Busy week ahead on city issues Busy week ahead on city issues (March 18, 2005)

Schools, traffic, development highlight of meetings
by Jeb Bing

It'll be a busy week coming up for anyone interested in traffic, schools, housing development or the financial shape of the city of Pleasanton.

Meetings involving all of these concerns have been pancaked into a three-day schedule that will start at 7 p.m. Monday with a joint meeting of the Pleasanton City Council and school board in the school district's board room at 4665 Bernal Ave. On the agenda is a discussion of the district's findings from its California Healthy Kids Survey and "Youth in Government" program held earlier this month.

Police Chief Tim Neal also will discuss school site safety issues, including plans to deal with emergencies and school evacuation. City Planning Director Jerry Iserson will review efforts under way to update the city's General Plan, and School Superintendent John Casey will discuss the district's new demographics report and projections for a surge in high school enrollments that could put about 5,300 students on the Amador Valley, Foothill and Village high school campuses by 2009.

At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Mayor Jennifer Hosterman will report on the "State of the City," a detailed presentation on recent developments and current finances. Her talk will be given at the Ruby Hill Golf Club in a luncheon program sponsored by the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce. Open to the public, the cost of the luncheon is $25 with reservations required by calling the chamber at 846-5858.

At 6:30 p.m. that night, the City Council and Planning Commission will hold another in a series of workshops to discuss traffic congestion and street improvements in Pleasanton. The so-called traffic element, designed to reduce congestion and improve traffic circulation within the city, will eventually become part of the new General Plan that will peg new development to street and intersection capacities in the city. The meeting will be held in the City Council chamber at 200 Old Bernal Ave.

The following evening, also in the council chamber and starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Planning Commission will conduct a "scoping" session" on plans by Greenbriar Homes to build up to 90 single family houses in Happy Valley. The homes would be built on ranchland owned by Al Spotorno south of Alisal Street.

The discussion is expected to focus also on building a bypass road to keep traffic heading to Pleasanton's new municipal golf course from using Alisal, the street extending through Happy Valley to connect Sycamore Road and Sunol Boulevard to Happy Valley Road.

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