Laserfiche WebLink
BACKGROUND <br /> The City Council has allocated funding for the Bernal Community Park, Phase II Lighted Multi- <br /> Purpose Sports Fields and the Oak Woodland area with the expectation that additional funding <br /> will be provided through cooperative arrangement with the sports groups that will use the park <br /> most heavily. At the time this matter was presented to the Commission in August 2012, there <br /> was uncertainty regarding the inclusion of the 38-acre Oak Woodland area however, the City <br /> Council's funding allocation assumes full development of this area. The Oak Woodland area is <br /> the grand open space at the heart of the Bernal property referred to in the Bernal Specific Plan <br /> as the "Grand Meadows". Occupying nearly 40 acres immediately west of the community park's <br /> Phase 1 and Phase 2 park areas, the Oak Woodland will provide a passive open space not <br /> found in many existing city parks. This area generally adheres to the 800-foot buffer for the <br /> homes on Oak Vista Way. <br /> Staff is encouraging the project architect to proceed with all aspects of park/ Oak Woodland <br /> design with the goal of being in a position to issue a construction bid in spring 2014. To that end, <br /> staff is intending to present Oak Woodland Schematic Plan to the City Council at its February 4, <br /> 2014 meeting and as a result, it is requesting your Commission's recommendation be forwarded <br /> to the City Council as part of that report. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> Location for an Additional City Dog Park <br /> Over the past few years the Commission has expressed an interest in an additional dog park to <br /> meet the need for this type of facility and this matter was discussed most recently as part of the <br /> Staples Ranch Park Master Plan process and the current Pleasanton Master Plan process. Prior <br /> to that time, there was considerable discussion regarding the potential for inclusion of a dog <br /> park as part of the Bernal Community Park Master Plan. As a result, this report will touch on all <br /> three of those areas with the intent on providing a pathway for addressing this matter. <br /> Bernal Property <br /> In August, 2006 the City Council adopted the Bernal Property Specific Plan which designated <br /> 168 acres of the Bemal property for private commercial development (Phase I) and 318 acres to <br /> be owned by the City (Phase II). This Specific Plan anticipated that the 318 acres owned by the <br /> City would be more specifically developed in accordance with a future plan (referred to as the <br /> Phase II Land Use or Specific Plan) to be approved by voters. In 2002, voters approved <br /> Measure V which prohibited any additional housing on the City owned land, required voter <br /> approval for the sale of any of the City land, and established that there be a public planning <br /> process to assure that the City property be used for a "Central Park" with uses including an arts <br /> center, youth facilities, community and botanical gardens, sports fields and open space. In 2004, <br /> voters approved Measure X which eliminated the possibility of a future City Council deciding on <br /> or amending a future land use plan without voter approval. <br /> As part of the Bernal property planning process, the City utilized significant public participation <br /> including the Bernal Property Task Force, the Bernal Community Park Task Force, and input <br /> from various City commissions. As an outcome of this planning process, the City developed the <br /> Bernal Property Phase II Specific Plan (Bernal Specific Plan) and the Bernal Community Park <br /> Master Plan (Bernal Park Master Plan) the latter of which addresses the approximately 50 acres <br /> of the 318 acres covered by the Bernal Specific Plan. The conclusion of this process occurred <br /> Page 2 <br />