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THE CITY OF i�•vlL� J?i eta. © —..= - nl ; II I I o°ell , ® 11° ■ PLE ASANTON. May 24, 2016 Honorable Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian Chair, Assembly Budget Subcommittee#4 State Capitol, Room 6026 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax: 916-319-2199 Honorable Senator Richard Roth, Chair, Senate Budget Subcommittee #4 State Capitol, Room 5019 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax: 916-323-8386 RE: Governor's By Right Housing Proposal Notice of Opposition Dear Honorable Chairs Nazarian and Roth: The City of Pleasanton opposes the recently released proposal by the Governor to pre-empt local discretionary land use approvals of specified housing developments by having all such approvals be considered "ministerial" actions, meaning eliminating opportunities for public review, project-level environmental review and restricting design review. We believe that such fundamental policy changes should not be rushed through as a budget proposal, but merit extensive review by the appropriate policy committees in a deliberative fashion. Eliminating opportunities for public review of these major development projects goes against the principles of local democracy and public engagement. While it may be frustrating for some developers to hear concerns about traffic, parking and other development impacts,those affected by such projects have a right to be heard. Not having such outlets will increase public distrust in government. Avoiding or restricting design review is also short-sighted. Community acceptance can be improved through good design that enables a new structure to match the thoughtful and carefully planned character. The City of Pleasanton currently has well over 1,200 residential units under construction with hundreds more in the pipeline. These projects were fully vetted by the community and refinements were made throughout the process—the refinements are largely seen as improvements by the community and project applicants. Pleasanton takes a great deal of pride in being the "City of Planned Progress," with a sharp focus on urban design principles to ensure a livable community that provides transportation infrastructure, bike and pedestrian connectivity and other architectural enhancements that result in projects that are well integrated into the community. P. O. Box 520, Pleasanton, CA 94566-0802 123 Main Street City Manager City Attorney Economic Development City Clerk (925) 931-5002 (925) 931-5015 200 Old Bernal Avenue (925) 931-5027 Fax: 931-5482 Fax: 931-5482 (925) 931-5038 Fax: 931-5492 Fax: 931-5476