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P21-0636 and P21-0637. Active Ground Floor Use Overlay <br />Consider amendments to the Downtown Specific Plan and Chapters 18.08 and 18.81 of the <br />Pleasanton Municipal Code regarding the Active Ground Floor Use Overlay (AGFUO). <br />Senior Planner Shweta Bonn presented the specifics of the item in the Agenda Report. <br />Commissioner Allen referenced the staff memo received by the Commission inquiring whether <br />staff solicited input from the public prior to the meeting. Director of Community Development <br />Ellen Clark stated standard outreach had been conducted. Commissioner Allen asked the <br />need for multiple use tenant spaces; she stated she was not aware of any other than Iron <br />Horse Real Estate. Ms. Clark responded the requirement was new and staff had not been <br />reviewing applications with that particular criteria, but staff could not think of any specific <br />examples. Commissioner Allen stated the other benchmark cities did not deal with active and <br />non-active uses in a single tenant space. Ms. Clark confirmed that staff was not aware of <br />examples in other jurisdictions with that specific provision. Commissioner Allen discussed the <br />current nine vacancies in spaces subject to the AGFUO, indicating they would not be subject <br />to the active use requirement due to the length of vacancies. Ms. Clark stated there were <br />various reasons for the vacancies. She noted there were a few vacancies that had existed for <br />several years and were not a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but instead a result of the <br />tenant space size or configuration, although the pandemic may have influenced a couple of the <br />spaces ability to be leased. Commissioner Allen discussed the relatively simple business <br />license process, and that it did not guarantee a use would be active. Ms. Clark confirmed the <br />current process to obtain a business license, with limited exceptions such as for massage <br />establishments which required additional information. Commissioner Allen questioned the <br />required retail hours. Ms. Clark stated the City Attorney's Office determined that the City could <br />regulate required hours of operation in an ordinance such as this. <br />Commissioner Gaidos followed up to Commissioner Allen's question regarding the City's ability <br />to regulate or dictate the hours of business operations, to be consistent with active use. He <br />mentioned he reached out to Assistant City Attorney Julie Harryman and received a timely <br />response, but his question as to whether staff had the ability to recommend hours of operation <br />for businesses was previously answered by Ms. Clark's response to Commissioner Allen's <br />inquiry. <br />Commissioner Nibert stated the provision applied to spaces with both active and non-active <br />use, which Ms. Clark affirmed. Commissioner Nibert discussed the email regarding whether a <br />gym or yoga studio was an active use. Ms. Clark stated personal services such as yoga, <br />fitness, beauty and barber shops were excluded from the definition of active use. <br />Commissioner Nibert then referenced the Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA) and <br />Chamber of Commerce's opinion that the percentage of multi -tenant space with active use was <br />less important than confirmation of bona fide active uses. Ms. Clark discussed City code <br />enforcement, indicating it was complaint based and that staff did not actively monitor business <br />operations unless it was in response to a compliant. Commissioner Nibert asked if an increase <br />of the percentage of active use in a single tenant space would apply to Iron Horse Real Estate <br />or other active and non-active uses in single use tenant spaces. Ms. Clark responded they <br />could continue operating under the previously approved percentage because they were <br />approved under the rules in place at the time of approval. Commissioner Nibert discussed the <br />requirement for the non-active use at the rear of the tenant space. Ms. Clark discussed the <br />language, which was intended to allow some flexibility as to how space was configured. <br />Excerpt: Approved Planning Commission Minutes, July 28, 2021 Page 1 of 6 <br />