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C =/O%%= HACIENDA ( h\ OC!'s _A,,OC 1x';o❑ August 15, 2013 Mr. Mike Tassano Traffic Engineer City of Pleasanton 200 Bernal Avenue Pleasanton, California 94566 Re: PUD Modification Residential Development Dear Mike: ATTACHMENT 7 This letter is being provided as comment following our recent meeting concerning the work being done to examine the impacts of newly approved residential uses in Hacienda. As you know, we have had a great deal of interest in the analysis that the City of Pleasanton has done over the last several years concerning how residential development proposed for Hacienda can be incorporated with other existing and proposed projects. We believe that the city has performed a thorough examination, particularly of the traffic impacts which are typically of most concern, of a number of alternative scenarios and concur with your findings that the seven residential sites recently rezoned can be accommodated within Hacienda without compromising the project as it is currently approved. Historically, Hacienda traffic impacts have been carefully measured. As was noted in our meetings, the concern over traffic and the requirement that our project do more than simply maintain city mobility standards has been at the forefront of Hacienda discussions since the development's inception. So much so that, since 1993, allowable development within Hacienda has been calculated on a traffic based formula. The traffic evaluations done as a part of three separate environmental evaluations including the recent General Plan update, the review of sites rezoned as part of the Hacienda Task Force work and the Housing Element update, are critical in that they have amply demonstrated that Hacienda can well accommodate the proposed residential construction within its existing framework. With the adoption of your proposed recommendation, an important clarification will be provided within our Planned Unit Development ordinances that will confirm that concerns raised over traffic and other impacts have been more than adequately addressed. Given the fact that, as the economy recovers, we will eventually be approached with proposals for projects within Hacienda, it is imperative that any uncertainty regarding allowable development be removed so that prospective tenants and new projects have a clear understanding of how our location can meet their needs. It should also be noted that the aforementioned environmental analysis is an important affirmation of the underlying objectives sought for Hacienda as a result of the General Plan update. In keeping with the General Plan's emphasis on sustainability, the ability to deliver on the promise of projects that will bring about sustainable ends means Pleasanton will be able to see real progress in meeting its goals. Likewise, the city's analysis has also demonstrated that Hacienda can be used as a tool to help Pleasanton meet its state housing obligations without the cost of additional infrastructure that would be needed in any other location in the community and without impacting other critical economic objectives. This is readily understood given the fact that Hacienda was designed and built to accommodate substantially more development than it is presently limited to under current regulations. With the considerable investment that Hacienda has made in the community over the years, Pleasanton now has a perfect infill opportunity that will substantially reduce unavoidable impacts that would be created with the same projects elsewhere in the city all while preserving the important contributions already contemplated under the existing plan. 4473 Willow Road, Suite 105, Pleasanton, California 94588 -8570 Phone 925.734.6500 Fax 925.734.6501 e -mail info@hacienda.org www www.hacienda.org