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The Pleasanton City Council earlier this month unanimously approved a number of documents and ordinances related to the Hidden Canyon Residences and Preserve Project, which moves the development that much closer to being annexed into the city’s limits and being built.
The project — which is located near the Pleasanton Ridge just south of Dublin Canyon Road — seeks to build 28 new multi-million dollar homes and rebuild two existing homes for a total of 30 units. Roughly 70 acres of open space will be dedicated to the East Bay Regional Park District.
Part of the project plans also include making street improvements such as building a new traffic signal at Canyon Meadow Drive.
“I think this actually looks like a win-win for our community where we’re getting some houses on open space … and we’re going to get safety improvements to Canyon Meadow, which have been needed for a very long time,” Councilmember Craig Eicher said during the May 19 council meeting.
The Hidden Canyon project application has been under city discussion for nearly nine years after developer Ponderosa Homes first filed the paperwork in 2018, according to Pleasanton associate planner Natalie Amos.
Mayor Jack Balch said he remembers the project being introduced when he was a planning commissioner and reflected on the full-circle moment of now being the mayor and being able to approve the application.
“I have visited the site several times (and) it is a gorgeous piece of Pleasanton,” Balch said.
Over the last several years, the site has been included in the city’s Housing Element, underwent design refinement and analysis, and was publicly reviewed before it went to the city’s Planning Commission at the end of last year.
After some further review and discussion, the commission eventually endorsed the project in April and recommended City Council approval.
Six of the 30 new homes the project is set to bring to the city will have an accessory-dwelling unit. All of this would be done across nearly 131 acres of land, which lies right outside of the city’s limits.
According to Amos, all of the homes — which range from 3,750 square feet to just over 4,200 square feet — would be located in the northeastern portion of the project site. During the Planning Commission meeting in April, a Ponderosa Homes representative said the units would sell for millions of dollars.Â
The project does not offer any affordable units because the developer paid in-lieu fees that staff said would go toward other affordable housing resources in the city.
In addition to dedicating a portion of land to open space, the project plans provide numerous park upgrades including: a new public trailhead dedicated to EBRPD, a new trail connecting to the Pleasanton Ridge EBRPD trails system, new restrooms and parking and an equestrian staging area.Â
Roadway improvements will also include re-striping road lanes and bike lanes, improving sidewalks and ensuring access points for emergency vehicles.
Part of the council’s decision last week was to approve the pre-annexation and development agreement, which would begin the process of annexing those five parcels of land to the south of Dublin Canyon Road — as well as the existing Oak Hills Congregation Church site — into the city’s boundaries.
The development agreement, which has a 10-year term but doesn’t mean the developer will take 10 years to build the project, also outlines the many public benefits tied to the project which include the public road improvements, the staging area and trail connection, and a $500,000 contribution toward future Dublin Canyon Road improvements.
One issue that was raised in the past and by some on the council was the low number of houses that would be built as part of the project. A representative of the applicant even noted that at one point, the project had proposed 34 units.
However, the developer was forced to reduce the total number of units due to Measure PP and Measure QQ, which restrict cities from developing in hillside areas like the Pleasanton Ridge,
Councilmember Julie Testa applauded both of those measures and the people who supported them because it protects the hillside while also allowing for new homes.
“I think it’s going to be a really nice addition to Pleasanton,” Testa said of the current version of the project with less units, adding that she would like to see it get built as soon as possible.
While Balch noted that there will be some impact to the neighbors who also live in those hills and their scenic views, he said the “warm colors on the homes, the design of the homes, where we’re building” will all help mitigate those impacts.
“It’ll be an interesting change for some of the residents that can see it,” Balch said regarding the new homes. “But I appreciate the mitigations we’ve done.”
One of the other issues that was raised during the May 19 council meeting had to do with fire safety mitigation, which were ultimately addressed by both the applicant representative and Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Chief Aaron Lacey. They said the new home owners would be able to get appropriate insurance and all of the fire safety issues have been thoroughly vetted.
Staff also said LPFD evaluated the site and said that even though it is a high-risk fire area, there are ways to mitigate those concerns. Lacey added that if there are any fires reported in that area, several agencies will immediately respond.
Now that the council approved the project’s environmental documentation, consideration for annexation, general plan amendments, the planned unit development plan, the vesting tentative map, and the pre-annexation and development agreement, the next steps have to do with the annexation process, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Alameda County Local Agency Formation Commission.
According to staff, the city will coordinate with the county on things like Regional Housing Needs Allocation crediting and tax-sharing, which could generate property tax revenue for Pleasanton.
At the same time, Ponderosa Homes will need to submit an application to LAFCo, which will make the final determination on annexation and the ability to move forward with the project. According to the developer, construction likely won’t begin until at least three years.
