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PC 091212
City of Pleasanton
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PC 091212
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CITY CLERK
CITY CLERK - TYPE
MINUTES
DOCUMENT DATE
9/12/2012
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Peter MacDonald, Downtown business owner, stated that the staff report was excellent <br />and did a good job of summarizing the issues and the positions of the various groups. <br />He indicated that he supports the recommendations of the Task Force with the <br />corrections proposed by the EVC and the PDA Board. He noted that if the Planning <br />Commission accepts this recommendation, then a restaurateur will be able to stay open <br />until 11:00 p.m. and have indoor music until 11:00 p.m. without having to go through a <br />bruising Conditional Use Permit process. He stated that the policy as proposed is smart <br />regulation, and Downtown has succeeded because of the smart regulation in place. <br />Mr. MacDonald stated that the City does not have redevelopment money, but there was <br />a collaboration between the business and the planning functions. He noted that in the <br />1980's restaurants were allowed into existing buildings without having to provide <br />additional parking, leading to a renaissance of restaurants Downtown. He added that in <br />the 1980's, the business owners voted to tax themselves to promote Downtown, which <br />led to the Concerts in the Park, the Farmers' Market, and a whole number of events and <br />activities that make the Downtown very successful. He stated that the City and the PDA <br />have had a productive partnership in helping the Downtown to be all that it can be, and <br />that needs to be continued. <br />Mr. MacDonald stated that in recent years, the Downtown has fallen behind nearby <br />cities in growth and vitality. He noted that side street development can be encouraged <br />or Downtown can be left to stagnate. He pointed out that one big problem has been <br />with too much regulation such that 12 different bars have 12 different use permits, with <br />12 different sets of hours and many more variations. He added that all too often, the <br />planners would split the baby with the most contentious neighbor from within 300 feet, <br />and the Conditional Use Permit process typically takes six months or more. He <br />emphasized that what is needed is uniform, simple rules and smart regulation. <br />Mr. MacDonald stated that in 2010, the PDA formed the Hospitality Committee to <br />address the barriers to evening business in Pleasanton with the idea behind responsible <br />hospitality regulation being to get the community benefits of a vital and safe evening <br />activity while managing and controlling the potentially adverse impacts. He indicated <br />that this led to the City forming the Downtown Hospitality Guidelines Task Force which <br />had lively and informative discussions, many compromises and new regulations, and a <br />recommendation that will truly help the Downtown to be successful. <br />Mr. MacDonald stated that he does not want to focus on the importance of the EVC and <br />PDA Board recommendations regarding decibel levels. He indicated that nobody who <br />understands acoustics would lower the dBA standard for Downtown commercial from <br />70 dBA to 60 dBA as every hospitality business would violate that standard every night. <br />He stated that the members thought they had that corrected at the Task Force, but that <br />was not the case, and it has to be corrected now or Downtown vitality will crash. He <br />pointed out that it is essential to the success of the Downtown that the Planning <br />Commission support the Task Force recommendation with generally the corrections <br />proposed by the EVC and the PDA Board. He asked the Commission to respect the <br />work of your task force. <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, September 12, 2012 Page 19 of 35 <br />
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