like 200 residential units on this small site with very little parking. The <br />medium household income within the downtown area was approximately $54,000 per <br />year, which fit with the Grocery Outlet demographic. Trader Joe's, Andronico's or <br />Whole Earth looked for a medium household income of approximately $86,000, or more, <br />per year. He believed this "fake moratorium" gave the City of San Leandro a bad <br />reputation with regard to businesses. The 3,400 additional housing units that the TOD <br />Committee hoped to bring to the downtown area would include 15 to 20 percent low <br />income housing units. Grocery Outlet would be a positive contribution to the city. <br /> <br />Justin Agrella, 448 Dowling Boulevard, thanked the appellants for "putting up with all <br />this for two years." In his opinion, the issues and arguments were ridiculous. It seemed <br />that the city "was trying to starve them out and give this to someone else, so they can get <br />into this transit oriented design." The appellant had worked with the city for two years. <br />People would shop at Grocery Outlet; it was needed, along with the parking lot that <br />