Planning Commission Meeting Agenda Packet 04222026

P18-0078, P18-0080, P18-0081, PUD-130 and Tract 8569 (Hidden Canyon) Planning Commission 5of 28 BACKGROUND Hillside Development Measures PP and QQ In the November 2008 general election, Pleasanton voters passed two initiatives: Measure PP, the Save Pleasanton’s Hills and Housing Cap2 Initiative, and Measure QQ, the Pleasanton Ridgelines Protection and Growth Control Initiative. Measure PP prohibits “grading to construct residential or commercial structures…on hillside slopes of 25 percent or greater, or within 100 vertical feet of a ridgeline.” However, Measure PP provides an exemption for existing lots of record3 and allows a maximum of 10 units on such properties. Measure QQ reaffirmed existing policies and programs in the City’s 1996 General Plan regarding the preservation of scenic hillsides and ridge views. The passage of Measure PP resulted in the addition of Land Use Element Program 21.3 to the General Plan, which reads: Ridgelines and hillsides shall be protected. Housing units and structures shall not be placed on slopes of 25 percent or greater, or within 100 vertical feet of a ridgeline. No grading to construct residential or commercial structures shall occur on hillside slopes 25 percent or greater, or within 100 vertical feet of a ridgeline. Exempt from this policy are housing developments of 10 or fewer housing units on a single property. Splitting, dividing or subdividing a ‘legal parcel’ to approve more than 10 housing units is not allowed. Accordingly, hillside developments would be required to adhere to Measures PP and QQ and the General Plan. Southeast Hills Mapping In 2017, the City undertook an exercise, known as the “Southeast Hills Mapping,” to study and develop a methodology for evaluation of hillside development’s consistency with Measure PP restrictions. The purpose of the study and methodology was to ensure future development would be consistent with Measure PP and minimize future land-use conflicts by providing clarity to property owners and the City on issues related to slope and ridgeline setbacks. The study area focused on the Southeast Hills, an approximately 1,520-acre area in the southeast of Pleasanton. Through geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, site visits, studies of neighboring communities (i.e., Danville, Moraga, Orinda, and San Ramon), and research, staff prepared maps of the Southeast Hills and developed a methodology for identifying slopes, ridgelines, and ridgeline setbacks. The City Council adopted the mapping and methodology in 2017, and at that time determined it should be applied more broadly to other parts of the City where development on hillsides is proposed. (See City Council Resolution 17-981, Southeast Hills Mapping and Methodology). With the adoption of Resolution 17-981, individual project sites are expected to use the methodology adopted to map their sites, “but could show a finer-grained pattern of areas 2 Certain provisions of Measure PP related to the City’s Housing Cap were invalidated by the Alameda County Superior Court as conflicting with State law that mandates communities to meet regional housing requirements. 3 As of January 1, 2007.