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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Agenda No. 07-16 August 23, 2007 Page 9 of 19 not right, because these are the families who live here and will be affected by the Strategy. He said it is important to listen to the message, and not rush into approving the TaD Strategy the way it is written. With the moratorium not over until November 6, he said, there is still time. He said that COR's recommendations are to add language to the Strategy that prioritizes workforce housing and encourages private and nonprofit developers to work together in four key sites. SP-8 including sub-areas A ( east BART parking lot) and B (BART Westlake parcels) and SP-5 (North Alvarado sites) and SP-2 (Washington Plaza and San Leandro Plaza infill). State Prop 1 (c) funds for affordable housing of $300 million will be available for housing near transit, and another $850 million will be available for construction within the cities. He urged the Planning Commission to fully consider the Strategic Economics Report and incorporate the recommendations shared tonight. Peter Woolston, 82 Williams Street, said that the first notice he has received about the TaD Strategy was a mailing he received about 10 days ago about this evening's Planning Commission meeting. He considers it unusual that the only notice about the Draft EIR appeared in the Hayward Daily Review, since San Leandrans read other newspapers, including San Leandro Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune. Had he seen such notification previously, he said, he might have known about this and had the opportunity to speak sooner. He urged the Planning Commission to vote the TOD Strategy down and stay with the General Plan and current zoning regulations. He pointed out that DA-3, where he believes his home is located, will be allowed to have multi- family residential construction with densities ranging from 20 to 60 units per acre, while most of the houses on his street (between Washington and East 14th) are single-family homes. While it may be unintentional, he believes this the TOD Strategy amounts to eminent domain in disguise, because it would drive up property values, thus making it more attractive to put up multi-use apartments or other buildings, and consequently putting pressure on current owners to sell and move. He said this is happening in a number of other cities where "gentrification" is underway, and complaints are being registered by citizens who are being driven out because they can no longer afford to stay where all of these "wonderful things" are happening. Those who own homes in the downtown area will be under increasing pressure to move because perhaps a neighbor will see an opportunity to sell. He can imagine, in that scenario, a 50-foot building being constructed next door to his single-family house. As for noise and emissions, he said, "intermittent 24 hours a day adds up to fairly constant." In addition, Mr. Woolston pointed out that he believes he has read that second-floor housing above retail space is one of the least safe types of structures in the event of earthquake. In closing, he said he thinks the TaD Strategy is a "poor plan" that will pressure current residents to leave. Dennis Davis, 714 Collier Drive, has been a San Leandro resident since 1950. He is an ordained minister at St. Leander's. He said the TaD Strategy will have great impact on his community, San Leandro in general and St. Leander's as well, because the church is right in the center of the strategy area. He said that he shares some of the same kinds of concerns that his neighbor (Mr. Woolston) stated, but from a different point of view. He said he sees this as an opportunity to make more homes available to working families, and acknowledges that higher-density growth is inevitable because there is not enough land available to avoid it. Problems of air pollution, traffic need addressing, and one of