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P25-0300, 4191 First Street Planning Commission <br />6 of 6 <br />The proposed canopy design creates an overly franchise-brand-forward visual emphasis that <br />detracts from the intended Downtown entry character and does not reinforce the site’s <br />relationship to the City’s broader aesthetic context and natural/visual setting. The proposed <br />canopy color band is disproportionately large (63.8 percent of the canopy height), altering the <br />perceived scale and emphasis of the canopy when viewed from the public right-of-way. Rather <br />than providing a balanced architectural feature that transitions appropriately with the <br />streetscape at a Downtown gateway, the canopy reads as a dominant graphic/franchise <br />branding element, which is also discouraged by General Plan Community Character Element <br />Policy 16. <br /> <br />PUBLIC NOTICE <br />Notice of this application was sent to surrounding property owners and tenants within a 1,000- <br />foot radius of the subject parcel, and it was published in the Valley Times newspaper on May <br />1, 2026. At the time this report was published, staff had not received any public comments. <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT <br />The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public <br />Resources Code Section 21080(b)(5) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15270, which statutorily <br />exempt projects that a public agency intends to deny. Therefore, no additional environmental <br />review is required. <br /> <br />SUMMARY/CONCLUSION <br />As proposed, the Zoning Administrator found that the proposed SDR is not in keeping with <br />other similar gas station signage design concepts throughout the City and is not consistent <br />with the General Plan's sign policies. Therefore, staff recommends that the Planning <br />Commission adopt a resolution upholding the Zoning Administrator’s denial of Case No. P25- <br />0300. <br /> <br /> <br />Staff Planner: Emily Carroll, Associate Planner, 925-931-5608 or ecarroll@cityofpleasantonca.gov <br /> <br />Reviewed/ Approved By: <br />Derek Farmer Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development and Planning Manager <br />Eric Luchini, Senior Planner <br />Katherine Wisinski, Assistant City Attorney <br />Page 179 of 214