10 ATTACHMENT 8 - Laserfiche WebLink

070253\14264881v7 4 the availability of infrastructure, whether environmental constraints would preclude residential development on sites included in the Inventory, and whether existing uses on nonvacant sites in the Inventory may impede residential development.4 As described in more detail below, the City’s extensive EPSP planning efforts to date include detailed infrastructure planning for the Site and demonstrate that there are no environmental constraints that would prevent the development of housing on the Site. Further, as a vacant site with demonstrated owner interest in residential development, the Steelwave Site would balance out the City’s heavy reliance on nonvacant sites in the Inventory, thereby improving the proposed Housing Element Update’s defensibility. 1. The City has already completed infrastructure planning for the Steelwave Site. The Housing Element Update’s Sites Inventory must only include sites for which sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities are available or have been planned for.5 Through its most recent EPSP planning efforts, the City already completed extensive infrastructure planning for the Steelwave Site. The latest draft of the EPSP includes a potable water plan, recycled water plan, sanitary sewer plan, storm water drainage plan, and dry utilities planning for the EPSP area, including the Steelwave Site.6 These plans could easily be incorporated into the City’s Housing Element Update to satisfy the Housing Element Law’s infrastructure availability requirements. 2. There are no environmental constraints preventing residential development on the Steelwave Site. The Housing Element Update must demonstrate that environmental constraints will not prevent residential development on sites included in the Inventory.7 For the Steelwave Site, the City’s Draft Environmental Impact Report for the EPSP demonstrates the Site does not contain any environmental constraints that would impede residential development. As shown on Exhibit 3.3-3 of the EPSP Draft EIR, the Site is dominated by disturbed land and non-native grassland.8 Potentially valuable habitat on the eastern portion of the Site is proposed to be protected from development as a public park.9 The EPSP Draft EIR concluded all biological resource impacts associated with EPSP development could be mitigated to less-than-significant 4 Government Code § 65583.2(b)(4)-(5) & (g)(1). 5 Government Code § 65583.2(b)(5)(B). 6 See Chapter 8, East Pleasanton Specific Plan, Revision 1 (November 2014). 7 See Government Code § 65583.2(b)(4); State Department of Housing and Community Development, Housing Element Site Inventory Guidebook (June 10, 2020), p. 10 (housing element analysis must demonstrate that environmental constraints will not preclude development on sites in the inventory). 8 EPSP Draft EIR, Ex. 3.3-3; East Pleasanton Specific Plan, Revision 1, Figure 5.2 (showing proposed parks and open space within the EPSP). 9 Id.