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DRAFT In response to Acting Chairperson Fox's inquiry regarding the total acreage of the property and the sizes of the three lots on Rheem Drive, the Church location, and the lot between the Church and Nielsen Park, Mr. Otto replied that the total site is 12 acres, but since the three lots are not individual lots, the actual sizes ofthe three lots were not readily available and would need to be measured to determine their exact acreages. He added that the applicant may have that information. Acting Chairperson Fox noted that the City of Livermore, which had similar Code requirement, had reduced the height of the gymnasium at the Cedar Grove Church project to 30 feet. She inquired why a variance would be needed to maintain the 34-foot height of this gymnasium and whether it could be similarly reduced to 30 feet. Mr. Otto noted that he would not be in a position to comment on Livermore's Code requirements. With respect to this project, he stated that the applicant required 25 feet of inside clearance for basketball use, and beyond that, the structural requirements included beams, roof slope and duct work for air conditioning and heating. For aesthetic reasons, the applicant designed the walls to extend an additional three feet beyond the roofline. Ms. Decker added that the parapet would screen the photovoltaic system panels that the Church may eventually install on the roof. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Father Dan Danielson, Pastor, Catholic Community of Pleasant on, 3999 Bernal Avenue, described the history of this application and noted that the Church's current facility had become cramped and overcrowded. He described the past plans for staff and other office space, a chapel for smaller services and daily mass, and the large church and parking lot. The proposed development addressed the needs of the Church and its service to the community, including the community center. He noted that the Church currently had youth groups and divorce and bereavement groups meeting in chapel space rather than in a separate meeting space. He noted that their Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball program service children throughout the community from third to eighth grade and that through this project, the Church tried to fulfill its commitment to the youth. In response to Acting Chairperson Fox's inquiry regarding why the Church decided to place the building next to Rheem Drive rather than at its original location on the 1998 Master Plan, Fr. Danielson noted that in the first plans in 1989, nothing was proposed for that space because the intent then was to sell that piece to help pay for the building of the Church. The revised 1998 Master Plan included a building on the site; however, the entire property was brought into the planning process, and based on the community's needs as they developed, the Church felt that the space would not be large enough for a school, given the needs of present elementary schools. He added that should a school be built in the future, the eastern portion of the property between Nielsen Park and the Church would be sufficient for the necessary buildings as well as a play area. Commissioner Fox noted that it might make sense to build the gymnasium at the eastern portion as should the school be built eventually, both buildings would be in the same location, and the DRAFT EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, November 29, 2006 Page 3 of II