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address their concerns. He noted that Summerhill has incorporated and improved all of those modifications in this new project to honor all of the commitments it had previously made, such as reducing the maximum height of the project from four stories to three stories and tapered the units down to two stories at the edge of the site as a transition to both the southern and westerly neighborhood; increasing the building setback from the required 50 feet to 59 feet on the south side of the property, and from 52 feet to 59 feet on the western side of the property. Mr. Ebrahimi then showed some slides illustrating the key elements of the project: buildings inspired by the Spanish Colonial architecture with a blend of warm colors and mix of plaster and brick surfaces and decorative details like exposed rafter tails, door trim and wrought iron railings; the main entry to the community at the corner of Hacienda Drive and West Las Positas Boulevard where there will be a pocket plaza for residents and guests; the pedestrian paseo and central courtyard with walking path, ornamental trees and flowers, picnic tables, shade trellises and barbecue grills; the open grass area and children's play area; and the landscaping design that provides a relaxing and functionally attractive, outdoor environment for the community. Mr. Ebrahimi noted that as with the 177-unit apartment project, there will be a six-foot tall concrete wall at the southern edge of the property to help screen the Parkside neighborhood from noise and view. He further noted that the irrigation system and landscaping will meet the water-efficient landscaping standards, with the planting design that minimizes turf areas and primarily uses low water use and native plant species and ornamental plants that are adapted to the local climate. He added that because the project site will soon be serviced by recycled water, the landscape design uses plants that grow well with the recycled water system. Mr. Ebrahimi stated that as earlier mentioned, the project includes ten inclusionary units, which is 10 percent of the total number of units, and the remainder would be paid into the City's Low-Income Housing Fund. He indicated that the proposed townhome-condominium community is a much improved project for the site and that Summerhill has received positive feedback from the community and staff. George Bowen, representing the Parkside community, stated that the first date he came down here and spoke about this project was about 2 years ago, and with him were 50 to 100 concerned residents from the neighborhood; and over the course of that time, tonight there are just two of them, which is a sign that he is here tonight to express the support of the Parkside community for this project, and to express their appreciation for Summerhill Homes and James Paxson of Hacienda Park for their work in accommodating the neighborhood concerns in original plan for this property. Mr. Bowen stated that when the 177-unit project in their backyard was first proposed, the neighborhood took a survey, and there was considerable concern among the neighbors about design features and the impact on their neighborhood. He noted that a number of members of the community emerged as representatives of the neighborhood and worked with the Summerhill folks, and they made a number of accommodations EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES, May 13, 2015 Page 2 of 6