Attachment B
2022 Annual General Plan and Housing Element Implementation Report Status of General Plan Activities
The following are highlights of significant recent General Plan implementation actions by the City:
1. Downtown commercial projects reviewed and approved, including the East Plaza site improvements, an exterior remodel for Citibank, and several new signs for downtown tenants. (Community Development [CD] Goal 3, CD Policy 3A, Economic Strategy [ES] Goal 1, 2 & 3, ES Policy 2C, 3C, 3D &4A).
2. The City approved various retail commercial improvements, including Ace Hardware, and Pep Boys and Advance Auto Parts (CD Goal 3, ES Goal 1, 2, 3 & 4)
3. The City approved new personal service and personal improvement service uses at 2255 Morello Avenue (CD Policy 2A & Goal 3, ES Goal 1, 2).
4. The City approved various improvements to single-family sites throughout the City (CD Goal 1).
5. The City approved various wireless telecommunication projects throughout the City, which will improve wireless phone coverage (ES Goal 3).
6. The City approved various residential projects including an 82 unit senior affordable development at 490 Golf Club Road and 6 unit (with 2 affordable ADUs) residential development project along the 6200 block of Alhambra Avenue, known as Sancerre Village; various minor subdivisions, multiple single-family homes and accessory dwelling units throughout the City (CD Goal 2 & CD Goal 3, HE Program 1.5, HE Program 2.1 & 3.3).
7. The City continued the overall update of the City’s General Plan and Housing Element component of the General Plan. The City submitted a draft Housing Element to the State Housing and Community Development Department in December 2022 and the public review draft of the General Plan was released in December 2022. Adoption of both is expected in Spring 2023.
8. The City adopted Residential Objective Design Standards that apply Citywide (CD Goal 1).
9. The City adopted a permanent ordinance related to recently passed State legislation, specifically Senate Bill 9 (urban lot splits and two unit projects) (HE Goal 2).
10. The City adopted an urgency ordinance related to recently passed State legislation for accessory dwelling units (HE Goal 2 & HE Program 3.4).
11. An annual $235,000 payment from the Redevelopment Agency’s Successor Agency to Grayson Creek Apartments (100% affordable), was made in 2022. These payments will continue until 2031 (totaling $7,820,000) and are included in the Successor Agency’s Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule (HE Program 3.6).
12. The City completed Code Enforcement activity (closed over 151 cases and fielded over 2,392 email correspondences) throughout the City in part to keep up the physical appearance of the City and to ensure neighborhood nuisances are minimized (CD Goal 1).
13. The City supported small businesses by allocating $500,000 for business grants and other programs that will benefit the City’s local merchants. This Small Business Economic Stimulus initiative is being funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds. (ES Goal 1 & 2 )
14. The first program of the Small Business Economic Stimulus Initiative was the Pleasant Hill Perks Program, launched in 2022. The program provided a 50% “Bonus” to every e-Gift card purchased by local consumers. The e-Gift cards were redeemable at participating Pleasant Hill retail stores, restaurants, and personal care service business and generated “shop local” opportunities for residents and visitors to support local merchants.
In total, 2,698 Pleasant Hill Perks e-Gift cards were purchased, ranging from $5 to $100, for a total of $189,770. These e-Gift cards have been and will continue to be redeemed, infusing almost $190,000 into the 51 participating businesses and the local economy. (ES Goal 1 & 2)
15. The Website & Marketing Technical Assistance Grant Program is also a part of the Small Business Economic Stimulus Initiative. This program will provide grants of up to $7,000 to assist retail stores, restaurants, and personal care businesses to enhance their technical capacity across several categories, including:
Online purchasing and pick-up/delivery functionality. Social media set-up and strategy (Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, Google Maps). Email listserv and survey set-up and strategy.
Business profile videos and/or professional photos that can be uploaded onto business websites and used for marketing on social media. (ES Goal 1, 2, & 3).
16. Collaborate on cross-marketing efforts with the City’s economic development partners, and assist them with City special event and signage permits, to increase awareness of Downtown and downtown businesses, and economic activity citywide.
These partners include the Downtown Shopping Center property owner, Chamber of Commerce, Stay Pleasant Hill, and Recreation and Parks District. For example, the City helped organize and promote the Downtown Light Up the Night Event and Holiday Tree Lighting in December. (ES Goal 1 & 2).
17. Facilitate special events that promote quality of life and support local businesses.
For example, the City:
Facilitated the successful return of Off the Grid.
Partnered with Pleasant Hill Recreation in the sponsorship of 11 special events.
Assisted the Chamber of Commerce with their special event permit for the Art, Wine & Music Festival.
Collaborated with the Downtown Shopping Center property owner to organize and promote Light Up the Night.
(CD Goal 16, ES Goal 1).
18. The City completed the extension of the Pleasant Hill Tourism Improvement District (“Stay Pleasant Hill”) for five additional years. By renewing Stay Pleasant Hill, the City is now guaranteed a revenue stream for the marketing and promotion of the City’s hotels and attractions until 2027. Approximately $700,000 will be generated annually for this purpose from a small assessment paid by Pleasant Hill hotel guests.
Stay Pleasant Hill will continue to work on implementation and marketing campaigns to increase visibility of Pleasant Hill hotels and encourage more overnight hotel stays. In addition to increasing hotel usage, Stay Pleasant Hill also gives a boost to all of the City’s businesses by bringing additional visitors into the City to shop and eat at all of our local businesses, and by providing free marketing for many of our establishments. (ES Goal 1, 2, 4 & 5).
19. Served on the Stay Pleasant Hill (SPH) Board of Directors to assist SPH with carrying out their annual requirements and obligations, and to help promote the City’s hotels, attractions, and businesses. (ES Goal 1 & 2) More detailed information on Housing Element Programs and related implementation actions is noted in Exhibit A. The City continues to actively pursue implementation of the goals, policies, and programs of its 2003 General Plan.
In addition to the examples mentioned above, the following are examples of recent General Plan implementation actions included in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan:
1. New City Library
On July 30, 2022, the City of Pleasant Hill, in partnership with the Contra Costa County Library, celebrated the opening of the new Pleasant Hill Library at 2 Monticello Avenue. Construction of the Library was made possible in 2016 through the voterapproved Measure K, a half-cent sales tax.
The state-of-the-art facility’s collection exceeds 50,000 new books and boasts a bevy of new technology, including Sustainable Smart Technology used in the heating/cooling system as well as energy conservation. As part of the City’s “green” initiative, a massive solar array was installed on the roof and generates all the energy required for this net zero, carbon zero facility. State-of-the art climate controls respond dynamically to data streamed from a weather monitor on the roof. The Library won a Sustainability Award in 2021 from the Contra Costa Water District for the project’s extended use of recycled water for landscaping and beautification. (CD Goal 14)
2. Oak Park and Monticello Improvement Project
Monticello Avenue has been completely reconstructed between Oak Park Boulevard and Santa Barbara Road and serves as the entryway to the new Pleasant Hill Library, Recreation & Park District athletic fields, residential housing and Pleasant Hill Middle School. The project provided pavement rehabilitation and construction, roadside benches, furniture, new sidewalks, ADA-compliant curb
ramps, bicycle lanes, utility upgrades, drought-tolerant landscape, a new traffic signal system and ornamental LED street lighting. Traffic signage was installed, as was a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) for a pedestrian crosswalk on Monticello Avenue. The most challenging engineering aspect of the project was the design of the storm drain system. This area lies just outside of the floodplain, as defined by FEMA.
Storm water historically sheet-flowed across the new library site, towards Grayson Creek. The Engineering team was tasked with designing a system that mimicked the “pre-development’ floodplain. The resulting, complex system consists of a series of large drainage inlets, a 100-ft long concrete structure located beneath the sidewalk, two detention basins, large diameter pipes, and three re-built outfalls. (C Goal 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9).
3. Pleasant Hill Road Sidewalk Project – ADA Improvement The Pleasant Hill Road Sidewalk Project (Pleasant View to Cumberland) was completed in March 2022 as part of the Measure K funded 5 year project list, provides new sidewalks on the west side of Pleasant Hill Road between Pleasant View Drive and Cumberland Drive. Construction of this sidewalk eliminated the last remaining sidewalk gap along Pleasant Hill Road between Oak Park Boulevard and Gregory Lane, ultimately allowing students in the area to walk safely to/from Pleasant Hill Elementary School.
This project was funded by Measure K, and a state funded Safe Routes to School TDA grant. (C Goal 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9).
4. 2021 Signage & Striping Project – Various Locations
The 2021 Signage & Striping Project, completed in March 2022 as part of the Measure J and Gas-Tax-funded 5-year project list provides new traffic striping, markings, posts, signs and raised pavement markers at various locations throughout the City. These devices are important roadway features and are required for the safe movement of vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles on the roadway.
To promote pedestrian safety, construction of the new signage and striping was prioritized primarily near the following schools and trails: Pleasant Hill Elementary, Sequoia Elementary and Middle School, Diablo Valley College and the Contra Costa Canal Trail. (C Goal 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9).
5. Storm Drain Improvements Program – Random Way & Poshard Street The City’s Storm Drain Improvement Program provides the installation of new storm drain facilities and/or the upgrade/repair of existing storm drain facilities. The City completed storm drain inlet repairs on Random Way and Poshard Street in July 2022.
The storm drain program list is prioritized to favor projects with lower cost improvements that may have the greatest impact to reduce localized flooding. (SN Goal 1)
6. Taylor Boulevard-Civic Drive Intersection & Pathway Improvement Project The Taylor Boulevard-Civic Drive Intersection & Pathway Improvement Project is part of the approved 5-year project list for the City’s Measure K Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Program. The project, which is currently in the final design phase, will install a new traffic signal at the Taylor Boulevard-Civic Drive intersection, new crosswalks and a new sidewalk on Civic Drive between Taylor Boulevard and the Police Department driveway. Other enhancements include installation of ADA-compliant curb ramps, LED safety lights, signage and striping. The project’s design phase began in 2022 and construction is currently scheduled for summer 2023. (C Goal 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9).
7. Contra Costa Boulevard Improvement Project – Viking Drive to Harriet Drive The Contra Costa Boulevard Improvement Project – Viking Drive to Harriet Drive, will construct corridor “complete streets’ enhancements. Project improvements will follow previously adopted landscaping, street lighting and bike/pedestrian design templates along Contra Costa Boulevard (CCB). Key project components include intersection geometry modification (with new traffic signal) at CCB/Taylor Drive, a new traffic signal at CCB/Alan Drive, new concrete sidewalks, new landscaping along median and sidewalk areas, new bike lanes, pavement rehabilitation and new LED street lighting. The project is partially funded with $4.9M Measure J funds. The project’s design phase began in 2022 and construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2023.(C Goal 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9).
8. Annual Creek Maintenance Program
The Annual Creek Maintenance Program is a citywide maintenance effort that began after flooding in January 1997. Since then, the City works with property owners that abut one of the many creeks in the City (Murderer’s, Matson, Grayson, Ellinwood, Linda, North and Belle Ditch) to clear them of debris and vegetation that have accumulated and grown over the years, in accordance with the City’s “Directions and Guidelines for Creek Maintenance.” (SN Goal 1).
9. Diablo View Storm Drain Improvement Project
A subdivision west of Pleasant Hill Road composed of Diablo View Road, Wildwood Place, Limewood Place and Wildwood Court, collects storm water runoff into a pipe system that runs east under Pleasant Hill Road and into a private ditch and pipe before flowing into a roadside ditch on Diablo View Road. The system is undersized, causing several properties adjacent to the private ditch to be susceptible to flooding during significant rain events.
The City project will intercept the storm water before it reaches private property through installation of new storm drain piping and inlets along Pleasant Hill Road and Diablo View Road that connect to the existing storm drain system. This project is the next priority listed on the 5-Year Storm Drain Plan. The project’s design phase began in 2022 with completion expected in March 2023. (SN Goal 1).
10. Downtown Streetscape Improvement Project
The Downtown Streetscape Improvement Project, located along Crescent Drive between Boyd Road and Contra Costa Boulevard, will give the downtown a vibrant new look, and improve the health and wellbeing of our street trees. The project will remove and replace existing damaged sidewalk; replace 55 Bradford Pear trees; augment tree well sizes to ensure tree health and growth; upgrade the existing irrigation system and soil; and install permeable pavers.
The project’s design phase began in 2022 and will take approximately 6-9 months to complete. The project will occur in three phases: Phase 1 (Crescent Drive between Contra Costa Boulevard and Crescent Plaza), which is expected to begin in winter 2023; Phase 2 (Crescent Drive between Crescent Plaza and Boyd Road); and Phase 3 (Crescent Plaza).
This project is funded in partnership with the downtown property owner, and uses both Measure K and Assessment District 20 funds. (CD Goal 6).