PC-2009-15, DRAFT PLEASANTON GENERAL PLAN 2005-2025

PROJECT DESCRIPTION The City of Pleasanton (or Project Sponsor) proposes to amend and replace the 1996 General Plan for all elements (with the exception of Housing) with the proposed Pleasanton General Plan 2005-2025, which establishes a planning framework and policies to the planning horizon of 2025. The proposed General Plan reflects changes to the existing 1996 General Plan and development in Pleasanton and provides policy guidance to shape future growth. The General Plan is comprised of goals, policies, programs, a land use map, other graphic figures and maps (e.g., open space systems, a transportation network, and public facilities) to guide future development within the City's Planning Area, through the year 2025. The proposed General Plan includes six of the seven elements required by State law, notably Land Use, Circulation, Open Space, Conservation, Noise, and Safety. (The seventh required is the Housing Element, which is not part of the proposed General Plan update). It also includes seven optional elements that address local concerns: Public Facilities and Community Programs; Water; Air Quality and Climate Change; Energy; Community Character; Economic and Fiscal; and Subregional Planning. Climate change is a new topic in the Air Quality Element and both Energy and Water are new elements in the General Plan. Some of the optional elements contain required information delineated in the State Guidelines under other topics, e.g., the guidelines discuss water under the land use, conservation, open space, and safety elements, while the Pleasanton General Plan discusses water in its own element as well as briefly in the Public Safety Element. Pleasanton's objectives for the General Plan and the changes that would occur due to its implementation focus on quality of life and sustainability concerns. Guiding objectives include: 1) preserve Pleasanton's character; 2) encourage both resource sustainability and sustainable development; 3) confine development to within the Urban Growth Boundary; 4) promote the development of walkable communities; 5) achieve and maintain a complete well-rounded community of desirable neighborhoods and a strong employment base; 6) expand and improve the overall roadway/transit/trail network to provide more travel options; 7) provide housing opportunities for all age and socioeconomic groups; 8) protect the population and minimize risks to lives and property in the event of natural or human -caused hazards; 9) provide sufficient available and convenient community -program, park, open -space, and hiking/bicycling opportunities for all residents; 10) preserve agricultural uses and land; 11) provide adequate water and wastewater service to all residents and businesses; 12) promote high quality water and air resources in Pleasanton; 13) conserve energy through green building and other measures; 14) continue Pleasanton's economic vitality by supporting appropriate development; and 15) provide for Pleasanton's long-term fiscal sustainability. 16