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Ordinance No. <br />Page Two <br /> <br /> <br />The City Council finds that the proposed project, as conditioned, meets all applicable <br />City standards concerning public health, safety, and welfare. The proposed gate will <br />be designed to meet the requirements of the California Building Code, California Fire <br />Code, and other applicable codes. As such, the Commission concludes this finding <br />can be made. <br /> <br />2. Whether the proposed development plan is consistent with the Pleasanton <br />General Plan and any applicable specific plan. <br />General Plan Circulation Element Program 7.4, calls for the City to “discourage new <br />gated communities,” and Community Character Element 17.1 calls for “neighborhoods <br />[to be] open and accessible to one another.” Although the General Plan discourages <br />gated communities, their installation is not prohibited, and there are numerous gated <br />private streets and communities throughout Pleasanton that have been approved over <br />time and based on a variety of circumstances and factors justifying their installation. <br />Some gates may have originally been agricultural gates, gates installed before a <br />property was annexed into the City, or gates may have been approved prior to or <br />despite the General Plan program. One such gate is at the base of Silver Oaks <br />Terrace, within one mile of the subject area. Ruby Hill is a gated community located <br />off Vineyard Avenue, and recently, the Merritt project, an age-restricted community, <br />was approved with a gated entrance. As amended by PC Resolution No. 2025-20, <br />the Vineyard Avenue Corridor Specific Plan allows for gates on private streets if there <br />are unusual circumstances justifying the installation. Winding Oaks Drive is a private <br />street serving a limited number of properties, with no through connection that would <br />be impeded by its installation. Together, these site specific conditions, as well as the <br />recent break-in attempt, would be considered an “unusual circumstance” that justifies <br />the installation of a gate, despite the General Plan’s broader policy intent to <br />discourage them. As such, the City Council concludes that this finding can be made. <br /> <br />3. Whether the proposed development plan is compatible with the previously <br />developed properties in the vicinity and the natural, topographic features of the <br />site. <br />The City Council finds that the proposed project is consistent with the existing <br />development, in that there will be limited visual impact. Further, agricultural protection <br />gates are permitted throughout the Vineyard Avenue Corridor Specific Plan area, and <br />as amended by City Council Resolution No. _____, the Vineyard Avenue Corridor <br />Specific Plan allows for gates on private streets if there are unusual circumstances <br />justifying the installation. Further, there are security gates at access points to Ruby <br />Hill and a gate at the base of Silver Oaks Terrace. The proposed gate would be in <br />keeping with the amended VACSP and compatible with some of the surrounding <br />subdivisions. <br /> <br />4. Whether grading in conjunction with the proposed development plan takes into <br />account environmental characteristics and is designed in keeping with the best <br />engineering practices to avoid erosion, slides, or flooring, and to have as <br />minimal an effect upon the environment as possible. <br />Page 22 of 200