|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Pleasanton City Council will once again be reviewing an application Tuesday night for a residential development in East Pleasanton that could look to build a total of 697 units, which include a mix of housing types and unit sizes.
Dubbed the East Lakes project, this latest update for the residential development application comes a month after the council agreed to direct staff to begin the process to annex the land where the proposed development is located — along with another large residential development called the Arroyo Lago project.
According to the March 18 staff report, the council will specifically be giving staff direction on several issues for the developer of the project — SteelWave LLC, a San Mateo-based real estate developer — to take into consideration as it gets set to submit a formal project application within the next two to three months.
“City Council input on these issues will help establish a project description to analyze in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and to form the basis of the city’s project design and technical review,” the staff report states.
Back in August, the City Council instructed staff to look at the pros and cons for annexing the two properties in unincorporated East Pleasanton where developers are looking to build the new housing.
The two developments would be located in the East Pleasanton planning area, which is a 1,100-acre area located east of Valley Avenue and Busch Road, north of Stanley Boulevard and south of Arroyo Mocho. Both properties are owned by SteelWave LLC — a San Mateo-based real estate developer.
Steelwave originally submitted an application to Alameda County under the builder’s remedy state provision, which allows developers to build housing projects that don’t comply with local zoning or general plans, last June that sought to build 569 residential units exclusively for seniors.
The applicant then submitted a revised preliminary application to the county that reduced the total unit count to 357 single-family, age-restricted homes and 88 age-restricted assisted living units, according to the staff report, for a total of 445 units across 61.6 acres located east of the Arroyo Lago site.
During the Feb. 18 Council meeting, the dais unanimously voted in favor of moving forward with the process of annexing properties in East Pleasanton. But at the time, the plans for the East Lakes project were not quite finalized.
After the council provided staff with direction regarding the extent to which the East Lakes project should include age-restricted units and units available to all households, the developer is now returning on Tuesday to discuss its new preferred plan.
“The East Lakes applicant submitted a preferred plan and project narrative for the East Lakes project,” staff stated in the report. “The narrative states that the project aims to create “a vibrant new community featuring a variety of housing types and community amenities” with “a range of ownership and rental opportunities appealing to first-time home buyers through retirees.”
According to the staff report, this plan that the developer will look to submit aims to develop a total of 697 units, which includes a mix of “housing types and unit sizes, includes both for-sale and rental units and provides both age-restricted units and units available to all households.”
“The preferred plan also includes on-site inclusionary units in a clustered multi-family project,” according to staff. “The preferred plan includes a total of 697 units with 85% available to all households (not age-restricted) and 15% age-restricted to seniors. The plan includes a variety of housing types, including detached single-family homes … attached townhomes and multifamily apartments.”
But before receiving the developers formal project application in the coming months, staff will be seeking council direction on Tuesday on several issues before it gets set to conduct environmental and other reviews for the project site.
Staff will seek feedback and direction on the fact that the project aims to build residential developments within the Livermore Airport Protection Area; the total number of dwelling units and proportion of age-restricted units; and on the gated age-restricted portion of the property.
According to the staff report, however, providing input regarding these issues will not commit the city to “any specific course of action on the project.”
“The City Council will take action on the project after full consideration of the EIR findings, staff analysis, and public comments received during the project entitlement and public hearing process.
The applicant, staff said, is also in the process of preparing more detailed project plans to show the proposed open space and pedestrian network, which will be shared with the public during the meeting.
The City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday (March 18). The full agenda can be accessed here.
In other business:
* The council will be discussing whether or not the city should move forward with paying $11,500 for the 2025 Committee and Commission Recognition event in light of the city’s current budget challenges.
According to the staff report, the city hosts this annual event to recognize city commissioners and committee members. The original budget for the event, staff said, was $39,500.
“This event has historically consisted of a dinner and presentations, with associated costs consisting of venue rental, audiovisual production, catering, postage and additional materials and supplies,” staff stated in the report.
But in consideration of the city’s fiscal challenges, staff said they had already reduced the event’s budget this year down to $11,500 — the event was reduced in size and was moved to the city-owned Callippe Preserve Golf Course.
Still, Councilmember Julie Testa requested during the matters initiated portion of the March 4 meeting to reconsider funding for the upcoming event, which is scheduled for April 17.
“This year, in light of the City’s current fiscal challenges, the City Council requested a discussion to reconsider funding this annual event to reduce costs toward achieving a balanced budget,” staff stated.
One alternative listed in the report to reduce costs even further is to host a pre-meeting reception before the April 15 council meeting, which staff estimate will cost approximately $500.
* Staff will be presenting the first draft of the city’s Urban Forest Master Plan to the council and will seek council comments to incorporate into the final plan, which will be presented for council adoption in either May or June.
According to the staff report, the plan “identifies the extent of the city’s urban forest assets and how to efficiently fund the maintenance of those assets so that future investments improve the environment and protect the quality of life and safety of the community.”
“The plan serves as a roadmap for sustainable urban forest management with specific goals, costs, and actions to guide the city through the next 25 years of managing its urban forest, and is the result of community input that emphasizes the need to maintain a healthy urban forest which prioritizes public health, improves property values, and retains the character of Pleasanton,” according to staff.
EBRPD defunds multiple Tri-Valley projects amid split vote on annual budgetDecember 31, 2025 6:52 am
How the heck will Pleasanton pay for the El Charro road extension to Stanley Blvd? Originally this area was zoned for industrial space.
We need to build more housing, but this area should remain industrial until Pleasanton has a plan for building and financing the El Charro road extension.