Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Master Plan

1-5 Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Master Plan Section One ‐ Introduction 2014 History3 The Amador Valley has a very interesting and rich cultural history that paints a picture of change over thousands of years and which includes Native American settlers, Mexican settlement, railroad expansion, farming, and land development. Extensive preserved open space in and around Pleasanton is a reminder of the early days in the Valley. Not only are there areas of special historical significance, but the ridgelines, drainage courses, and view sheds recall the landscape as seen by Native Americans and early Euro‐American visitors. There have been many significant events that have shaped the physical and economic evolution of the area4 including:  Approximately 4,000 years ago the Amador Valley was part of a permanent settlement of native American Ohlone Indians  In 1772 Spanish settlers established cattle pasture grazing lands out of much of the Valley and aggressively incorporated the Ohlone into the life of Mission San Jose founded in 1797 by Father Lausen  Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821 and by 1830 most of the lands had been granted to loyal Mexican politicians, soldiers and supporters  1850 brought gold rush and Statehood to California, and Alisal (Pleasanton’s name at the time) was on a main route to the gold fields, becoming important for mercantile activities  “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” was filmed locally and Hollywood discovered Pleasanton because of its historic and picturesque downtown and rural surroundings  The town was originally named El Alisal, which is Spanish for The Sycamores  Prosperity was consistent through the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s and the population grew dramatically. With good planning policies, growth continued in a positive, measured manner in the 80’s and 90’s.  Aggressive park development and reinvestment in downtown vitality helped Pleasanton keep an excellent local economy and high quality of life, and has a very stable population and employment base, with cultural diversity and rich heritage Fortunately, much evidence of this rich heritage remains in Pleasanton in the form of preserved historic buildings and structures, along with new traditionally inspired architecture and planning approaches. Current Land Use4 The City of Pleasanton's General Plan Area includes both the incorporated City Limits and the Sphere of Influence. The total Planning Area is 48,000 acres (75 square miles), with the incorporated City limits totaling 14,300 acres (22.4 square miles) and the Sphere of Influence equating to 27,200 acres (42.2 square miles). As shown on the General Plan Land Use Map, Exhibit 1.3‐1 on page 1‐7, the Pleasanton Plan Area is diverse, ranging from the historic downtown in the core of the City, to subdivision tract development surrounding, with riparian corridors, surrounding low density residential areas surrounding and a large business park and regional shopping mall to the north. 3http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/community/pleasanton/pleasanton‐history.html 4 Pleasanton General Plan 2005‐2025