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In general, the Planning, Building, and Engineering Divisions staff the public information counter nine hours a day, five days a week to assist applicants and the general public. At the counter are a series of handouts on the City's various review procedures which describe the process, list submittal requirements, and provide a review flowchart/timeline. For some areas of the City, there are design guidelines which indicate the types of development and architectural styles preferred for that area so that property owners and developers know in advance the type of proposal which would be likely to get approved. Also available at the counter are frequently used Code sections, application forms, copies of recent publications, and contact information for City Council members and Commissioners. There are many factors which influence the cost and supply of housing, both market-rate and affordable, in the Bay Area. The availability of a plentiful, unconstrained, and inexpensive supply of land and a risk-free approval process would encourage housing development at affordable prices. As is currently the case with virtually all communities in the Bay Area, those conditions are no longer present in Pleasanton. Pleasanton is part of a very large housing market, and without government intervention, much less affordable housing would be built. Citizen concerns over freeway congestion, environmental quality, and availability of drinking water supplies, among many other issues, have led to Federal and State mandates which often increase the time, cost, and risk of the local development review processes. Complying with requirements such as urban storm-water runoff, wetland mitigation, and wildlife preservation are Pleasanton's goals as well, and the City strives to streamline its development review process to produce housing at all levels while meeting these requirements. With respect to the other communities in the Bay Area, the City of Pleasanton's development review process compares favorably in terms of timing and cost; therefore, it cannot be concluded that the process alone is a significant constraint to the production of housing. Nevertheless, the City is aware of the need to maintain a process favorable to housing development, and it maintains a staff development coordination committee to continue working to remove barriers to the process. Development proposals on the housing sites rezoned in 2012 (Sites 25 through 33) will also go through the process outlined in the PUD ordinance. However, projects on these sites will be evaluated relative to specific Site Development Standards and Design Guidelines adopted in August of 2012, which provide clear direction on what is required by the City for approval of a project on these sites. These sites have already been evaluated for development with residential use in the Housing Element Environmental Impact Report. Necessary mitigation for identified environmental impacts has been identified and will be applicable to future development proposals on these sites. On-and Off-Site Improvements New development is required to provide public improvements to serve its new residents. The City has adopted engineering standards to inform developers of how these improvements should be constructed, and these standards are reduced where appropriate to save costs or to enable a better fit of the project with the surrounding area (such as reduced street widths for hill area developments). Public improvement obligations include providing streets, curb, gutter, sidewalks, City of Pleasanton Housing Element BACKGROUND—February 2012 93