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Commissioner O'Connor agreed with Commissioners Pearce and Blank and believed that <br />flexibility within reason would be acceptable as long as it stayed within the intent of the Specific <br />Plan. <br />Commissioner Olson shared Commissioner O' Connor's view and added that if a home were to <br />be built at the garage site, there would be some environmental problems such as destroying trees. <br />He noted that there would also be a retaining wall issue. He would be in favor of moving this <br />blob. <br />Acting Chairperson Fox concurred with Commissioner Pearce's comments that a blob could be <br />flexible as long as it adhered to certain standards. She did not think the residential unit location <br />was intended to be on top of a demolished garage. <br />2. Is this the appropriate site for a structure, and is the proposed site acceptable? <br />Commissioner O'Connor did not believe it fit the intent of the Specific Plan or that it preserved <br />the ridgeline and what was originally planned as open space. He believed this was the highest <br />point on the property, which did not meet the intent of the Specific Plan. <br />Commissioner Olson noted that he looked at the top portion of the site earlier in the day and did <br />not view it as a ridgeline; he viewed it as a knoll. In looking at the existing home and visualizing <br />looking at building a home of this size on that spot, he believed it generated visibility problems <br />on Vineyard Avenue. He believed the top of the knoll was the appropriate place to build the <br />home. <br />Commissioner Pearce noted that while it was not a ridgeline, she believed that the proposed <br />location was not in keeping with the intent of the Specific Plan, which discussed preserving the <br />topography. She believed the hillside and the knolls were significant parts of the topography. <br />Commissioner Blank believed that this site was appropriate for "a" structure, not necessarily <br />"this" structure. He believed that siting the existing home would cause more environmental <br />issues, such as those described by Commissioner Olson. He believed there would be view <br />problems from Vineyard Avenue and that there may be a massing problem in terms of the overall <br />size. He believed the geography was being adapted to the home rather than the other way <br />around. He agreed that it was not a ridgeline but believed that the project would take a lot out of <br />the hill. <br />Acting Chairperson Fox noted that she could envision siting a smaller home on the knoll's last <br />ridgeline. She. had issues with the significant grading and cuts in the hill that would be necessary <br />to support a significant footprint. <br />3. Over the 540 feet elevation what is the Commission's opinion on having atwo-story <br />home? <br />Commissioner Blank believed that if they followed the exact language of the Specific Plan, a <br />Planning Commission or staff would not be needed. Although the Specific Plan encouraged <br />single-story development above a certain level, he would rather approve an attractive, <br />architecturally desirable, well-hidden two-story house than to force someone to potentially flatten <br />the two-story home into a huge, long one-story home that would be an eyesore. <br />EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES, October 25, 2006 Page 4 of 6 <br />