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Although this approach would mirror, to some extent, the housing density bonuses <br />offered by the State, a local ordinance could allow the City to specify and tailor a <br />program and process to its own local needs, target particular geographies, and develop <br />incentives structured to the scale and character of the city, rather than the "one -size -fits - <br />all" approach of state law. <br />However, there are many policy questions that would need to be considered in such a <br />program for Pleasanton, including suitable locations, interface with State density bonus <br />law and programs, appropriate "base" and "bonus" densities, and the sorts of <br />concessions or modifications that should be applied, requiring an exhaustive effort that <br />could likely not be concluded prior to adoption of the Housing Element. Nonetheless, if <br />there were interest in investigating such a program, potentially to encourage or <br />incentivize projects with very high levels of affordability (such as 100% affordable), the <br />study of such a program could be considered as an action for inclusion in the Housing <br />Element. <br />Workforce Housing and Affordability by Design <br />The General Plan acknowledges the need to provide affordable housing to a wide range <br />of households and identifies a specific program to assess the need for workforce <br />housing, and references the City's Economic Development Strategic Plan, which <br />recognizes that the housing stock in Pleasanton is primarily single-family homes in <br />traditional settings, which could be a potential barrier to attracting talented workers. The <br />strategic plan (dated 2013) cites that about 64 percent of Pleasanton's housing stock is <br />singie-family detached but about half of households are small (one to two persons)4. <br />Therefore, increasing the diversity of housing products (related to housing units that are <br />smaller and "affordable by design," also discussed in this report), along with providing <br />high-quality multifamily housing near employment centers and amenities could make <br />Pleasanton more attractive for smaller and younger households. <br />While the concept of workforce housing in Pleasanton has been discussed numerous <br />times during the course of the current and past Housing Element updates, a formal <br />definition has yet to be established. Based on discussions with the City Council, <br />Planning Commission and Housing Commission, some common themes have emerged, <br />including: (1) ensuring that Pleasanton is able to provide housing options for those who <br />work in Pleasanton, in jobs at a variety of wage levels including those who perform <br />lower -wage jobs essential to the local economy; and (2) the needs of households who <br />may earn an income that would be at or above the Moderate or Above -Moderate Area <br />Median Income (AMI), but yet cannot afford to purchase or rent housing in Pleasanton. <br />Draft Definitions for "Workforce Housing' <br />Below are two possible definitions for workforce housing, one focused on local wages <br />as defined by reliable and readily available data, and another that uses AMI as a metric. <br />4 The California State Department of Finance, as of May 2021, estimates single-family detached units to <br />be comprise 60.5 percent of Pleasanton's housing stock; it also estimates population density at 2.85 <br />persons per household. <br />Page 9 of 16 <br />