COUNCIL AGENDA: 04/25/2023
ITEM: 8.4
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND
CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Mayor Mahan
Councilmember Candelas
Councilmember Ortiz
Councilmember Foley
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: 04/21/23
APPROVED:
SUBJECT: City-Led Engagement Process for Pleasant Hills Golf Course
RECOMMENDATION
1. Approve staff recommendations with these additions:
a) Direct staff to ensure community engagements include but are not limited to hybrid meetings, surveys, and workshops.
b) Direct staff to work with the consultant team to complete the summary of the public engagement process and Guiding Principles document for Council consideration no later than summer 2024.
c) Direct staff to publish an informational memorandum by January 2024 with a progress update on the community engagement process, as well as the CEQA and General Plan and Zoning application review processes.
BACKGROUND
Robust community engagement is essential to the success of any development during high community interest, particularly when it involves such a large parcel of land like the 115-acre Pleasant Hills Golf Course property. The involvement of the surrounding community allows for a collaborative approach. This ensures the development meets the needs and desires of the neighborhood. The City’s community engagement undertaking can take many forms, including hybrid public meetings (a diversity of days/times), surveys, and workshops, which provide opportunities for community members to voice their concerns and provide feedback. By allowing the community to lead in the planning process, developers can create a project that is responsive to the needs of the community and fosters a sense of ownership and pride in the new development. It should be noted that any outreach conducted prior to the start of this engagement
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
04/25/2023
Subject: City-Led Engagement Process for Pleasant Hills Golf Course
Rev 1/2018
process was done in good faith to notify the residents about the project but is separate from the required engagements included in the staff memorandum.
This development has the potential to significantly impact the character and makeup of the surrounding neighborhood. By engaging with the community, developers can ensure that the project meets the needs of both current and future residents. This may include considerations such as access to public transportation, the preservation of green space, and the availability of community amenities like grocery stores and other commercial retail. Public transit in this area is almost non-existent and should be a leading theme in the engagement process. Ultimately, a robust community engagement process during the development of this property is a necessary step in creating a project that is both successful and beneficial to all involved.
The signers of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.