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The Pleasanton Planning Commission unanimously endorsed the so-called “Hidden Canyon Residences and Preserve Project”, which seeks to build 28 new multimillion-dollar homes near the Pleasanton Ridge.
The vote last month marked a milestone in the development’s construction timeline as the commission recommends that the City Council approve the corresponding documents to advance the project. If approved by the council at a later date, developer Ponderosa Homes would be that much closer to beginning construction in 2028 as the company hopes.
“We’re really excited about the opportunity to bring this project forward after all this time,” Jeff Schroeder, senior vice president of land acquisition and planning at Ponderosa Homes, said during the April 22 commission meeting.
“It’s very unique and it’s a great opportunity to bring this kind of housing to Pleasanton,” he added. “There’s very few opportunities to build any more of this type of housing in the city of Pleasanton which is a higher level, executive type of housing.”
The Hidden Canyon project is one that has been in the city’s General Plan for about 40 years before Ponderosa Homes submitted its applications to the city in 2018. The project was also included in the city’s sixth cycle Housing Element in 2023.
According to staff, the project, which lies outside of the city limits, seeks to annex five parcels of land to the south of Dublin Canyon Road, which totals approximately 131 acres. The project aims to construct 28 single-family residential units, while also demolishing and reconstructing two single-family homes, for a total of 30 new homes — six of the homes will have an accessory dwelling unit, also known as an ADU.
All of those 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 and would run for millions of dollars. According to Schroeder, those types of expensive homes are what the market is currently demanding.
“$3 million-plus is the market in the Tri-Valley,” he said.
The project also dedicates about 104 acres of open space and provides numerous park improvements including: a new public trailhead dedicated to the East Bay Regional Park District, a new trail connecting to the Pleasanton Ridge EBRPD trails system, new restrooms and parking, and an equestrian staging area. Roadway improvements are also included as part of the project.
According to city associate planner Natalie Amos, the staging area will have 18 parking stalls, trailhead access, a restrooms and water fountain, and seating.
She also said some of the road improvements on Dublin Canyon Road include restriping, improving bike lanes and sidewalks, improving emergency vehicle access and adding a new traffic signal at Canyon Meadow Drive, which continued to be an important amenity for community members and commissioners during last month’s meeting.
One of the main road improvements, which continues to be a point of emphasis by residents who live in that area, is the installation of a new traffic signal. According to Schroeder, that light will be installed roughly in the middle of the construction timeline.
During the meeting, the commissioners approved several items related to the project that will all now be recommended for approval at the City Council. Those items include environmental documentation, consideration for annexation, general plan amendments, the planned unit development plan, the vesting tentative map, and the pre-annexation and development agreement.
Part of the discussion regarding annexation covered how units will count toward the city’s state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation, which Amos said still needs to get worked out with the county as annexation discussions continue.
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. While some of the commissioners pointed out the omission, and also hoped the project would have yielded more units, they still support the project overall.
The commissioners voiced their appreciation for the developer’s continued collaboration with residents who live near the project site who have had concerns about privacy, losing the aesthetic appeal of the open space and any other issues over the years.
“For something that is going to be a nice addition to the edge of our city, it’s great to be able to get so much feedback and be able to accommodate that,” Commission Chair Brandon Pace said during the meeting.
While the final impact reports didn’t note any significant repercussions to the environment, one of the main impacts continues to be regarding transportation. But because of the road improvements and lack of major traffic impacts noted by the city’s traffic engineer Mike Tassano, the city is looking to waive those impacts in order to move the project forward.
Tassano also noted how the new traffic signal will also benefit residents who live in that area, especially given how many of them have previously brought up concerns of cut-through traffic on Dublin Canyon Road.
“I think this development provides them an opportunity to have an improvement and a quality of life and a level of comfort in turning and exiting the roadway that they didn’t have previously,” Tassano said.
As a result of last month’s vote, the commission will now be recommending that the City Council approve the corresponding documents and plans. If approved by the council, Schroeder said the next steps will be getting the site officially annexed by Pleasanton and then getting permits by a number of outside agencies, which is why he said nothing will likely take place construction wise until 2028.
“I believe (the project) enhances our city,” Commissioner Ken Morgan said during the meeting. “Sepcifically, I appreciate that we’re adding a small number of houses to help satisfy our Housing Element … and secondly, I appreciate all of the traffic improvements. I think this will make this a safer area.”
