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Message <br />Jenny Soo <br />From: Jimy Uranwala ] <br />Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 4:57 PM <br />To: Jenny Soo <br />Subject: PCUP-155/PDR-513 Tinity Lutheran Church <br />Hi Jenny, <br />I sent you my objections before. I attended the meeting yesterday and would like to add more: <br />Pace 1 of 2 <br />It is important to keep in mind what Pleasanton is about, our history and especially that of our neighborhood. <br />Pleasanton is a family town. Focus on family residences. That has been so for 30+ years, is in every document <br />and plan (I have been on two task forces, have a copy of the entire General Plan). Almost all who live in <br />Pleasanton, came here and bought homes here for that reason. <br />This is very true of Del Valle Parkway, the street I've lived on for 17 years and where the church is. It was a <br />DEAD END street. It was just 1/4 mile long but was extended to Main Street because the merchants on Main <br />Street wanted people to have to go past their stores (and now they complain of too much traffic!) That was <br />enough catering to commercial interests instead of the residents. It is still a short street 1/2 mile long. When VCC <br />(the church on the Main Street end), wanted to expand, it too claimed traffic etc. would not get worse. The City <br />over rode our objections and approved it. Can anyone deny that has not been proved wrong? The traffic is far <br />worse and the street falls apart soon after every repair. (We just had one). Residents -and even VCC -have had <br />to post signs about parking and to slow down. More on VCC and all that in my last email. <br />Our street is still pretty short and now the church on the Hopyard end wants considerable expansion too for <br />"activities". (What is this -the battle of churches for prestige? Is that what Christ preached?) Which means more <br />people, which means more traffic and more street wear. Same as what happened with VCC. If there was a <br />single thing presented that proves otherwise, please show it to me. And that too on a corner already <br />overburdened from Hopyard becoming one lane right there where it meets Division, the route for most to <br />downtown and the Fairgrounds. Can you imagine being squished between these two on either end of our short <br />street? <br />Note that when we and many others bought our houses, this same church was NOTHING like even what is now. <br />I would like to see their original application. It was park like land adjacent to the park designed for SMALL <br />children that's next to it where children play. <br />Right next to the church is a day care center that was one small house when I came. I didn't even know it was a <br />day care. The city also approved that expanding to three, in spite of inadequate parking so they use the church's <br />- as even the presenter yesterday acknowledged. <br />Also note that the church's get special treatment as a church, but their expansions are for many activities that <br />many groups/activities use/rent for commercial purposes (how does that fit with their religous charter?). Constant <br />events almost every day versus the traditional "mostly Sundays" that was their norm when I and many others <br />bought our homes here. I am all for community activities but they should be in the right place and I question that <br />the church should be given special treatment to enter into the what is the city's domain. If they wanted to do so, <br />fine, but then they should have picked a commercial location where they could so expand. It is not right to <br />devalue and make us the residents and their neighbors, pay for their wants. <br />Which brings up the irony that it is a CHURCH that is doing so and being "unneighborly" and "untrustworthy" as <br />another lady said yesterday! I suggest that the church first get to know its neighbors and choose a path that <br />benefits both, not this expansion that causes hostility and will surely lead to actions all would rather avoid if <br />possible. I am sure the church means well and welcome the opportunity to meet their pastor and establish a good <br />neighbor relationship. Feel free to pass this email on to them. <br />BOTTOM LINE: The church claims their expansion will be good for the neighborhood. If that was true then it <br />9i8i?006 <br />