The Pleasanton Metropolis Council is ready check out an present coverage within the Downtown Particular Plan (DSP) meant to “enliven” the downtown core with extra consumers and pedestrians, and take into account potential adjustments to permit some extra “non-active” use on the bottom flooring of retail and industrial areas at its regular meeting on Tuesday, beginning 7 p.m.
Although stemming from a particular merchandise that got here to town not too long ago, employees mentioned the presentation “gives a possibility for dialogue of all features of the energetic floor flooring use coverage.”
Final up to date in 2019, the DSP’s “energetic floor flooring use overlay” coverage prohibits non-active first-floor makes use of alongside Predominant Road, with some exceptions. In line with a employees report, the coverage goals to advertise “an energetic pedestrian surroundings on the bottom flooring of a industrial constructing, and contains retail institutions, eating places, bars and brew pubs, artwork and crafts studios.”
Employees mentioned that “the primary 25% of a floor flooring tenant area, measured perpendicular to the facade fronting a chosen energetic avenue, should be devoted to an energetic use” to make sure companies find their energetic makes use of on the entrance, the place they’re extra seen from the road, and “characterize greater than a ‘token’ quantity.”
When the DSP was final up to date, employees mentioned “there was appreciable dialogue among the many job drive and different stakeholders on the professionals and cons of those insurance policies, which in the end sought to strike a steadiness between preserving ground-floor areas alongside Predominant Road for energetic makes use of, whereas offering some restricted exceptions meant to keep away from undue hardship to property house owners.”
A number of exceptions had been carved out for tenant areas “topic to an prolonged emptiness of those areas; to accommodate distinctive conditions (comparable to multi-tenant or multi-uses inside a single constructing or area); and to account for some particular challenges for sure Predominant Road properties, comparable to leasing purpose-built financial institution buildings for different makes use of.”
The coverage additionally permits for “different makes use of decided by the director of neighborhood improvement to be considerably much like the foregoing, or to have distinctive traits such that the goals of the overlay district can be met.”
In December, town obtained an software from Iron Horse Actual Property to open for enterprise in a ground-floor area at 550 Predominant St., “citing its inclusion of a retail element of the enterprise, at the side of an actual property workplace, a non-active use, as a foundation to be allowed to occupy the area.” The appliance was initially denied based mostly on “inadequate proof … that the retail element would meet the standards established.”
After making some changes to the unique proposal, the applicant appealed the choice to the Planning Fee in February. The fee concluded “that the entrance portion … of the enterprise can be devoted to retail gross sales, and offered extra supporting info to exhibit that the use can be a bona fide retail enterprise.”
The enchantment was profitable and the fee then requested the council to “take into account the insurance policies for energetic ground-floor makes use of.” The council agreed, and directed employees in March to look into the matter for additional dialogue.
Employees mentioned the present coverage must be “extra stringent, to higher meet the intent of the DSP, and keep away from abuse,” and an modification needs to be written so “that any non-active element in a multiple-use occupancy can be ancillary clearly subordinate and secondary to the energetic use.”
To that finish, employees has urged “two main adjustments.”
The primary would restrict any non-active element comparable to subleased skilled workplace area or private providers “to occupy a extra minor quantity of the tenant area,” with energetic use occupying a minimum of 60% of the sq. footage of the tenant area, in comparison with the 25% presently allowed.
The second change would find non-active makes use of “within the rear of the tenant area or in any other case be situated in order to not be distinguished or seen from the road.”
In lieu of employees suggestion, the council might additionally “choose to specify a special steadiness of energetic and non-active makes use of which may be allowed, or disallow any non-active element inside a floor flooring area altogether until permitted via one other sort of exception.”
Employees identified “retaining a point of flexibility to accommodate makes use of which have energetic and non-active parts is more likely to be useful for companies and landlords, and promote occupancy of Predominant Road areas,” and that “such combined operations ought to be capable to preserve consistency with the coverage intent of the overlay.”
The council will deliberate over the present coverage and supply route on Tuesday earlier than employees is predicted to develop and return with a draft coverage for adoption at a later date. Stakeholder teams just like the Pleasanton Downtown Affiliation and Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce can be consulted as a part of the method.
In different enterprise
* The town’s draft two-year working funds and four-year capital enchancment program (CIP) will endure a assessment on Tuesday. Particular person shows for each gadgets can be given, adopted by a associated public listening to that night.
Each two years, the council and employees go over estimated expenditures and revenues for varied tasks below the CIP earlier than formally adopting the ultimate funds. The method additionally offers the chance for public remark, receiving extra info or route, and addressing any lingering questions concerning the funds.
Finances expenditures “are $195.1 million and $205.9 million, respectively, for the working funds, and $28.4 million and $16 million for the capital enchancment program” throughout fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23, in accordance with a employees report.
The funds features a “complete detailed account, forecast and plan” of town’s complete revenues and expenditures, together with the overall fund in addition to enterprise, capital, inner service and particular income funds.
The town’s working funds offers largely with ongoing working bills and revenues comparable to packages, routine upkeep and personnel prices, whereas the CIP handles one-time bigger scale infrastructure enhancements and enlargement tasks and doesn’t embrace any personnel associated bills.
Each the CIP and two-year working funds paperwork comprise details about budgetary points, alternatives and targets, with a give attention to “areas deemed by the Metropolis Council to be excessive precedence.”
Employees mentioned, “In consequence, the funds maintains present service ranges and meets capital wants in a manner that addresses not solely new packages and capital tasks, however a variety of upkeep tasks associated to roadways, parks, water, and sewer techniques. On this manner it meets council, neighborhood, and employees targets.”
Some big-ticket gadgets listed within the CIP embrace transportation and avenue infrastructure tasks like annual sealing and resurfacing on quite a lot of native roadways, repairing the world round West Las Positas Boulevard and Tassajara Street, and enhancements on the intersection of Hopyard Street and Owens Drive, Bernal Avenue and First Road, and on Nevada Road.
Quite a few bicycle and pedestrian enhancements are additionally included comparable to constructing the Outdated Winery Avenue Path and including bike lanes all through town. Different gadgets listed embrace softball subject home and sales space renovations, in addition to annual playground upgrades.
In complete, town cited greater than $40.63 million in transportation and avenue infrastructure tasks, together with $5.9 million in parks tasks.
One other $15.3 million is earmarked for miscellaneous tasks comparable to fence installations, sound wall restore and substitute, discovering a short-term parking resolution on the ACE Station, and renovations at Centennial Towers Plaza. That funds additionally contains Section 1 design of the Bernal Neighborhood Farm.
The council will obtain and focus on employees’s findings on Tuesday earlier than they’re anticipated to vote on the ultimate funds on June 15.
