CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: May 16, 2022
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. ___-22
APPROVING A PREFERRED LAND USE ALTERNATIVE FOR THE
PREPARATION OF THE UPDATE OF THE GENERAL PLAN AND
HOUSING ELEMENT
SYNOPSIS
The General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) and the Planning Commission (PC) have made recommendations to the City Council to adopt a proposed Preferred Land Use Alternative as part of the in-progress General Plan Update and Housing Element. The Preferred Land Use Alternative establishes the recommended land use changes as part of the General Plan Update and the Housing Element. Council’s adoption of an alternative will provide land use clarity so that staff and the consultant team may move forward with necessary environmental review for the General Plan and Housing Element.
DISCUSSION
Project Description
The City Council will hold a public hearing to consider recommendations from the GPAC and the PC on a preferred land use alternative related to the in-progress General Plan Update and Housing Element. The Council is asked to review the proposed alternative that identifies potential land use designation modifications throughout the City. City Council adoption of the alternative is a critical step that will allow the General Plan Update, Housing Element and necessary environmental review to continue its progress.
Background
On February 5, 2020, the GPAC met to discuss the results of the community feedback received from the Planning and Design Workshops and online engagement. This meeting was a follow-up to the November 19, 2019 GPAC Meeting where the members reviewed initial feedback from the Workshops earlier in November and where the GPAC finalized the General Plan Vision Statement and Guiding Principles.
Following the discussion on community feedback, the consultant team provided the GPAC with an overview of nine Focus Areas and the changes the community recommended to each area. The GPAC analyzed each Focus Area and discusssed what changes, if any, should occur, before finalizing a GPAC-Preferred Land Use Alternative consisting of preferred land uses within the final Focus Areas. Figure 1 of Attachment B shows the nine GPAC Focus Areas.
In May 2021, the GPAC began working with staff and the consultant team to revisit the 2020 GPAC-Preferred Land Use Alternative as part of the Housing Element Update process. At meetings on May 12 and June 23, 2021, the GPAC reviewed potential sites for higher density residential land uses, some of which overlap with the GPAC Focus Areas. On November 17, 2021, the GPAC recommended that staff carry forward nine Housing Element Opportunity Sites for consideration in conjunction with the changes proposed through the GPAC Focus Areas (see Attachment E).
In January 2022, the consultant team prepared a GPAC-Preferred Alternative Memo that summarized GPAC recommendations on both the Focus Areas and Housing Element Opportunity Sites. On January 26, 2022, the GPAC met to discuss the GPAC-Preferred Alternative Memo (Attachment D), receive and consider public input, and provide a final recommendation for each Focus Area.
On March 22, 2022, the PC held a public hearing to consider the recommendation of the GPAC.
After receiving public comment and considering the GPAC recommendation, the PC adopted PC Resolution No 9-22 (Attachment F) to forward a recommendation to the Council to adopt the GPAC’s proposed Preferred Land Use Alternative without any further modifications. As part of the hearing, the Commission recommended that Focus Area 2 – Mangini-Delu, have a maximum development allowance of 210 residential units throughout the site.
On April 27, 2022, the GPAC held a meeting at which the committee revisited the designation of the Mangini-Delu site (Focus Area 2) as a housing opportunity site (Attachment C). The GPAC agreed to remove the site from the Housing Element opportunity site inventory, but to keep it as part of the Preferred Land Use Alternative for the General Plan Update. Removal of Focus Area 2 from the housing opportunity site inventory eliminates various state-mandated constraints, including deadlines imposed by State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Further, removal will also allow the City to retain better discretion in determining future redevelopment of the site.
Analysis
A. Preferred Land Use Alternative
Attachment B provides additional information related to the Preferred Land Use Alternative, including Housing Opportunity sites.
Modifications Proposed at the January 26, 2022 General Plan Advisory Committee At the January 26, 2022 GPAC meeting, additional sites were included in certain Focus Areas. The following areas are noted with staff commentary.
Focus Area 2 – Taylor/Pleasant Hill (Mangini-Delu)
The GPAC clarified that the site should have a single land use/density designation that would accommodate 210 residential units.
Focus Area 3 – Downtown Pleasant Hill
The GPAC added commercial properties on the southeast corner of Contra Costa Boulevard and Gregory Lane (currently the site of the Sonesta Hotel, Rite-Aid, Staples, etc.). The Committee added this portion as an integral part of Downtown Pleasant Hill.
Focus Area 5 – Contra Costa Boulevard
The GPAC provided direction to add a row of single-family residential properties on Shirley Drive that back up onto Contra Costa Boulevard and amend the remaining singlefamily residential neighborhood to the east of Contra Costa Boulevard to have a mixed use designation. This would begin the transition to more intense uses along the heavily traveled Contra Costa Boulevard corridor. City staff noted that the Shirley Drive properties do not currently have direct access to Contra Costa Boulevard and with the existing properties to the west retaining a single-family residential designation, this might be an area that warrants delay of the consideration for a mixed use designation. The Planning Commission supported the recommendation of the GPAC for this Focus Area.
Focus Area 6 – Gregory Lane
The GPAC provided direction to designate all parcels in the vicinity of the Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill Road intersection as mixed-use high density and to amend all single-family properties within the Focus Area to mixed-use neighborhood. This will provide consistency of land uses along this area. Further, Gregory Lane is a heavily traveled corridor that over the long-term would benefit from a mixed use, rather than singlefamily residential, development pattern.
Focus Area 8 – Oak Park Boulevard
The GPAC added commercial parcels at the intersection of Patterson and Oak Park Boulevards to be consistent with adjacent and nearby parcels that were proposed to be redesignated to mixed-use neighborhood.
Focus Area 10 – JFK University Site and Sites along Ellinwood Way The GPAC recommended designating various parcels on the east side of Ellinwood Way with a Mixed Use High Density designation, and the former Boy Scouts of America office building at the north end of Ellinwood Way as Multi-Family Residential Low Density. The GPAC noted that this change could create more capacity for high density residential in an area currently served by sufficient infrastructure and surrounded by multi-family residential and multi-story commercial buildings. City staff cautioned that the area may have access concerns, though, as there are currently only two routes with limited carrying capacity leading into the area. This condition would have to be analyzed and addressed as part of more intensive development in this area. The Planning Commission supported the recommendation of the GPAC for this Focus Area.
B. Housing Element Opportunity Sites
Some Focus Areas contain Housing Opportunity sites, identified through the Housing Element update process. The selection of Housing Opportunity sites evolved over months of discussion with the GPAC and input from the public. An initial housing site map was presented for consideration, and after input from the GPAC, members of the public, and affected property owners, the final proposed Housing Opportunity sites were recommended by the GPAC at its November 17, 2021 meeting (see Attachment , with a subsequent modification to remove the Mangini-Delu Site (Site D) occurring at the April 27, 2022 GPAC meeting. Attachment B, provides more information on the recommended Housing Opportunity sites that would be identified as part of the Housing Element. All of the sites would accommodate development of (and provide the buffer and affordability levels required by) the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which requires the City to provide the land use and zoning capacity to accommodate 1,803 new housing units during the next eight-year Housing Element cycle (2023-2031).
Other Focus Areas include sites with higher or new residential density designations.
These sites are not included as Housing Opportunity sites. While Housing Opportunity sites are specifically identified for Housing Element compliance, the changes proposed for the additional parcels identified within some of the Focus Areas reflect the long-term land use vision of the City. The Council, by reviewing and recommending approval of the Preferred Land Use Alternative, would also be signaling simultaneous support for the Housing Element opportunity sites identified by the GPAC.
C. Minor Clean-Up Modifications
As part of the review of the General Plan Land Use map, staff identified sites that could be considered for modifications to land use designations. The Planning Commission supported the modifications as summarized below:
1791 Shirley Avenue (APN 153-223-012) – This site currently has a single-family residence, yet has an Office designation. The GPAC recommended this site have a mixed-use designation. If this recommended land use designation is made, the site would be consistent with the proposed changes to the land use designation of singlefamily properties to the north. 700 Ellinwood Way (APN 127-180-058 & 055) – This property currently has a hotel and a split land use designation, Office designation to the north and Commercial and Retail to the south, both containing a single hotel use. With the existing hotel use in place, the Commercial and Retail with a Tourist Commercial Overlay designation may be more appropriate.
650 Ellinwood Way (APN 127-210-031) – This site currently has an Office designation. There is a multi-story hotel onsite; thus, a change to apply the Commercial and Retail with a Tourist Commercial Overlay designation may be more appropriate.
3220 Buskirk Avenue (APN 148-100-045) – This site currently has a Commercial and Retail land use designation. However, given the presence of an existing multistory hotel on the property, applying the Tourist Commercial Overlay designation would be consistent with recent action by the City.
CEQA
Once City Council provides direction regarding the scope of the Preferred Land Use Alternative and resulting recommended land use changes, the City will conduct CEQA analysis of that scope.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made through posting of the City Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center and at the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
Notice of the meeting was also provided in the East Bay Times Newspaper published on April 16, 2022 and May 4, 2022, displayed on an A-Frame at the Police Station, displayed on the City Hall Changeable Message Board Sign, and on the City’s web page. The agenda and staff report are posted on the City’s web page.
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Adopt the proposed resolution to approve the Preferred Land Use Alternative for the General Plan Update so that staff and the consultant team may commence necessary environmental review for the General Plan and Housing Element.
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Do not adopt the Resolution.
2. Continue the item to a later date with direction provided to Staff.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment A Proposed Resolution
Attachment B Preferred Land Use Alternative Memorandum
Attachment C April 27, 2022 General Plan Advisory Committee Memorandum Attachment D January 26, 2022, General Plan Advisory Committee Memorandum Attachment E November 17, 2021 General Plan Advisory Committee Memorandum Attachment F Planning Commission Resolution No. 9-22
Attachment G Public Hearing Notice
Attachment H Public Comments
Prepared by: Troy Fujimoto, City Planner
Reviewed by: Ethan Bindernagel, Community Development Director and Assistant City Manager Approved by: June Catalano, City Manager