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Standards and Design Guidelines provide direction to developers and property owners on key components of use, density, building mass and height, setbacks, architectural features, parking, access, and street character. These standards and guidelines help to ensure that the flexibility of the PUD process does not create uncertainty for potential developers. However, some of the design guidelines are not mandatory or are subjective (e.g., large open spaces should be the fundamental organizing element of the site plan (A8.a), windows should emphasize vertical massing of buildings (C2.b), etc.). Similar standards and guidelines are included in the Hacienda Design Guidelines, which apply to certain higher density sites (e.g., BART site'). The subjectivity of design guidelines could lead to a protracted approval process and potentially a denial based on guideline interpretation. Currently, Senate Bill 330 (Housing Accountability Act) precludes jurisdictions from applying subjective design standards to housing development projects; however, the provisions of Senate Bill 330 sunset on January 1, 2025 (unless otherwise extended by the State). The City is currently underway with an update to the existing Housing Site Development Standards and Guidelines to replace subjective design guidelines with objective standards, and to provide a broader range of objective design standards for more types of residential and mixed- use development, beyond high-density housing projects. The Downtown Design Guidelines, adopted in 2004/amended in 2019, contain guidelines for multi -family zones, the majority of which are subjective. For example, "Multiple -family housing complexes should be designed to follow the rhythm and scale of the surrounding homes." As application of these guidelines require City discretion, the City may consider refinement so that all critical standards are described objectively to ensure application to housing development projects is consistent with the Housing Accountability Act. The Objective Design Standards project underway would also be applicable to residential projects in the downtown, which will help to address this issue. Provisions for a Variety of Housing The City has adopted provisions in its Zoning Ordinance that facilitate a range of residential development types. Table C-6 provides a list of housing types and the zoning districts in which they are permitted, require a conditional use permit, or are not permitted. ' AB 2923 requires a minimum net density of 75 units per acre on BART TOD sites. Consistent with AB 2923, the City will update the Housing Site Development Standards and Design Guidelines by July 1, 2022. Housing Constraints City of Pleasanton i C-11