Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

All right. Uh good evening. Welcome to the uh Pleasanton Planning Commission for March 11th uh 2026. We are in the uh city chamber uh offices for the uh city council chamber for the for the offices of the of the of the city of Pleasanton. I'm going to uh call the meeting to order and let's begin with the pledge of allegiance. Uh Commissioner Jgo, would you do that, please? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Commissioner. Um, uh, Arcella, can we do um a roll call, please? Yes. Commissioners JGO present. Jane, Mohan, absent. Morgan, present. Wedge present and Chair Pace present. Thank you. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Um uh Derek, do we have any uh amendments? No amendments.

All right. Thank you. Um so we'll proceed as outlined uh with the agenda that has been posted publicly uh is available for for the members of the of the community. Um so uh without without there being any amendments, we will start with the consent calendar. um the consent calendar. These are routine items that are typically passed with with one motion kind of over all the um items that that are listed there that would include the prior minutes, any actions of the city council that we need to approve as well as there's a couple of items, items three and four that are listed that relate to a specific um projects that the city staff has been working on. Uh I understand we have at least one comment, public comment on this. So, um, before we, uh, turn the commissioners, well, let me ask, do any of the commissioners have comments on, uh, these items before we start open it up to the public? Uh, Commissioner Jgo,

I do not have any comments. No questions, Jane. Uh, no comments at this time. No comments. Nothing at this time. All right. Thank you. All right. Um, the public, uh, can we call up the public, please? Thank you. Yes. Uh, can we have Frank Imhof? You'll have three minutes.

Hi, Frank Hoff. 962 Happy Valley Road. Uh, you know, the the the item four on here has been continued or you guys are putting it back, but what your staff hasn't done to the developer, which I'm at to today. You have this plan from 1990 through 1993, city of Pleasant made it. You have this plan, the Happy Valley plan. Developer knows nothing about it. has nothing has no idea about the annexation agreement, the bypass road and how the traffic was supposed to be put off a Happy Valley ran around because you guys paid I'm saying the city paid to put in Alisel and Sycamore and now you guys are going to shove more traffic down Happy Valley. When I bought that house in 1998 was 12 trips a day. 12 trips a day. Now there's 1,200 trips a day and on a busy Saturday after golf there's 1,800 trips a day. Uh there's records from the county because the high patrol answers the calls. The sheriff answers. City of Pleasanton doesn't because it's in the county. Four drunk drivings, two major traffic accidents on the 15 mph turn, and numerous left turn violations and speeding tickets. So this is all something that you guys need to look at. Thanks for your time.

All right. Thank you. Appreciate the appreciate the feedback uh and the opportunity to hear from the public on these items. That feels a little substantive. So, let's do one through three as part of the consent calendar. We're going to pull four off. Um so, the the action of city council, the minutes, and then the the item number three, which is the um the Bush Road uh project. Do we have any uh comments uh around those first three items? If not, then maybe we'll just do a consent calendar um on I mean a consent motion on those. Yep. I'll make a motion. Thank you. I second it. Great. All in favor? I I I Any opposed?

Great. Okay. So, um those three those three pass. Um it might be worth um just with with item number four, do we have uh anyone from the staff that's here today ready to comment on this? Yes. Okay, great. Um would you would you just kind of spend a minute? So, this is Paterno Ranch. For uh everyone who's not familiar with this, this has come back and forth before the planning commission. We've been dealing with this for at least for eight years. I think it goes back much further than that. So, it might be worth just kind of spending a minute on kind of the process of kind of how we've landed here now, just so uh anyone who might be watching can get can get familiar and maybe some of the some of the commission members here aren't as familiar with it as others.

Sure. Um 2022 Spoona Ranch PUD and a map came to the planning commission for approval for a total of 22 units at that time and the SQA analysis was done by first carbon solutions a SQA consultant. It fully analyzed the traffic um the noise um the impact to the environment. That was a full staff analysis and a report to that and um it also went to the city council as a follow. As I recall at both the planning commission and the city council meeting, it was a unanimous planning commission made a unanimous recommendation to the city council to the approval of 22 single family homes with 22 ADUs. um based upon the fully vetted um environmental study on that the applicant it was John Sportono was the applicant also the owner he is fully aware of the happy valley specific plan and the happy valley area condition because he has been a long time family being a longtime residents when the project went to the city council staff did another analysis and analyzed the project in front of the city council and presented the report and received unanimous approval by the city council. So that was 2022. 2024 the project was approved for two years and then there is a potential developer is interested in doing that project. They came in in 2024 but time has run out. So they asked for

a uh extension time extension no change to the project for two years which is by present municipal code. It is allowed and we approved. They have been submitting their improvement plan to the city for review but there is a lot of area need to be analyzed have a detailed plan. So it lasted to today and um another extension is needed because the first extension is only for two years and if we don't grant a extension today the project entitlement will be gone then the project will start from a scratch. At the time at a planning commission review and a city council review the project was welcomed by the residents of Happy Valley. It's because of the density and they did what the specy plan had asked and directed to do that is the maximum of 22 units and the project did not touch any hillside and stayed within its boundary. So therefore um some of the residents would wanted to see this project to pend it out instead of have someone else come in and doing something on the contrary. So that brings us today the application in front of planning commission is for the time extension only no changes to the project.

Okay. Thank you. So I appreciate that um uh Miss S. So, so just to make sure we understand kind of the process from here, um the there was an approved plan that was approved by the city council and by the planning commission that ultimately was found under the state required analysis to align both to what the state requires and then also kind of with what the specific plan that we had for the the city had had created uh for that area too. that would include that would have included and did include traffic studies and so forth as part of that process. Yes, we did a specific um SQA analysis for that. Yes.

Okay. And so the item that's before us today is not to change any of that plan, not to create additional traffic based on those things. It's simply an extension of time as a developer works through the details of the plan. Right. That's correct. And how long would the would the extension 12 months? Okay. And so if they were to be notable changes to the plan that were to come up as the as the developer were going through this, what would then happen with with that process? Significant change, it would come in as a modification and that modification will be come to the planning commission as well as the city council.

Okay. So if there were any changes that would and what what opportunities would the community members around there have uh to know about um to know about what those changes might be? Uh notification will go out and notify the uh the project as well as uh notice we'll post it in the newspaper. Great. Okay. Thank you. So um we will uh encourage members of the community if they're interested in the project to make sure they're they're watching for what those changes are, but this has been through that approval process. So, do we have any other comments or questions from committee members? Um, commission members, excuse me.

Do we have the packet that Mr. Imhof does the city are we familiar with what um Mr. Imhof has for the Happy Valley the Happy Valley plan? Happy Valley specific plan. Yes. So, we have that. Okay. Yes.

Was approved in 94 that disallowed traffic on Happy Valley Road and All right. Um, so, uh, appreciate the comments. Um, we'll just the the the public comment period is closed at this point, but I appreciate appreciate the comments. So, um, so, uh, we do have kind of the the the plan was that just to to make sure relative to the record, the, um, approval that was done by the city council and the commission, um, would have considered at the time, uh, we're obviously don't necessarily, some of us may have been here at the time, others not. Um, would have considered what the Happy Valley plan would have been. Yes. Would have considered any feedback we would have received from the state around the lawsuit and other things like that. Correct. Yes.

Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Go ahead. That's my recollection. I was on the planning commission when when we approved that project and I recall that we discussed the Happy Valley specific plan prior to making that decision. Thank you.

Yes. So thank you. So u I was not on the planning commission but I did attend that hearing. It was online at the time. Uh I I think just in the process perspective and I went through similar process where you have to register a subdivision map. uh that's what it is about like until a subdivision map is registered you have a chance to lose entitlement but in this case and I looked at the packet uh just for confirmation they are working with the city they are diligently trying to move forward with the u any improvements engineering uh PWD all those are in process so the applicant is not just sitting they're actively working on moving this project forward uh some of it might be on the applicant side, some of it might be on the city side. Is it fair to say it's kind of u a long drawn process where we are dealing with 22 23 lots and uh there's quite a few uh hilly sections and you have to do the grading correctly. So I'm assuming just the complexity requires a lot of back and forth between the engineers and other members of the staff. the improvement comes in and there is also wetlands on the site. So we needed to be very careful to see how the grading is done and all the utilities are laid and also the project approval including the construction of the trail along LSL that itself is not an easy task. So um city engineering staff they spend a lot of time in detail review with the uh city plan review all together. So that's why the project process is take longer than the other project because of the circumstances.

Yeah. So I I think just to be uh putting myself in the applicant shoes it's more than fair to grant such a extension in my opinion. Uh I think these things take time. U whenever there's complexity involved u it can really take longer than what you anticipate. U there was support unanimously from the planning commission if I recall and then the council u traffic has increased on that section. How much of that is under our control, how much of that is not is really a question which we should try to evaluate uh based on facts. U one fact is we have this project which adds about 22 units and 22 ADUs. What if there was a project which added much more right? So there's always a chance if you don't do something like this city may not get exactly what we're looking for a low density development in that area. Um so I feel this project still good looks good to me um but uh I'm open to feedback from other commissioners as well.

Thanks Commissioner Jane. Commissioner Jgo.

Um, yeah, I think the the main part of this is we aren't really even looking at, you know, the validity of the project. We are just looking at the extension that fits within the guidelines of the extension process. And it looks like because of the um complexity of the projects the project, it's basically a due diligence making sure that it's done right. um and it looked like there was multiple abilities to do extensions for the project and they haven't even come close to the to the masks um request for those yet. So I don't I don't see any issues per se.

Okay. Thank you. Um so um first always really important to hear from the community. So thank you sir for for showing up. um really important to make sure our community understands as we're doing these developments and we're going to see more of them, these infill developments in their in our city because of the pressure the state's putting on us. There was just a report that I think was circulated uh this week um that's going to go to the city council that talks about the number of of um dwelling units that's getting put in our city. Um and um we're supposed to put in 6,000 and I think we're at 600 or something. So we we we have a ways to go. Also, there's going to be enormous pressure on this city um to to put higher density in. Um and so we're going to continue to grapple with um how we balance the the needs and the desires of our community versus what the what the state is, uh imposing upon us. So, um I I think that's kind of one piece that I think Commissioner Jane, you touched on, which is if this project falls through, what happens in this community, we're going to lose we're going to lose some of the flexibility. So, I think that's one kind of overarching concern I have about this. The second I would just say um having been through this now for several years with respect to this project um there was lots of feedback that we've received over time on this specifically. I know traffic is something that we talk about every single time um on on all these major projects. Um a lot has happened since 1994 when that when that uh when that original Happy Valley plan came together, but I know that that was considered as part of what the approval process is here. ultimately um assuming that there are changes um to this project, it would come back before us. Right now, all we're doing is approving an extension. Um and so for purposes of just the extension piece, um I I and um I think uh I'm supportive of granting that and then should there be obviously any changes then I would encourage you and anyone else from the community who has has an interest to please come back uh and share feedback with us at at that time. Um, but this has been kind of long

time coming and I know there's been enormous amount of work to get it to to fit in within the character of of that area and there's been major changes uh in in the Happy Valley area, the the golf course and other things over the over the last, you know, 20, 30 years. So, um, with that, if we don't have any other questions or comments, then let's maybe do a vote. Okay. Anyone want to vote or make a motion? I'd like to make a motion to approve the time extension. Great. I can second it. Great. Uh let's It doesn't think I don't think we're going to have anything kind of uh controversial here. So maybe uh all in favor say I. I. I. I.

Any opposed? Great. Unanimous. Okay. Thank you, sir. Appreciate your your feedback um and your and your perspective. So, we're going to close the consent calendar. Um let's go. Meeting opens to the to the public. These would be items that a member of the community would like to speak on that are not related to any agenda items. Uh do we have any speaker cards on these on this one? No speaker cards were received.

Thank you. All right. So, we're going to close the uh the meeting open to uh the public on the non-aggendaized items and then we're going to go to item number six, which is the wireless communication facility um item that was uh continued from I guess the last meeting. Uh who has got this one? Um, I can provide a brief overview. It was scheduled originally for this meeting. And what we're requesting the commission do is to grant a time certain extension to March 25th. We're we're working out a few minor details to the project. And so this would be a date certain extension to the March 25th um meeting.

Oh, so I see. I I misread this. So this is not continuing from last time. This is continuing to next time. Yeah. From tonight until next time. Okay. I I apologize for any confusion there. So, uh, so this was agendaized and we're going to move it move it to next time. Okay. Um, my my apologies for any confusion. Any comments or concerns, questions about this one? No, you don't have to take action. Staff continued it automatically. Yeah. Thank you. All right. Great. Um, so now we're on to uh matters for commission's review and action. This would be number seven. Um, which would be any reports or meetings attended from uh commission members uh that they would like to share with this body. Maybe I'll start on the left. Nothing to share. Thank you. Nothing to report. Thank you. Nothing to report. Thanks.

Nothing on my end. Okay, great. I don't have anything either, so we'll proceed to item number eight, which is future planning calendar. Assistant Director Farmer, please.

Thank you. We in addition to the continuence of tonight's scheduled wireless um project to next meeting, we have a few items uh for a couple for next meeting on the 25th, an appeal of the ZA's deter zoning administrator's determination to deny a plan unit development minor modification request to reduce the required street yard street sideyard setback from 20 ft to 8 ft to accommodate the construction of a detached accessory structure and also um conditional use permit for the Pleasant Academy of Music. Um, this is a cup to operate a music school of the maximum of 25 students and 21 staff members on site at any time. And then, uh, likely in April, we will have the full Lester project. Uh, the commission already had a public hearing on the draft environmental impact report on December 10th to receive testimony and provide impact on the draft EIR. This will be a consideration and recommendation to the city council on the project entitlements and also on certification of the final EIR.

Okay. Thank you. And oh, go ahead. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure for those that maybe aren't as familiar with this process, typically what happens with the zoning administrator and approvals that they would do is if they were to approve it, then um that would just come as part of the consent calendar here. if or they would deny it and that would kind of be the end of it. If someone wants to appeal a decision because they're unhappy with the way the decision came, then we become the appellet body for that decision. Is that right? Correct. Okay. So, the um the I think the ADU that you mentioned there was a decision made about how much the setback should be and that's what we're going to hear next time. Correct.

Okay. Great. Um are there any other comments or questions on the Was that an ADU or just an accessory structure? It was a detached accessory structure or is I should say. Okay. All right. Any other questions or comments on that one? All right. Um so any matters initiated by uh by commission members? I would like to bring up uh last time we spoke about um Valley Avenue and the turn with people running across without a crosswalk across the street by the gas station. Saw it again four more times in the last month. I just want to say it's really dangerous and wanted to bring that to up, you know, because this may be something we need to to look at. Thank you.

I finished. Yeah. I have one comment or recommendation and that is as all of you may know, Emily sent out a note earlier about the update to the state regarding our progress with the housing element. And as uh Commissioner Pace alluded to, it shows that Pleasanton is on track to to have issued about 10% of the permits required for the housing element, you know, at this point in time. And I would like to strongly encourage staff to try to get data from other cities or California in general or the Bay Area that shows what type of progress other cities have made because for an item like this where I can have a relatively high confidence level that many many many cities aren't meeting um their requirement. I think it's very important to understand how we stack up relative to others and I believe that data is probably available or will be because I remember during the last housing element there was a big article in one of the newspapers about how Pleasanton stacked up with other cities. So I think it would be very useful for us to understand uh how we stack up with others and might give us insights about whether we're doing well or need to work harder to achieve the the goals set out by the housing element.

Thank you.

Yeah, I think Ken stole my thunder but but uh this is very important. I think we are at 10% or whatever the number is. U and when I look at the report a lot of things were actually above market or at market um so these laws really don't seem to help because we have zoned as per our mandate. uh but not many applications came through and we haven't seen the kinds of u developments we were expecting for low income moderate income uh most of the numbers are actually on a market rate basis so on the other hand we saw more last year than we had in prior years and I guess it's some of the big projects that haven't come through that.

Yeah. But then it's a good report. I think we should all be looking at it. Um do you know if that ever comes to this commission or we just look at it at our own leisure?

Um in my limited time here, I I was just told that it's um presented to the commission when the council packet goes out, which was today. So the commission gets a copy of it. Right now, it's scheduled as a consent item for the city council calendar next week. So, again, if there's any comments or anything, then you can reach out directly to Associate Planner Emily Carroll. Um, I don't know if the C commission would like another version of how it's been presented, but obviously we're here to receive your feedback and suggestions. And my comments weren't about making any changes to the report. It's just supplemental.

Thank you. My expectation is that the council's gonna have something to say about that just um gi given the intensity of of conversation there over the past uh over the past several years.

Um I don't have any specific comments. I just adding to to that um question. And obviously as a resident of Pleasanton, I think we're all we all see the the issues involved. And one of the things that kind of I've always looked at is, you know, where is the empty property that we are supposed to be having to support all of this new housing. And that's something as a Pleasanton resident I've always wondered. It's like, okay, we're supposed to we're supposed to have all of these housing, but where's it where does it go? Um, that's always been my question. So, I I will I will look forward to um to seeing how that how that plays out. But, um,

I I think philosophically that's the density question, right? Which is they want to they want to infill with highrises in the middle of our neighborhoods. That's that's how they're trying to solve it. So, so it's always an interesting problem, but yeah, that's the only comment I have. Yeah. Um, I don't have anything else. So, uh, if there's nothing further, then uh, we can adjourn. Thank you. Appreciate it, everyone. Yep.