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THE CITY OF East Pleasanton Specific Plan „ , Public Comments pLEASANTONC From: Matt Sullivan Sent:Thursday, November 21, 2019 4:09 PM To: Mayor and City Council <citycouncil@cityofpleasantonca.gov>; Nelson Fialho <NFialho@cityofpleasantonca.gov>; Brian Dolan <bdolan@cityofpleasantonca.gov> Subject: EPSP Dear Mayor, Council, and Staff, I watched the City Council meeting on Tuesday and had a few follow up questions and comments on the proposed EPSP, as follows: 1. Brian Dolan clarified that Ponderosa was not"driving'the EPSP process, and that staff, consultants, and the Planning Commission would be working collaboratively on the plan. But he didn't clarify exactly what role Ponderosa would play. My reading of the Staff Report leads me to the conclusion that Ponderosa is an equal partner with staff, consultants, and the PC for this process. Will they be attending meetings at City Hall with the other parties, meetings not open to the public,to develop strategies and plans? If so, how will the public know what was discussed and what decisions have been made? Will there be minutes of these meetings? Please clarify the precise role that Ponderosa and other property owners will play in this process. 2. If Ponderosa will be acting as a de facto equal partner in this planning process this would seem to be a clear conflict of interest, and if so,the Preserve Area Ridgelines Committee (PARC)call for an FPPC ruling is appropriate. Staff's response to Councilperson Testa's question on this subject was completely inadequate. 3. I've participated in many Specific Plans over the years and my understanding has been that the city funded the upfront studies and planning work and was reimbursed later by project applicants that receive approvals after the plan adoption. Please provide documentation of the funding arrangements for the Staples Ranch, Vineyard Corridor and Happy Valley Specific Plans demonstrating this. My view is that if Ponderosa has "bought the bus” in Mayor Thorne's words,the have also bought the project outcome no matter who drives. 4. One major issue with the proposed plan is that the starting point includes housing. The fact that Ponderosa is a "partner" in the process and will be funding it literally guarantees that a significant amount of housing will be a part of the finished plan. This will severely limit the options to be considered for this site. This plan should begin with a blank slate to ensure all options are considered and not limited to Ponderosa's goals. 5. It would seem to be irresponsible to plan this site for housing until the next RHNA numbers are released, despite that fact that Brian Dolan "knows"what the numbers will be. Can you clarify when the next RHNA numbers will be released and the deadline for Pleasanton to rezone properties to be in compliance? Provided to City Council for the February 18, 2020, Meeting