With a temporary parklet program on Main Street set to expire after the new year, the Pleasanton City Council is set to discuss developing a more formal parklet program for local businesses at their final meeting this year on Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m.

Operating throughout the pandemic and extended by council vote in July, the current parklet program is scheduled to end on Jan. 7, and "has allowed businesses to temporarily expand dining and other business activities outdoors into private parking lots, the sidewalk, and public parking spaces" according to a city staff report.

Though "some businesses have noted that the pop-ups have been key to their survival over the past 18 months," staff also said "there has been some criticism about the aesthetics of these pop-ups within downtown, particularly their appearance, effect on adjacent business visibility, and traffic safety."

Staff conducted months of research – including consulting with the cities of Walnut Creek and Redwood City, which have similar parklet programs, as well as the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Pleasanton Downtown Association – before the Pleasanton Planning Commission reviewed and approved the draft parklet program earlier this month.

During their research, staff was able to "identify several key issues and considerations for the parklet program including maintenance of public infrastructure (e.g., streets, trees, and utilities); traffic, fire, and structural safety; design/aesthetics; accessibility and ADA compliance; operational characteristics, and city liability," which are all included in the draft program.

"Most of the temporary pop-ups installed downtown today will not comply with this program," but staff said "some of the structures may comply with minor alterations."

In addition to many pop-ups not meeting "the aesthetic standards typically expected in downtown Pleasanton," staff said "there have also been some conflicts between existing pop- up locations and utility and street maintenance as well as with traffic controls."

Because extension cords overhead or on the ground are not permitted with permanent structures, power cords extending to adjacent buildings would not be permitted either, leading to staff's recommendation that only solar or battery-operated lighting be allowed. Staff said the city can explore whether allowing power connections at streetlights is an option, but a formal evaluation "may be a future Capital Improvement Project (CIP) to properly budget for the evaluation and modifications."

A design professional will be hired to prepare standard specifications for the parklets, which are currently not allowed to occupy more than two parking spaces and/or 40 linear feet of curb frontage, whichever is less.

Costs to prepare the program include hiring a design professional as well as reviewing, inspecting and monitoring the plan. The city may also incur ongoing costs "associated with more complex maintenance activities within downtown to accommodate the parklets" such as trimming trees that are nearby.

Per staff recommendation, some of the program costs could be recouped over time, should the council adopt an annual fee of $1,000 per parking space occupied (with "the fee to be waived during the first year to help offset the costs of investing in the parklet itself"). The total cost including design services is estimated to be less than $25,000, and will be included in the 2021-22 mid-year budget.

After completing some deferred street maintenance and cleaning in early spring, staff said "a realistic goal would be to allow installation to begin" in March or April, and that "the restaurant community has expressed their preference to continue temporary pop-ups until the formal parklet program is ready to be implemented and to have as little a gap as possible between the two programs."

In other business

* As the city approaches the end of completion on the final Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0, the council will review and give staff feedback on a draft version of the document on Tuesday. The CAP 2.0 outlines the city's next decade of environmental policy framework and addresses climate change through a number of suggested actions.

Some initial objectives outlined in the CAP update include reducing Pleasanton's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, creating a "realistic and implementable" plan "with evidence-based, actionable, and achievable local policies," and creating "a qualified CAP under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that complies with current regulations."

The process for updating the CAP 2.0 kicked off about two years ago but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the City Council has prioritized updating the CAP as part of their current work plan. Last month the council reviewed the Committee on Energy and the Environment's recommendations for the draft.

Councilmembers "generally concurred with the draft list with some substantive changes/direction," including requiring "covered projects" within the Pleasanton Municipal Code to install battery storage, and moving an item from the secondary action to the primary action list which "expands incentives to install water efficiency retrofits, remove grass lawns, and install native drought tolerant landscaping."

According to the city, adoption of CAP 2.0 will result in an estimated annual cost savings of $587,000 to the community, depending on which policies are ultimately included in the plan.

Following the public review comment period, staff will make modifications to the document "as appropriate," before bringing a final version to the committee for review in late January. The final CAP 2.0 is scheduled for a council vote in February.

* Pleasanton's vice mayor for 2022 will be appointed on Tuesday, along with a number of other various board and commission assignments. Each year the mayor reviews and revises multiple assignments for City Council subcommittees as well as local and regional boards and commissions.

After being elected last fall, Councilmember Valerie Arkin, who previously served 12 years on the Pleasanton school board, is expected to take over as vice mayor from Julie Testa. Currently on her first term, Testa was elected to the council in 2018 and has served as vice mayor since last January.

* The council will meet in closed session at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for a conference with property negotiators before their public meeting that night.

Officials did not respond to requests for comment from the Weekly, but an agenda packet on the city's website lists "price and terms of payment for purchase" of 629-633 Main St. as the items for discussion. Interim City Manager Brian Dolan and Deputy City Manager Pam Ott, along with Brian Wilson from Cushman & Wakefield are expected to attend the negotiations.

The council is also scheduled to meet in closed session that evening to discuss labor negotiations with International Association of Firefighters Local 1974, which represents firefighters employed by the city.