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Fa re I I a THOMAS B.MAYHEW <br /> CHARLES J.HIGLEY <br /> Braun + Martel <br /> June 1,2023 <br /> Via E-Mail <br /> Mayor and City Council <br /> for the City of Pleasanton <br /> By email: citycouncilCalcitvofpleasantonca.gov <br /> Re: Revised 2023-2031 Housing Element(Revised May 2023) <br /> Scheduled for discussion at June 6, 2023 City Council Meeting <br /> Dear City Council: <br /> On behalf of the Housing Action Coalition,) we comment on the May 2023 draft <br /> revisions to the January 2023 adopted Housing Element. <br /> There are people who want to build much needed housing in Pleasanton to alleviate the <br /> serious affordability crisis in the Bay Area, but the City's zoning laws prevent them from doing <br /> so. State law requires cities to examine problems like this every eight years,and make an honest <br /> assessment of whether enough land is zoned for residential use to meet the city's fair share of the <br /> regional need. When cities instead avoid the responsibility to rezone land for residential use– <br /> preventing housing from being built for the people who need it,by the people who want to build <br /> it—state law rightly steps in. <br /> A. The City Council Lacks Substantial Evidence To Find That Redevelopment <br /> is "Likely"For A Number Of Lower Income RHNA Sites. <br /> The housing inventory is the ultimate test of whether the city has adequate land that is <br /> realistic and available for housing. Listing sites that are not likely to become housing because <br /> their existing use will continue, or that are not likely to have the number of units shown on the <br /> inventory, is a violation of state law. The responsibility here is placed directly on the City <br /> Council. We call the Council's attention to the following law: <br /> An existing use shall be presumed to impede additional residential development, absent <br /> findings based on substantial evidence that the use is likely to be discontinued during the <br /> planning period. <br /> 1 The Housing Action Coalition is a nonprofit that advocates for building more homes at <br /> all levels of affordability to alleviate the Bay Area and California's housing shortage, <br /> displacement, and affordability crisis. <br /> One Bush Street,Suite 900 San Francisco,CA 94104 P:415.954.4400 , F: 415.954.4480 <br /> SAN FRANCISCO • ST.HELENA • fbm.com <br />