18 - Laserfiche WebLink

AGFUO - Public comments submitted for the June 1, 2021, City Council Meeting ASSOCIATION May 26, 2021 Honorable Mayor Karla Brown and Pleasanton City Council: Page 1 of 3 Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA) is a diverse collection of member businesses located throughout our historic Main Street and nearby areas. Members include restaurants, retailers, personal service companies, commercial and professional firms, landlords, brokers, and tenants across the spectrum of economic activities throughout downtown Pleasanton. Though diverse, PDA is united by a common interest in establishing and promoting the distinctive, vital, walkable nature of the downtown district, including especially 1S1 -Floor Main Street. Thus, PDA is supportive of the thrust behind the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) generally and the Active Ground Floor Use Overlay (AGFUO) specifically. BACKGROUND Recent developments have highlighted the need for guidance from City Council regarding administration of and compliance with the AGFUO. Obviously, when business is booming and landlords have multiple active and non-active uses competing for space, enforcement of the AGFUO is relatively simple. In 2020, COVID exposed more complex vulnerabilities, along with numerous creative and thoughtful pivots by local merchants and landlords. Some of these were bona fide successes. However, where there is technical compliance without substantive compliance, there is essentially no compliance. This challenge is most acute where an applicant proposes to blend a newly conceived mix of active and non-active uses into a space that was formerly dedicated fully to active retail use. Once approved, such a decision threatens permanent ratcheting down of active space on Main Street. Further, if the mixed-use proposal is primarily motivated by economics of the non- active use, there is significant risk of encouraging sub -optimal street -facing activities in the active use component. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS We believe there are a few, specific clarifications that would make administration of the AGFUO more predictable and consistent with its intended purposes. Our suggestions fall into two main categories: 1) establishing the substantive business purpose and plausible economic basis for a 333 Division Street Pleasanton, CA 94566 (925)484-2199 Distributed to City Council for the September 7, 2021, meeting Page 7