_Minutes_2022-11-09 - Laserfiche WebLink

Planning Commission Minutes Page 4 of 5 November 9, 2022 considered hospitals, groceries, etc. in growth. Ms. Clark stated CEQA did not require consideration of hospitals and grocery stores. Commissioner Jain discussed the transportation and asked if the City would analyze traffic when an actual project was submitted. Traffic Engineer Tassano stated Level of Service (LOS) would be included and CEQA only considered distance. He explained micromobility, last mile transit and alternate transportation to reduce vehicle miles traveled. He discussed the cap on VMT reduction requiring calling out significant unavoidable impacts. Commissioner Jain clarified that lakes were included in Zone 7 and would assist in water supply. He asked about the possibility of mixed use and noted the staff indicated most developers were not interested. Ms. Clark clarified that mixed use development was a good thing, but location determined the success of mixed use development. In response to Commissioner Morgan, Ms. Clark stated the EIR tabulated VMT for each site. Commissioner Morgan asked if there would be an issue with submitting something other than Alternative 2. Ms. Clark state the City had latitude and she reiterated that there was no requirement to adopt the environmentally preferred alternative. A speaker card was submitted, and comment was received from member of the public Jason Quintel. Mr. Quintel, Seefried Industrial Properties, representing owners of 51-acre Kiewit site, indicated support for the Housing Element and Program EIR. He explained the shift from an industrial project to a housing project with affordable and ADU components. He stated they would present a letter requesting clarification on the Kiewit site at the next meeting. Commissioner Nibert stated he was not surprised that traffic and water were impacts and concerns of residents in the City. He anticipated possible comments expressing such concerns. Ms. Clark stated any such comments would be included in the final EIR. Commissioner Nibert thanked staff and the consultant. Commissioner Morgan expressed interest in the final traffic and level of service data. He shared his general concerns including significant increase in population, creating traffic, and changing the City’s characteristics. He stated increasing the City’s population to 96,000 would require local businesses and services. He stated the City would be more of a bedroom community rather than full-service City. Commissioner Mohan stated the report offered the County average for VMT. Ms. Clark stated the average VMT for Pleasanton was higher than for the entire County. Chair Pace discussed the State’s requirement for VMT data. Commissioner Jain stated he was optimistic that transportation technological advances would reduce the impact of the population increase. He concurred that mixed use was necessary to retain the vibrancy of the town. He thanked staff and the consultants. Chair Pace echoed the appreciative comments and acknowledged the tremendous burden of the State’s requirement. MATTERS FOR COMMISSION'S REVIEW/ACTION/INFORMATION 5. Reports from Meetings Attended (e.g., Committee, Task Force, etc.) Commissioner Nibert discussed the ILG Planning Commissioner training session; and provided a brief overview of Commission-related items discussed during the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trails Committee meeting of October 24, 2022. Chair Pace noted the committee assignments would be considered in December 2022.