ORD 1765 - Laserfiche WebLink

Ordinance No. 1765 Page 4 Exhibit "A" FINDINGS SUPPORTING ADOPTION OF THE TRAFFIC DEVELOPMENT FEE 1. The City Council finds that as a result of increasing regional growth in the San Francisco - Bay Area, significant new residential, commercial, office and industrial development is expected to occur within the City of Pleasanton between now and build-out. This anticipated development, including development currently approved or submitted for approval, cumulatively will generate increases in vehicle trips by new residents, businesses and their employees. 2. Unless certain actions are taken, the above factors will result in adverse impacts such as: unacceptable levels of congestion on streets and at intersections; use of residential streets by "cut-through" traffic trying to avoid congestion; traffic accidents; air pollution; noise; and restrictions on access for emergency vehicles. The City Council finds that the cumulative impact of all new development under the General Plan (including development currently approved or submitted for approval) could result in such adverse impacts if no action is taken. To prevent these undesirable consequences, traffic improvements and reconstruction projects (collectively "traffic improvements") must be provided at a rate which will accommodate the expected growth in the City. 3. The City Council acknowledges that the demand for traffic improvements is shared by new development as well as existing development. The proposed Traffic Development Fee apportions the cost of some of the necessary traffic improvements among the different categories of new and existing users according to the reasonably estimated demand that each group of users places upon the transportation infrastructure. 4. It is a policy of the City, as set forth in the General Plan, that new development pay for the cost of improvements necessitated by the impacts of that new development. New development will pay for the cost of direct developer expenses for improvements necessary for its development, as well as the traffic development fee for other traffic improvements used by the residents and new employees of the new development. The City Council finds that the apportionment of new development's share of the costs of the necessary traffic improvements fulfills this General Plan goal. 5. In the absence of imposing a Traffic Development Fee, existing and future sources of revenue will not be adequate to fund the necessary traffic improvements identified in