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guidelines, and case-specific studies such as traffic reports and acoustical analyses. These documents are reviewed by staff, the public is notified and input received, and public hearings are held by the Planning Commission and City Council. In some cases, the Housing Commission first considers the project to make recommendations and to assess the affordability of the project and its compliance with the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance; this occurs during, not after, staffs review of the project. The environmental review for these projects is usually an EIR or Negative Declaration (or Mitigated Negative Declaration), unless the project is within a Specific Plan area for which an EIR was previously prepared, in which case no further environmental analysis occurs. The Planning Commission makes its recommendation to the City Council, which adopts an ordinance approving a PUD development plan. The City's goal is to process PUID applications within 6 months; however, an application can take longer to process depending on its complexity, such as when an EIR is required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA,). The City encourages, prior to submittal of a formal PUD application, the use of the Preliminary Review process. Although not required, the City has found that this three-to four-week review process facilitates and shortens the overall process. No fee is required and detailed plans are not encouraged; submittal of a rough site plan and conceptual building designs is sufficient to achieve the intended purpose,which is to identify key issues, make suggestions to improve the project, and assign a staff person to work with the developer. In some cases, neighborhood meetings or workshops conducted by the Housing Commission or Planning Commission are held. Development in conventional zoning districts requires only design review and possibly conditional use permit approval. These typically require Planning Commission and sometimes City Council approval, although the City has been streamlining its use-permit process and has amended its Code to allow approval of second units at the staff level. Shelters, transitional housing, and non-PUD multiple-family housing developments would also go to the Planning Commission. If they are handled with a Negative Declaration or are categorically exempt, it is the City's goal to process these applications within approximately 8 weeks; however, the process can be longer depending on the complexity of the application. Variances, minor subdivisions, lot-line adjustments, design review for single-family homes, and minor changes to approved PUD's and design review projects are also handled administratively. It is the City's goal to process these applications within six weeks. The City's review process is coordinated so that staffs planning, building, and engineering review occurs simultaneously through a Staff Review Board. Furthermore, after project approval is obtained, these divisions work together in the building permit and final map processes so that plan check occurs simultaneously among all divisions to streamline this portion of the process. The Building and Safety Division coordinates the plan-check and permit-issuance procedure, while the Engineering Division coordinates the final map approval process. For projects which have been approved, the Building Division offers an expedited outside plan check process. Policy 31 of Pleasanton's 2003 Housing Element allows for an expedited permit process as an incentive for housing developments which include at least 25 percent very-low and low-income housing unit held in perpetuity. This policy is incorporated in Pleasanton's 2007-2014 Housing Element. City of Pleasanton Housing Element BACKGROUND—February 2012 92