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Every other year the Pleasanton City Council creates a work plan of its top priorities for the city to accomplish over the ensuing two years.
The five council members completed that work again last week, approving the city’s newest work plan that will guide the council’s and city administrators’ decision-making during 2017 and 2018, especially for how to allocate city resources — financial and staffing-wise — toward achieving those key objectives.
“Work-plan development is engrained in our organizational culture — I’m not aware of many cities that invest this much time to such a comprehensive effort,” City Manager Nelson Fialho said. “For Pleasanton, it provides focus, aligns resources, limits distractions and properly notices the community and other stakeholders about the city’s strategic direction.”
This latest work plan is a 16-page list of projects and initiatives.
Some are local construction efforts such as Old Stanley Boulevard resurfacing, a second Bernal Bridge, the Kottinger Gardens affordable housing project for seniors and redesigning fire stations Nos. 2 and 3.
Others involve key policy-making with short- and long-term impacts on Pleasanton, such as continuing work on new or updated master plans for the downtown, bicycle and pedestrian initiatives, and a new civic center and library.
There’s also a water conservation and diversification policy, labor negotiations with the police officers’ union and completing the Johnson Drive economic development zone — a precursor to consideration of a possible Costco and other uses at the site.
And there are regional priorities as well, such as continuing to support Highway 84 widening and extending BART to ACE Train in Livermore.
“In some cases, projects or new programs can be launched and completed within two years,” Fialho said. “In other cases, projects are longer term in nature.”
In all, the 2017-2018 work plan is a list of 90 council priorities.
To make the cut, a project or initiative needed support from at least three council members. More than two-thirds of the priorities — 70 of 90 — received endorsements from all five council members.
Just over half were new while the rest were carried over from the prior two-year work plan.
The council formally adopted the 2017-2018 work plan during its meeting on March 21, one week after a nearly three-hour public workshop during which they weighed recommendations from citizens and city staff before honing down the list to the final 90 priorities.
Most of the public debate March 14 focused on whether to prioritize the East Pleasanton Specific Plan — which council members ultimately didn’t put on the list — and whether to look harder at restoring one eastbound lane to Owens Drive across from the BART parking lot — which they did add to the list.
Also among the new priorities were several recommended by individual council members before the workshop, including expanding the parking lot for Cubby’s Dog Park and initiating an El Charro Road extension feasibility study and traffic modeling.
Now that the priority list is finalized, Fialho and his staff will work to develop draft operating and capital improvement program budgets in line with the council’s goals — expected to come forward this spring. After budget approval, city officials then work to develop project and program timelines.
The work plan is divided into 12 strategic objectives. Projects are not listed in a priority order from No. 1 to No. 90, nor are they prioritized as such within the 12 objective areas.
The priorities are placed into three categories: To be completed within the first year, a significant milestone will be completed by the second year and to be worked on as time permits but prioritized below the first two categories.
Below are the council’s 90 priorities. Some projects have funding estimates, but not all. The full work plan, including in-depth project descriptions and council voting breakdowns for each item, can be accessed here.
Quality of life
– Repaint Bernal Bridge, with some funding from federal grant, $1.6 million
– Continue to refine Civic Center/Library Master Plan
– Update the Downtown Specific Plan
– Expand and improve parking downtown
– Resurface and underground utilities on Old Stanley Boulevard, $9.3 million
– Develop funding strategy to implement Cemetery Master Plan, $4 million
– Design/construct two additional tennis courts at Tennis and Community Park, $850,000
– Sound wall repair/replacement on Valley Avenue from Busch Road to Hopyard Road, as well as Stoneridge Drive and West Las Positas Boulevard, $100,000 annually
– Renovate Lions Wayside and Delucchi parks, $4.5 million
– Support nonprofit Sunflower Hill in identifying options for housing for special needs adults
– Improve public health and safety by prohibiting smoking within rental multi-family housing
– Consider creating or anointing a signature downtown arts event
– Invest and upgrade the city’s existing downtown wi-fi network into a more reliable platform for public use
– Renovate softball field house at Ken Mercer Sports Park, $500,000 **
– Implement Alviso Adobe Strategic Plan **
– Castleridge trail and parking improvements, $250,000 **
– Design/construct improvements to “old” 50-meter pool deck and remodel locker rooms, $1.5-2.5 million **
– Replace concession stand No. 2 at Ken Mercer Sports Park, $400,000 **
– Regulation options to address panhandling on city streets and medians **
– Form Library Foundation for new library capital campaign **
– Expand Cubby’s Dog Park parking lot **
– Evaluate possibility of adding more bocce courts in Pleasanton, with consideration for Senior Center, $200,000 to $450,000
– Improve availability to dental services for underserved residents
– Assess structural needs of Amador Theater, $100,000 **
– Create Century House Master Plan to determine its potential functionality and if renovation is feasible **
– Construct final Rotary Park improvements, $750,000 **
– Design/construct undergrounding of Bernal Avenue ditch between fairgrounds and Bernal Community Park, $2-3 million **
– Work to reduce homelessness in Pleasanton **
– Implement downtown corridor parking plan, $2-3 million per block **
– Processing application and relevant agreements for development of ice-skating facility at Staples Ranch Community Park site **
Traffic circulation
– Implement local and regional traffic improvements with the General Plan’s Traffic Circulation Element as framework
– Update the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan
– Owens Drive from Willow Road to Iron Horse Regional Trail: Collect new traffic data and look at preliminary design options for restoring one eastbound lane **
– Design and implement traffic calming plan for Junipero Street and Independence Drive, $75,000 to $160,000
– Comprehensive review of Foothill Road from I-580 westbound off-ramp to Bernal Avenue and create a bicycle corridor plan, $50,000 for design and $600,000 for construction **
– Intersection improvements for Stanley Boulevard at Valley/Bernal avenues, $450,000 to $1 million **
– Interchange improvements study for bike/pedestrian access at (El Charro, Santa Rita, Hacienda, Hopyard, Foothill, Stoneridge, Bernal and Sunol), $80,000 **
– Design second Bernal Bridge across Arroyo de la Laguna with two eastbound driving lanes, a bike lane and a pedestrian sidewalk, $4 million to $5 million **
– Support state and regional efforts to improve Highway 84, including the widening to four lanes between Pigeon Pass and I-680
– BART to ACE Train: Monitor and mitigate Pleasanton impacts throughout the planning process, working with Dublin, Livermore and BART representatives
– Design/construct improvements at Sunol Boulevard/I-680 interchange, $10 million **
– Bicycle and pedestrian improvements on Santa Rita Road from the I-580 westbound off-ramp to Del Valle Parkway, $50,000 for design and $600,000 for construction **
– Initiate El Charro Road feasibility study and traffic modeling in partnership with Alameda County Transportation Commission **
– Widen westbound Bernal Avenue at First Street to allow for second left-turn lane **
– Long-term parking solution for ACE Train station **
General Plan
– Convert old Vineyard Avenue to a pedestrian and equestrian trail, $650,000 to $1 million
– Consolidate the Hacienda planned unit development and design guidelines
– See through feasibility study related to extending city water and sewer service to unincorporated Happy Valley
– Map the southeast hills consistent with Measure PP restrictions **
– Implement new regulations regarding accessory dwelling units **
– Update the city’s zoning code to streamline land-use review process among other changes
– Work with the developer and the East Bay Regional Park District to facilitate consideration of a medium-lot subdivision on the Lester property consistent with Measure PP restrictions and providing improved public access to Pleasanton Ridge **
– Monitor and participate in creation of Fairgrounds Master Plan
– Monitor the Plan Bay Area process **
Environmental awareness
– Continue with Phase I of recycled water distribution system
– Automated water meter infrastructure upgrade
– Adopt policy on water conveyance, conservation and diversification portfolio **
– Expand Phase I recycled water distribution system, $1.3-2.3 million **
– Initiate potable water feasibility study in collaboration with regional agencies **
– New refuse and recycling franchise agreement to manage solid waste services
– Develop drought management and water conservation strategies
– Initiate local feasibility study on community choice aggregation for alternative electricity program **
Public safety
– Construct new Fire Station No. 3 at same site, 3200 Santa Rita Road; $4.2 million **
– Update joint powers authority agreement with city of Livermore on Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department **
– Build North Pleasanton police substation
– Update city’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
– Design new emergency operations center at the fire training facility at Operations Services Center yard, $4 million **
– Design improvements for Fire Station No. 2 at 6300 Stoneridge Mall Road, $3.1 million **
– Regional effort for new ambulance transport contract **
Fiscal sustainability
– Complete development impact fee nexus study, which is required any time fees are adjusted. The city last updated its fees in 1998.
– Approve the city’s 2017-2021 capital improvement plan **
– Approve the city’s 2017-18 and 2018-19 operating budgets **
– Adopt a 10-year infrastructure and facilities replacement plan **
Economic development
– Work with participating property owners to complete the Economic Development Zone to incentivize redevelopment of Johnson Drive area with new freeway oriented land-uses, including commercial, office and retail
– Conduct in-depth citywide retail analysis **
– Initiate Smart City technology initiative **
– Infrastructure assessment and enhancement, such as broadband service and cell coverage
Organizational success
– Remove two old City Hall modular buildings, which now house the city’s IT and Community Services departments, $500,000 to $1 million **
– Adopt and implement Communications and Community Engagement Plan **
– Initiate labor negotiations with the Pleasanton Police Officers’ Association **
– Implement integrated initiatives for organizational success **
City services
– Jointly plan facilities for increased student population
– Assess city’s paratransit system to ascertain if greater efficiencies can be achieved
– Continue reporting on city’s performance metrics and initiate community satisfaction survey
Youth programs
– Create Health and Wellness Subcommittee of the Youth Commission
– Expand connections to youth and teen services
– Explore recruitment strategies to expand opportunities to youth and young adults **
Affordable housing
– New Kottinger Gardens affordable senior housing project, with first construction phase expected to wrap up this year
– Update city’s inclusionary housing ordinance
Bernal property
– Prepare a Bernal Community Farm Master Plan, $100,000 .
Editor’s note: ** indicates a new priority.
Nightmare.
Good activity to complete, but where is the focus on reducing city operating expenditures?
Still can’t figure why the cost of those 2 tennis courts went up over $350,000 from the previous estimate of the other 2 courts they tried to sneak in, got caught, then decided to put them where they should have gone in the first place?? It’s only taxpayer money, we must have deep pockets! I guess once they remove the 2 city modular buildings we will have to build that 200 million gold plated city center for the displaced employees to keep them off the “streets,” why not, our pockets are very deep.
@ RU Kiggingmii. So the reason it’s costing $350,000 more is that the neighbors were “asleep”??? Sorry can’t buy that excuse, pretty expensive nap, pretty sure the bidding processs doesn’t work that way. As for nobody using the original proposed area, it’s been winter, rainy and cold, the existing courts weren’t being used either! Spring is here now, picnics and parties are coming.
It would be nice if the Pleasanton Weekly had threaded comments.
@kdw Pleasanton can’t function by mob rule which would be the case if we voted by everything.
@Pleasanton Parents why would we focus on reducing expenditures when we need to be improving quality of life?
@Flightops the community could have attended the public hearing and approval process last year without opposition. Thats just negligence on their part. The city has since made a huge effort (from what I can tell) using Nextdoor, and Facebook to better communicate when the hearings take place.
Maybe the city could “communicate” why it’s going to cost $350,000 tax dollars more!! When they put their hand in my pocket I want to know what they are looking for!
Looks like a comprehensive list of things to consider. Many would be of benefit to our community.
“Widen westbound Bernal Avenue at First Street to allow for second left-turn lane”
“Continue to refine Civic Center/Library Master Plan”
“Design/construct two additional tennis courts at Tennis and Community Park”
“Infrastructure assessment and enhancement, such as broadband service and cell coverage”
“Work with participating property owners to complete the Economic Development Zone to incentivize redevelopment of Johnson Drive area with new freeway oriented land-uses, including commercial, office and retail”
Those would all make my list. Improving cell and broadband service should be a priority. I can’t understand why there was opposition to adding an AT&T cell tower Quarry Lane. There are definite improvements that can be made.
@Pleasanton Parent,
Was there a problem with excessive operating expenditures? Please elaborate.
I really wish we could all vote on specific projects we would like our tax dollars going to. This would be a quick way to weed out some that the public doesn’t really care about, as well as prioritize the ones we do.
Firstly, I attended this workshop and am impressed with how much these Council members do on our behalf. It is a huge personal as well as time commitment and they all should be commended. That being said, the decision to move forward with the El Charro Road extension feasibility study and traffic modeling project will prove to be a disaster to this community.
Their ‘models’ have often proven to be wrong – case in point is the issue with Owens Drive. Their ‘model’ concluded that a lane reduction would not be a problem. Well, as we all know ‘models’ and reality are two greatly different things.
Dublin cannot wait until El Charro goes all the way through to Stanley because that will allow them to bypass 580 for a more direct route to SB 680. It will not benefit Pleasanton residents one bit.
Flightops – the main reason for the $350K increase to the cost of the two new tennis courts is due to the fact that the residents in that neighborhood were asleep at the wheel when the original location was approved. It had been on the master plan for years and went through the public hearing and approval process last year without opposition. It was not until the construction fences went up that the neighborhood woke up and went ballistic. So, it cost all of us. BTW, every day I walk by the area where the first courts were proposed and the neighbors said they use that area every day, and so forth. Rarely if at all do I ever see any one on that section – but hey, whats another $350K???