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Planning Commission Page 7 of 10 the potential for numerous commercial sites to be developed or redeveloped with housing, with limited review and discretion able to be exercised by the City. For both bills, having a robust series of Objective Design Standards (ODS) is critical to guide site and building design as much as possible – however, in every case those standards will have to adhere to and allow for the minimum and maximum densities, heights and other baseline standards allowed for in each bill. With adoption of the ODS for Housing Element and Multi-Family residential zones in January 2023 (amended in May 2023), the City is relatively well equipped to ensure that future developments are of a good design quality and include the sorts of open space and other amenities that will produce livable projects. However, the Planning Commission should be aware that an AB 2011 or SB 6 project that qualifies for State housing density bonuses is also eligible to request concessions and waivers of an array of local development standards if they can be shown to impede the feasibility of a project or add more cost. AB 2097 (Friedman) This bill would prohibit a public agency from imposing any minimum automobile parking requirement on any residential, commercial, or other development project, as defined, that is located within 1/2 mile of public transit. The bill uses the common definition of “major transit” under Public Resources Code Section 21155, including an existing rail station (such as ACE or BART), and the intersection of major bus routes with 15-minute AM and PM commute headways. The bill does provide for some exceptions, including allowing for a jurisdiction to impose or enforce minimum parking requirements on a housing development project if certain findings are made, including that not imposing or enforcing minimum automobile parking requirements on the development would either have a substantially negative impact, on the public agency’s ability to meet its share of specified housing needs; or on existing residential or commercial parking within 1/2 mile of the housing development. However, this exception does not apply to any of the following: • Projects dedicating a minimum of 20 percent of units for lower- or moderate-income households, for seniors, or persons with disabilities • Projects with fewer than 20 units • Projects subject to parking reductions under other provisions of State law. Notably, the bill states that its application shall not reduce, eliminate, or preclude the enforcement of any requirement imposed on a new multi-family or non-residential development to provide Electric Vehicle (EV) charging spaces, or spaces accessible to persons with disabilities. Projects may provide on-site parking voluntarily, but local agencies may impose requirements for spaces to be shared with the public, or for owners to charge for parking. Impacts and Implications Given that Pleasanton has two BART stations and the downtown ACE station, the implications of AB 2097 are potentially significant. Although it is possible the City may be able to make findings for the exceptions allowed by AB 2097 or impose some parking based on the