December 31, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, December 31, 2004

Agenda full of city priorities for 2005

With a new City Council and a new management team in place, Pleasanton's municipal leaders appear headed for late night and more frequent public meetings in the coming year to tackle major issues.

In his assessment of 2005 challenges, newly appointed City Manager Nelson Fialho identified traffic, development, housing and finances among priorities that his staff and elected and appointed officials will need to address. These range from the continued "grab" of $2 million in 2005 and 2006 from city revenues by the state to help pay down its multi-billion-dollar debt to completion of the General Plan update by the end of 2005, a document Fialho said will set policy for Pleasanton over the next five to 10 years.

Speaking to the Economic Development Committee of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, Fialho said public meetings on that plan will start Jan. 11 with a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Civic Center. That will be the first of at least four public meetings to look at traffic congestion and solutions. At least two of the considerations - changing the current 1996 General Plan to block the extension of Stoneridge Drive to El Charro Road or the construction of an interchange at West Las Positas and I-680, will likely be "highly controversial," Fialho said.

"To be honest, I don't have a feeling either way about Stoneridge Drive, but we're working on a traffic model now and will be formulating our recommendations," he said. "Anyone who wants to have a say on these issues needs to show up at these hearings."

"If you're a stakeholder in the changes being considered, you need to be at these meetings and discuss your views," said Fialho. "That's where your voice will be heard, not your complaints later."

Fialho also talked about other priorities: ¥ Business Development - Anxious to take a more aggressive stand on business and economic development, he switched the offices of Housing Specialist Scott Erickson with Economic Development Manager Pamela Ott, to put her next to him in the city's executive office building. He has also held meetings with business leaders, Hacienda Business Park representatives, the Chamber and the Pleasanton Downtown Association in order to form a "Marketing Pleasanton" coalition that can recruit new businesses to the city. ¥ PeopleSoft - With Oracle Corp. taking over PeopleSoft, the city's largest employer, Fialho said he has "real concerns" over the potential economic impact on the city if Oracle downsizes operations here. Although property taxes will continue to be paid on the PeopleSoft buildings, Fialho said 850 Pleasanton residents work at PeopleSoft, and many others in the company's 3,500 workforce shop, dine and buy their cars and gasoline here. "We rely on these people to spend money here and, frankly, to fuel our quality of life." ¥ Staples Ranch - Fialho said Alameda County, which owns the vacant acreage at the northeast corner of Pleasanton, wants to sell it, with a project under consideration for a senior housing complex that would include independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care. Fialho also would like to see the property developed as an auto row for high-end car dealerships. "We are losing market share to Dublin and Livermore with fewer dealerships than we used to have," he said. "These dealers that generate lots of sales tax are the BMW and Volvo dealers, but not the Jags and Audis and others. Staples Ranch, with its direct access to I-580, would be a perfect spot for this kind of a commercial use." ¥ Bernal - Progress in developing the roughly 300 acres of public land on the Bernal Property, plus an additional 30-40 acre sports park, will be "front and center" for planners and the council in the coming year. Currently, the city has only $4.5 million set aside for this project, probably enough to build a road. To move forward, Fialho said the council will have to consider taking money from other capital projects, allocate any unspent fiscal-year-end revenue, usually about $5 million, or consider a bonding process that would finance development faster. ¥ Vineyard Avenue - Housing development that is already approved will get under way shortly, with as many as 200-300 new homes to be constructed in the Vineyard Corridor starting next year. ¥ Neal Elementary School - Although Fialho developed a financial agreement to help pay some of the costs of building Neal in the Vineyard Corridor, he said the school district has backed off those plans pending a new assessment of its need for a 10th elementary school. ¥ Callippe Preserve Public Golf Course - Construction delays and now heavy winter rains have delayed final seeding, but Fialho still thinks the course could open by October. ¥ Happy Valley - Fialho plans to recommend to the council that traffic studies on Alisal Street during the first two years the golf course is open determine the need for a bypass road, which would cost at least $15 million if built in the hills above Alisal. He doubts that a plan now under consideration that would allow housing and a relocated bypass road in the flatlands along Alisal will be approved. ¥ Affordable Housing - Pressure from state and regional authorities to provide more affordable housing in Pleasanton is pushing the city to look for building sites, possibly in Hacienda Business Park or on Staples Ranch.

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