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Furthermore, the purpose of the PD is to provide a process for the development of land to <br />reduce the rigidity of zoning standards and to provide a mechanism for considering uses <br />that can be compatible by application of careful and imaginative treatment. In this <br />instance, installation of the gates and fencing will isolate the development from the <br />adjacent properties and change the characteristics of the area in which it is located. <br /> <br />4. That the proposed use will not create adverse impacts on traffic or create demands <br />exceeding the capacity of public services and facilities, which cannot be mitigated. <br /> <br />Installation of the proposed gates will delay vehicular access to the residential community. <br />The potential delays may create stacking of vehicles both onto Washington Avenue as well <br />as within the Floresta Gardens community. Restricted gate access can hamper emergency <br />personnel efforts of police, ambulances, and fire trucks through slower response times, <br />which can lead to public safety issues. Also, the apparent affluence of a gated community <br />can make the community a more attractive target for a thief (Bell & Lang, 1998). <br /> <br />5. The Planned Development Project Plan will provide superior urban design in <br />comparison with the development under the base district zoning regulations. <br /> <br />Installation of the proposed gates and associated fencing will not improve the design of the <br />existing development. Gated communities can fragment neighborhoods and erode sense of <br />community, social stability, and social structure within a community, as residents located <br />in gated communities are disconnected from their larger communities and are less likely <br />to be involved in civic engagement and civic responsibility. Because of the lack of social <br />cohesion and lower social interaction there is socioeconomic polarization, which can lead <br />to segregation, isolation, and exclusion (Blakely & Snyder, 1997). It is believed that <br />Neighborhood Watch is the most effective way to reduce crime by keeping an eye out for <br />each other, which is a basic defense against crime and helps to build community (Drew & <br />McGuigan, 2014). <br /> <br />6. The Planned Development Project includes adequate provisions for utilities, <br />services, and emergency vehicle access; and that public service demands will not <br />exceed the capacity of the existing and planned systems. <br /> <br />The proposed project has been designed to meet emergency vehicle access requirements. <br />The Engineering and Transportation Department and Alameda County Fire Department <br />have found the access to the site to be safe for vehicular, pedestrian and emergency <br />vehicle access. Although the proposed gates will meet Police, Fire and Engineering <br />requirements emergency response times will be increased and stacking of vehicles <br />entering and exiting the site are expected. <br /> <br />