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Planning Commission indicated that these changes would bring the proposed project further into compliance with the General Plan and Downtown Specific Plan. Specific Plan and General Plan Amendments As discussed at the work session, updating the Downtown Specific Plan is a City Council priority and staff has begun preparing a scope of work for the update. The scope of work would likely include re-evaluation of the Office land use district in the Specific Plan. In addition, the City is nearing adoption of a Civic Center Master Plan, which will have a major influence on the land use composition and activity level of the southern portion of Downtown. The Commission noted that land use amendments for the project site should not take place in advance of the comprehensive Specific Plan update and completion of the Civic Center Master Plan, as such amendments could set a precedent for future land use disposition of those properties with a Specific Plan designation of Office. Furthermore, the Commission noted that the minor changes to the project indicated above (introduction of ground-floor commercial space to Residence 1 and associated design changes to the façade of that building) would preclude the need for General Plan and Specific Plan amendments. Parking and In-lieu Fee The Pleasanton Municipal Code (PMC) parking requirements for a mixed-use building would be nine on-site spaces (i.e., two spaces for each apartment unit and three spaces for the office/retail space based on a 1 space/300 square-feet parking ratio). However, the project included only a total of six parking spaces to be shared among all occupants of the mixed-use building. The Commission agreed that the modest size of each apartment unit (two units would be 367 square feet and one unit would be 359 square feet) would limit the number of people living in the apartments. Although three additional parking spaces are required by Code, the Commission was generally supportive of the proposed parking supply for the mixed- use building. Furthermore, the Commission did not indicate that in-lieu parking fees were appropriate since the small rental apartment units are likely to have reduced parking demand compared to typical residential units and are located in close proximity to transit facilities (the ACE train station, located on Pleasanton Avenue, and Wheels bus stop along Old Bernal Avenue). The Planning Commission also indicated the need to reevaluate parking supply of Residence 1 if it was modified to include a commercial component. Building Design The Commission expressed support for the massing and height of the structures, as the upper- levels of the structures had less square-footage, low rooflines, and were broken up by various wall planes and balconies/decks. It was noted that the design and materials were similar to other existing buildings in the area and found the design to be complimentary and consistent with the Downtown Design Guidelines. Commissioner Allen requested that the south elevation of the mixed-use building be enhanced to accentuate its retail/business appearance. Additional Information Requests and Public Comment Chair Ritter requested additional information about the viability of new office, residential, and retail space in Downtown. The Commission was agreeable to using the Pleasanton Civic Center Site Market Analysis, prepared by Economic and Planning Systems (EPS), since at the time of the May 25th Planning Commission hearing, the Market Analysis was expected to be published in early June. The Market Analysis, provided to the Planning Commission via email on June 16, 2016, indicated that although residential development would provide the most PUD-118, 4791 Augustine Street Planning Commission Page 3 of 25