RES 91013 - Laserfiche WebLink

Cultivable Land: Those areas that have been identified as cultivable within Pleasanton's Sphere-of-Influence outside of the Gateway constitute about 310 acres and are located mainly on the lower portion of the Ruby Hill property, along Vineyard Avenue. These lands are intended to be preserved for cultivation of grapes. Under the Concept Plan, these lands could be subdivided to 40 acre parcels, with one additional home per parcel if vineyards are planted. This could result in a total of 15 homes on these lands, while the current agricultural General Plan designation would permit virtually no new parcels. One of the findings of the Fertile Crescent Study was the determination by viticultural economists that parcels as small as 20 or 40 acres could be economically viable as a vineyard. One of the objectives of the Plan is to encourage investment in small boutique wineries, like those in Napa and Sonoma, which typically require only a small parcel to produce premium wines. One argument states that minimum parcel sizes should be 20 acres to encourage investment by individuals interested in starting a boutique winery. The other argument is that a 20 acre parcel can be as attractive as a home site as it is a potential winery and, therefore, the parcel size should be 40 acres to discourage residential subdivisions which do not contain vineyards. The Plan, as written, tries to strike a balance between these two arguments by granting only one home per 40 acres but allowing a second home site (clustered with the first within a two acre area) only if the owner dedicated the remaining 38 acres with a conservation easement and agrees to plant grapes. This approach effectively allows the same density as 20 acre minimum parcel sizes but protects against subdivision of land solely for residential purposes. The Plan would allow 40 acre subdivisions with no requirement that grapes be planting. Depending upon availability of water and other economic effects, grapes may not be planted on such subdivisions. This is more of a problem on the Ruby Hill area than others as SBA water is not now available and groundwater is limited. A more restrictive plan would allow such 40 acre subdivisions only upon agreement to plant grapes. Conditionally Developable Land: Lands identified as conditionally developable within Pleasanton's Sphere-of-Influence outside the Gateway comprise about 280 acres within Ruby Hill, south of the cultivatable lands. The base zoning for this area is 100 acre minimum which can be rezoned to a PUD for properties representing a minimum of 200 contiguous acres. If rezoned, densities of 1 unit per acre would be allowed on developable areas (less than 25% in slope), in addition to golf courses, restaurants, inns, and conference centers, permitting up to 280 units in this area. In addition, a small portion of cultivable lands (62 acres) could be developed, if additional mitigation fees were paid. This could mean a total holding capacity of 342 units within SR:91:30 -7-