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BACKGROUND <br /> On July 17, 2018, the City Council adopted an Urgency (Interim) Ordinance No. 2182 <br /> ("Ordinance") that prohibits new or expanding massage establishments within the <br /> Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) area. The Ordinance is in effect for a period of 45 days. <br /> Both the July 17, 2018, City Council agenda report and Ordinance 2182 are attached to <br /> this report, as Attachments 2 and 3, respectively. <br /> State law provides that an urgency interim ordinance may be extended for a period of <br /> 22 months and 15 days after notice and a public hearing. State law also provides that, <br /> before such an extension may take place, the City Council must issue a written report <br /> describing the measures taken to alleviate the condition which lead to the adoption of <br /> the ordinance. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> Public Comment <br /> After the Ordinance was adopted, several owners of existing massage establishments <br /> and technicians contacted staff and expressed concern that the Ordinance unfairly <br /> targets the massage industry and other massage establishment owners in good <br /> standing. Additionally, since some massages are provided in conjunction with medical <br /> treatment, establishment owners expressed concern about limiting personal services to <br /> the second floor on Main Street since those seeking medical treatment may find it <br /> challenging to access a second floor suite. The massage establishment owners also <br /> expressed that the Ordinance does not support expansion of small businesses <br /> downtown, particularly when many establishment owners and technicians have secured <br /> professional training above the minimum requirements, and provide a valuable service <br /> to many downtown patrons and visitors. Further, some felt that the Ordinance should <br /> not be tied to the efforts of the DSP update. Written correspondence received <br /> specifically for this item is attached to this report as Attachment 4. The Pleasanton <br /> Downtown Association's (PDA) Board is anticipated to review and provide a position on <br /> the Ordinance. Any written communication from the PDA Board will be provided to the <br /> City Council upon receipt. <br /> In response to the concerns expressed by existing massage businesses, staff <br /> recommends the interim ordinance be revised from the version adopted on July 17, to <br /> allow massage establishments to apply to have more than three massage technicians at <br /> any one time, through a minor conditional use permit (MCUP). The MCUP requirement <br /> is consistent with that which currently exists in the Zoning Ordinance for massage <br /> establishments with four or more technicians. Physical expansion or discretionary <br /> modification of the building space would still be prohibited under the interim ordinance. <br /> Ten-day Report <br /> As required by State law, the City Council is required to issue a written report ten days <br /> prior to the expiration of the interim ordinance or any extension, describing the <br /> measures taken to alleviate the condition which led to the adoption of the ordinance. <br /> This agenda report and discussion herein is in response to this requirement. <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />