20 ATTACHMENTS - Laserfiche WebLink

18. Letter from Edmund G. Brown Jr., State Attorney General 18.1 Briefly summarized, the commenter asserts as follows: the City's Housing Cap limits residential development to 29,000 units; the current General Plan update can plan for only 2,007 residential units additional units; this number is insufficient to satisfy the City's 2007- 2014 regional housing need allocation (RHNA) and any future housing allocations; the City continues to add jobs, leading to more commuting and additional greenhouse gas production. The proposed General Plan updates all elements of the existing General Plan except for the Housing Element, which, under state law is due to be adopted June 30t 2009. ABAG has recently provided jurisdictions the RHNA numbers necessary to update their housing elements. In addition, the California Department of Housing and Community Development recently held workshops on how Housing Elements could be revised in light of a number of changes to state housing laws. Pleasanton has just started its review of its Housing Element, and during the update of that element, the City will analyze available housing sites in greater detail, make changes to housing policies and potentially designate additional housing sites. Regarding the number of jobs that will be added by the General Plan, note that the Final EIR, Chapter 3, page 3 -17, Table FEIR 3 -1 shows total jobs existing, for the 1996 General Plan and for the proposed General Plan and alternatives. The revised number of jobs at buildout for the proposed General Plan is 96,519 rather than the 109,000 jobs shown in the Draft General Plan of September, 2009. Although this number is used for the purposes of analyzing buildout conditions, it is unknown at what date that number may be achieved. Although General Plans typically assume a 20 -year time horizon, with the current economic uncertainty, it is highly unlikely that Pleasanton will reach buildout of its commercial areas by 2025. The City of Pleasanton has addressed its obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its Draft General Plan. The revised draft includes extensive recommended additions and amendments to the Land Use, Circulation, Public Facilities and Community Programs, Conservation and Open Space, Air Quality and Climate Change, and Energy elements. These changes add background information regarding the City's inventory of greenhouse gas emissions as well as strengthen and add to policies that will result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Final response to comments with thn nv paws 78