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Planning Commission Duties with Planning Commission <br />Respect to IZO and Housing Programs <br />5 of 6 <br />concurrently. In some instances, City procedures specify that projects are subject to review <br />and approval by the Zoning Administrator (e.g. projects under 50 units on Housing Element <br />sites). In such cases, the Commission’s review will generally be limited to approval of the AHA, <br />unless there is a related action subject to Planning Commission review and approval (e.g. <br />approval of a Vesting Subdivision Map). <br />Updating the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance <br />City staff has begun the process of updating the policies and requirements of the Inclusionary <br />Zoning Ordinance as well as updating the Affordable Housing Fee (in-lieu fee). In <br />collaboration with the professional services team led by Economic & Plannings Systems <br />(EPS), City staff will be presenting the recommended policies and fee changes to the Planning <br />Commission in the coming months. Staff will look to the Planning Commission for its feedback <br />and recommendations prior to presenting the proposed IZO amen dments to the City Council <br />for review and approval. There are a number of areas in need of updating and improvement in <br />the existing ordinance, and the general approach being taken is to increase the specificity and <br />objectivity of the ordinance to ensure that the Ordinance delivers the most beneficial outcomes <br />to the City in terms of meeting affordable housing needs. <br />Although, once adopted, the updated IZO will apply to future project applications, the majority <br />of residential projects currently under review are subject to the existing Ordinance, and vested <br />to those rules that were in place at the time of project application. <br />Housing Programs <br />As noted, the City administers a number of housing programs that provide various resources to <br />lower-income and other households. The City has established policy and procedural guidance <br />for several of these programs, particularly around the management, leasing and sale of <br />deed-restricted housing units over which the City has oversight; as well as programs that <br />provide direct financial resources to renters and homebuyers. <br />In the past, the Housing Commission reviewed staff recommendations on housing programs <br />and approved to provide these recommendations to the City Council for approval. These <br />housing programs included amendments to the Pleasanton Preference System for <br />City-assisted housing projects (Exhibit C), a revamped Pleasanton Down Payment Assistance <br />Program (PDALP), a revamped Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program, and even the <br />implementation of an Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for those unable to pay <br />their rent due to the COVID pandemic. Staff will now have the Planning Commission review <br />these types of housing program policies going forward, to the extent they are subject to <br />revision or update, or if new programs are implemented . <br />Finally, it is noted that the Housing Commission historically provided a role in annually <br />reviewing and making recommendations on funding of housing-related grants funded by State <br />and federal CDBG and HOME funds, as part of the broader Housing and Human Se rvices <br />Grant Program. These funds have generally been assigned to “housing -adjacent” programs <br />such as tenant legal assistance, housing rehabilitation grants and loans, and facilities, <br />services, and programs benefiting Pleasanton’s unhoused population. Larger capital grants <br />have also been assigned to projects such as the regional domestic violence shelter, Axis <br />Community Health facilities, a project undertaken by Tri-Valley REACH to develop new <br />residential units for adults with developmental disabilities, and similar projects. Due to the