City of Pleasant Hill
Planning Division
MEMORANDUM
TO: General Plan Advisory Committee
FROM: Troy Fujimoto, Planning Division
DATE: April 27, 2022
SUBJECT: Pleasant Hill Housing Element – Mangini-Delu Housing Opportunity Site Background
On February 5, 2020, the GPAC met to discuss the results of community feedback received from the 2019 Planning and Design Workshops and online engagement. Following the discussion on community feedback, the GPAC considered nine Focus Areas and finalized a 2020 GPACPreferred Land Use Alternative.
In 2021, the GPAC began working with staff and the consultant team to revisit the 2020 GPACPreferred Land Use Alternative to consider potential sites for higher density residential land uses as part of the Housing Element Update. The GPAC considered public input and recommended that staff carry forward eight Housing Element Opportunity Sites, with one site, Site D: Mangini-Delu, including a master plan requirement.
The eight Housing Element Opportunity Sites have an estimated total residential capacity of more than 1,400 units toward the state-identified goal of zoning to accommodate capacity for 1,803 units. Housing Opportunity Sites include:
A: DVC Overflow Lot
D: Mangini-Delu Area
F: TAP Plastics
G: Gregory Gardens Shopping Center
I: Pleasant Hill/Gregory Lane
J: Gregory/Contra Costa Boulevard
M: Monument Triangle Area
N: Former JCPenney Furniture Store
The city's Housing Element Opportunity Sites, combined with other vacant and underutilized sites, current pipeline projects, and assumed accessory dwelling unit development, are estimated to exceed the City’s RHNA (and required 20 percent buffer) by approximately 350 units.
On January 26, 2022, the GPAC revisited the 2020 GPAC-Preferred Alternative to incorporate the eight Housing Element Opportunity Sites and final recommendations into an updated 2022 GPACPreferred Land Use Alternative.
State Requirements Related to Housing Element Opportunity Sites The State requires that rezonings proposed as a part of the Housing Element occur within three years of the adoption deadline (January 2023), and limits this to one year if the Housing Element is not certified within 120 days of the deadline. Additionally, sites identified in more than two consecutive housing elements must allow residential uses by-right, without imposing additional discretionary approval processes.
Discussion
The Mangini-Delu site (see Figure on next page) includes a proposed rezone and master plan requirement. The site was also identified in the previous two housing elements but has yet to develop. If included in the current Housing Element Update, the site would be required to allow residential uses by-right, subject only to objective design and development standards, and the master plan would need to be completed before the City rezones the site. If the site is not included as an Opportunity Site in the current Housing Element, these requirements would not be imposed.
Based on past discussions with the GPAC, staff recommends that the Mangini-Delu site move forward as part of the 2022 GPAC Preferred General Plan Land Use Alternative with the current proposed land use designation and the 210 housing unit cap and be excluded as a Housing Element Opportunity Site. Removal of the site would not impact the City's ability to provide sufficient capacity to meet the RHNA as there is a surplus of approximately 350 units. In addition, excluding the site from the Housing Element will allow the City, the necessary time and flexibility to properly address the concerns voiced by the public without having an HCD-imposed deadline that could curtail necessary review and hamper more thoughtful consideration for the future planning of this site.
Please note, the Housing Element identifies residential capacity to meet the housing goals set by the State in the RHNA. Regardless of inclusion of a site within the Housing Element, all residential projects permitted during the housing element cycle are counted toward fulfilling the City’s RHNA obligation.