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amendment. We wouldn't have approved any zoning change because zoning would have been set in the General Plan process, correct? Hagen: The zoning is agriculture which does permit three units. Balch: I meant the Planning Commission's purpose is to look at changes or modifications on a more specific level, to evaluate them against the General Plan which is, in my opinion, more of a paint brush over a much broader area. Hagen: Correct, and that's why we're having this work session tonight, is to get your input whether you think this is appropriate. Balch: We moved it to a more educational debate I think more so than no, but my premise to the idea that a General Plan is deliberate, I understand that, but a General Plan in my opinion is your general concept of planning for a general city and then when you get to uniqueness of the site, you have to evaluate that application's request in light of the General Plan and specific plan, and no specific plan has been done in this case. Beaudin: Let me jump in a little bit. So the General Plan should not be...I mean, there was a time when General Plans were done as blog diagrams. Those days are largely gone. In 2009, the City did take a comprehensive look at the City of Pleasanton's long range planning document and the policies that exist in the document are thoughtful and the mapping that was done has been carefully done. What happens is then the zoning is informed to the General Plan. So you get this layer underneath that does deal with the intricate details which is what you see with the agricultural or rural agricultural zoning that is on this particular parcel. So there's a policy level and a General Land use application for the General Plan and then there's this implementation layer with the zoning. And I think what happens in Pleasanton is that a lot of the residential standards and the rural standards do need to be adjusted when you get the specific development application, and if you were to support a three -unit project in this case, you'll still see the PUD application because they are having to cluster development and that's a little unique. There isn't a straight solution to that cluster development that's encouraged in the General Plan. But the General Plan was fairly detailed in this particular instance with the policies that Jennifer highlighted earlier this evening and some of the conversation that we've had around the process and thought that went into this site specific to the riparian areas and the open space requirements that are included in this rural area of the communitv. where the rural aesthetic has been identified as a priority. O'Connor: And even prior to that General Plan update, I can say that over the last 10 years I've been sitting on this Commission, we will generally make changes to zoning but it's fairly rare that we make a change to the General Plan. It's pretty rare. I can only remember two. Beaudin: And it's typically during a housing element process or that housing element process requires the City to look at those kinds of changes more frequently than you would do a comprehensive General Plan update. And so this site was evaluated and was left as is in the current General Plan designation. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, January 13, 2016 Page 19 of 26