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The arborist reports that included additional recommendation for the preservation of the identified trees were included in the Council packet. For the record, Pedro noted that there were several inaccuracies in the Newcomb Tree Company report submitted by the appellant. Specifically, Tree #35 had been misidentified as a white oak and 30"; it is a blue oak and 35". Council Discussion: Councilmember Kerr inquired if the alternate proposal for the turnaround would provide more mitigation of the residence from Ursula Lane and if the applicant was amenable to the appellants' proposal. Pedro offered that the alternate plan would shield the home more from views off of Ursula and noted that the applicant was in attendance and available to answer Council's questions. Councilmember Summit noted that after visiting the site and walking the property, she had discovered a potential pathway within the open space easement that was a more preferable route than the proposed pathway. She questioned if there was any flexibility in locating the required pathway. Kerr concurred with Summit's appraisal of the alternate path. He noted that it would not disturb the privacy of the property owners. City Attorney Steve Mattas explained that if the applicant expressed his willingness to allow a modification to the pathway Condition of Approval, the Council could amend the condition to permit the applicant to work with staff to determine the final alignment of the path as described by Councilmember Summit. OPENDED PUBLIC HEARING • Appellant Comments: Lennart Olson, Ursula Lane, voiced his concerns regarding the project. He had hired two independent arborists to inspect the trees on the site, particularly Trees #35/#36. The arborists' reports had noted the critical importance of protecting tree roots during construction. Olson suggested that the applicants' arborist report had been incomplete and insufficient. He believed that the house was too close to the trees. One of the trees in question was a rare specimen of a blue oak. Additionally, he did not believe the home's design was in character with Los Altos Hills. He requested Council consideration of requiring a maximum effort to save the trees and require that the plans be revised for the difficult building site. Kimberly Lee, Ursula Lane, offered that she had four issues pertaining to the project she wished to identify for Council. First, she wanted Tree #4 that was being removed to accommodate the driveway to be preserved. The appellants' arborist Barry Coates had proposed that this tree could be saved if the roadway was realigned and a bridge was constructed over the roots as an alternative entrance. Lee noted that this alternative proposal had not been addressed. Second, she questioned if there had been any consideration given to shifting or shortening the size of the house to further rotate the turnaround pad or if a lower level garage had been considered. She believed the alternatives would reduce the height of the retaining wall and could potentially save the tree. In discussions with the Fire Marshall, Lee had found that only one driveway configuration had been submitted by the applicant and she wondered if it was feasible for the driveway (turnaround) plan to be designed in collaboration with the Fire Department 7 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 23,2009