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THE CITY OF East Pleasanton Specific Plan Public Comments pLEASANTON, pAitc• . m Preserve Area Ri ge nds Committee Dear Mayor and City Council: In regards to the agenda item regarding the East Pleasanton Specific Plan, PARC has the following recommendations and concerns: 1) The Chain of Lakes area has long been identified as a prime area for passive recreation and trails. If properly and carefully planned with that in mind,the area could become a prime area with treasured regional open space similar to San Mateo's Crystal Spring Reservoir, Crystal Spring trail/Sawyer Camp trail ( https://parks.smcgov.orq/crystal-sprinqs-reqional- trail ) ideal for biking and hiking with views of Mount Diablo, Pleasanton Ridge, and the Southeast Hills. 2) It is inappropriate to target the area for residential and commercial development at this time and it is premature to delineate housing tracts without first and foremost, developing a Master Recreation Plan for the Chain of Lakes area. 3) Instead, a multijurisdictional committee made up of members including the Livermore Area Parks and Recreation, East Bay Regional Park District, and members from the City of Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Commission should master plan the Chain of Lakes area with the focus on trails, passive recreation, and parks. 4) Only after that process is completed should any housing or commercial development be considered, with consideration then given to impacts on various types of residential development, including possible effects with potential passage of AB-48 in March 2020. 5) Developers and real estate professionals should not be a part of the process to develop a Master Recreation Plan for the Chain of Lakes area. Should the city of Pleasanton leaders not wish to have a legacy of any open space preservation n the Chain of Lakes area nor focus on trails and wish to proceed with housing and commercial development,we believe this is unwise. In terms of the Specific Plan as envisioned in the staff report, having a developer such as Ponderosa lead a Specific Plan effort as is stated in the Staff Report is highly irregular. This developer in particular in the East Side alone has not only had a contentious referendum (Busch property) involving developer paid personnel to prevent signature gathering that former mayor Tom Pico referred to as a "goon squad", but also in conjunction with the Pleasanton Unified School District under the transition superintendent between Supt. Callan and Supt. Casey, committed to a 21 acre school option site on the Busch Property. This was used as an amenity to sell houses on the Busch property in sales pitches while at the same time Ponderosa was also seeking an Provided to City Council for the February 18, 2020, Meeting