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Minutes - San Leandro City Council Meeting - July 6, 1992 Page - 18 - PUBLIC HEARINGS (continued) development as the best in today's market. She said no one evidenced any interest in a commercial development because of the center-block location of the site, the fact that it's on a one-sided street, the low traffic count, and very little foot traffic. She said they met with John Klein, as well as Planning and Building staff, Greg Tung from Freedman, Tung and Bottomley, and the Planning Commission. Jonathan Cohen, Architect for Mr. Fors and Ms. Selover, said he followed the parking ratios in the North Area Specific Plan. He said these ratios are different from the Zoning Code but are in the North Area Plan. He said the height of the building is 41 feet to the midpoint of the hipped roof, but half of the building has a flat roof which is 25 feet high. He said the variation in the roof heights is an architectural feature. He said each story is 10 feet high and the podium is five feet above grade. Council Member Corbett asked if there is a North Area Specific Plan height limit. Mr. Cohen said the Plan allows four stories plus a podium for a height of 50 feet. He said this is a high-quality design for first-time buyers and will set a strong precedent for good design in the future. He said the impact of residential is more benign than commercial due to less traffic and noise and greater screening and security. He said it is appropriate to put multi-family housing on a commercial street and to provide infill housing rather than build on ridges and wetlands. He said there is always some resistance to change. He described the facade, the depressed garage, the variation of roof heights, color, scale, projecting bays, etc. He discussed the 35' rear- yard setback and proposed screening. He said the project meets all the guidelines of the North Area Plan. He described amenities for seniors and said it fills the vision of the Specific Plan. Mr. Cohen responded to a number of questions from the City Council . He said landscaping would screen the views from bay windows and balconies into the rear yards of adjacent homes. He said there would be views over the freeway and toward the hills and limited bay views from the top-story units. He said, if there were no North Area Plan, the maximum density would have been 30 units. He said the North Area Plan guides developers toward a vision. He said the underlying C-2 zoning permits 43 units per acre. Council Member Myers asked if it was correct that two Planning Commissioners told Mr. Cohen to appeal . Mr. Cohen said he spoke to two Commissioners, and one of them told him he should appeal . Mrs. Selover noted the support of the residents who live directly behind the site. She said commercial uses cause problems with security. She said one of the concerns that had been stated was that all of MacArthur Boulevard would develop as residential , but she noted this was one of the few sites that is big enough to support residential . She said the