CCMIN 11162021 - Laserfiche WebLink

Jocelyn Combs stated there should be an affordability component in the ordinance and encouraged the Council to say so tonight so there are no surprises later for those wanting to implement SB 9 on their properties. She noted Pleasanton has many above -moderate income homes and few jobs to support those homes while the City has many low-income jobs but few homes for those people, leading to commutes both in and out of the City generating high greenhouse gas emissions. She stated SB 9 can help push the City towards carbon neutrality. She urged the City not to build anything without considering the symbiotic relationship between the jobs -income imbalance and climate impacts. Mayor Brown closed the public hearing. Councilmember Balch expressed support for many of the General Plan policies outlined in the staff report. He stated he strongly supports ADUs and JADUs for their low impacts on housing while meeting the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) numbers. He expressed concerns about the State inhibiting the ability to provide adequate parking, and also with the transit location waiver. He added having insufficient parking will be more impactful to neighborhoods than the housing unit itself would have been. He expressed concerns about what may happen in several PUDs. He added he has more problems with this than answers. He commended staff for trying to maintain the quality and character of the community and the Planning Commission for raising outstanding questions. Councilmember Balch moved to approve staff's recommendations. Councilmember Narum seconded the motion. She agreed with everything Councilmember Balch said. She added her question on building envelopes is focused on earthquake zones. She complimented staff on their excellent conservative objective design standards, how well the additional units will blend in with the neighboring streetscape, and their attempt to minimize impacts to neighbors of SB 9 houses. She commended the Planning Commission's modifications. She stated she supports both an element of affordability and correlations to CAP 2.0 and would like to discuss both at some point. She lamented they could not change the bill. Councilmember Testa expressed support for the staff recommendations. She added SB 9 is an assault on their communities and the State has overstepped. She echoed Councilmember Balch's comments about limited parking and noted it is a great example of how one size fits all State mandates do not work. She noted there will be many complications in the financing for homeowners to do a lot split and residents will be unlikely to benefit financially from a four-plex. She lamented this will open the door for speculators. She added the new units will not be less expensive because they will be new construction and sold at market rate unless the Council can create an affordability factor. She requested the subject of creating affordability return to Council. She stated there is a strong feeling there will be a January clean-up bill removing the exemption for HOAs. She thanked staff for creating an ordinance doing the best they can and encouraged pushing back on the State legislation. Councilmember Arkin agreed with the previous comments, highlighting the need for some sort of affordability requirement. She added she would also like to pursue linking CAP 2.0 with all housing development. Mayor Brown also agreed with the Councilmembers' points. She decried the top-down State mandate for overlooking the differences between various types of communities. She added she and the Councilmembers wrote a total of 64 letters looking for changes in the bill. She commended Councilmember Testa for fighting in favor of local control and noted this bill is a great example of its importance. City Council Minutes Page 18 of 19 November 16, 2021