Planning Commission Meeting Agenda Packet 05272026

building, with units ranging in size from approximately 430 square feet to 13,626 square feet and associated site improvements. As proposed, the project plans are incomplete, and the project is inconsistent with the General Plan, applicable Objective Design Standards (ODS), the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP), and the Pleasanton Municipal Code (PMC) regulations. While the PUD process allows for deviations from the strict application of various standards, staff finds that the extent to which the project would deviate from these standards, and from the intent and policies of the Downtown Specific Plan, do not allow the necessary findings for approval to be made. BACKGROUND On September 30, 2024, the applicant first submitted applications for Rezoning, a Certificate of Appropriateness, and a PUD Development Plan that originally proposed a three-story mixed- use project consisting of 3,110 square feet of ground-floor commercial floor area and a 14,334 square-foot single-family residence occupying all three floors. In staff’s initial review, there were concerns regarding non-conformance with the site’s minimum densities, the applicable ODS for the MU-T District, and the PMC. Staff also identified concerns regarding the proposed project’s ability to satisfy the PUD findings required pursuant to Section 18.68.110.B.1 through 7 of the PMC: 1. Whether the proposed development plan is in the best interest of the public health, safety, and general welfare. 2. Whether the proposed development plan is consistent with the Pleasanton General Plan and any applicable specific plan. 3. Whether the proposed development plan is compatible with the previously developed properties in the vicinity and the natural, topographic features of the site. 4. Whether grading in conjunction with the proposed development plan takes into account environmental characteristics and is designed in keeping with the best engineering practices to avoid erosion, slides, or flooring, and to have as minimal an effect upon the environment as possible. 5. Whether streets, buildings, and other manmade structures have been designed and located in such a manner to complement the natural terrain and landscape. 6. Whether adequate public safety measures have been incorporated into the design or the proposed development plan. 7. Whether the proposed development plan conforms to the purposes of the PUD district. The applicant engaged with staff multiple times between September 2024 and August 2025 to review various iterations of a residential-only project. Staff evaluated these proposals based on the subject site’s current land use designations and in each case found them to be noncompliant, or to raise significant concerns about the overall compatibility of the project with the Downtown Specific Plan’s policies with respect to aspects such as inclusion of ground floor commercial space, pedestrian orientation and activation, density, and design. Planning Commission Workshop The Planning Commission reviewed a previous version of this project at a workshop on August 27, 2025. At that time, the project proposed to demolish the existing office building and construct a new, approximately 38-foot-tall, three-story, residential building consisting of an approximately 15,088 square-foot single-family residence with an approximately 725-square-