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In communications with HCD and in court documents related to the Urban Habitat <br /> litigation, the City has stated its intention to complete the rezonings as soon as possible <br /> following the adoption of the updated General Plan. Although Program 19.1 has been <br /> satisfied in part with the approval (in October 2008) of the 350 -unit Windstar <br /> development at the new BART station, there remain 521 units to be accommodated <br /> under the 2003 Housing Element. In the meantime, the City has received its regional <br /> housing needs allocation for the next Housing Element which will require the City to <br /> plan for an additional 3,277 units, approximately 1,800 of which are to be affordable to <br /> very low- and low- income households. State housing law (Government Code, <br /> Section 65583.2(c)) requires that land counted towards the vacant lands inventory for <br /> housing for low and very-low income households be zoned for residential development <br /> at 30 units or more per acre. <br /> The transformation of Hacienda to a mixed use development integrated with the transit <br /> hub at the BART station was extensively discussed during the General Plan update <br /> process. In the General Plan adopted in July 2009, Hacienda is designated as Mixed <br /> Use /Business Park on the Land Use Map, and policies in the Land Use Element <br /> encourage the development of mixed use and residential densities that support <br /> affordable housing and transit. <br /> In August 2008, the City Council and the Planning Commission met in a Joint Workshop <br /> to discuss future planning options for the Hacienda area. At that meeting, the City <br /> Council directed the formation of a subcommittee to oversee a comprehensive PUD <br /> modification process, with extensive public input, that would identify a new vision for <br /> Hacienda, address park -wide planning objectives, and create modified development <br /> standards and design guidelines to be included in the individual site development <br /> proposals. <br /> As discussed at the Joint Workshop, the PUD modification process was deferred until <br /> the completion of the General Plan. The General Plan was adopted on July 21, 2009, <br /> and now it has been determined which property owners wish to participate and how <br /> they will jointly fund the necessary consultant services, the PUD modification process <br /> will commence shortly and is likely to take approximately nine to twelve months. <br /> Nevertheless, because of the pending litigation, staff believes immediate action should <br /> be taken to complete the rezonings on the three identified sites now that the General <br /> Plan has been adopted, and that these rezonings which do not involve any specific <br /> development proposals should proceed ahead of the comprehensive PUD <br /> modification process. <br /> If the City Council does not approve the proposed rezoning on at least Parcels 1 and 2 <br /> (sufficient to address the representation made by the City in Program 19.1 of the 2003 <br /> Housing Element), the claim that the City is in violation of the State Housing Element <br /> Law will continue to be litigated. If the Court were to find that the City is in violation of <br /> the Housing Element Law, it will direct the City to come into compliance, presumably by <br /> directing the City to rezone sufficient property in Pleasanton to accommodate the unmet <br /> housing need. The Court could, moreover, direct that no building permits be issued <br /> until the rezonings occurred. <br /> Page 3 of 12 <br />