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RESIDEidTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PLEASANTON The rapid residential development experienced in Pleasanton in the past produced attractive, pleasant residential neighborhoods which remain highly desirable places to live. The neighborhoods, however, were scattered throughout the city with little thought to efficient provision of community facilities or the environmental effects of the development. Community facilities such as major thoroughfares, utility systems, parks, and schools were hard pressed to keep pace with the rate and haphazardness of the rapid development. Even today, after five years of relatively slower growth, many of the community facilities have not "caught up" to the level necessary for Pleasanton's existing population. Unfortunate environmental impacts still affect many areas - groundwater degradation, air pollution, houses located in flood zones and in noise-impacted areas, traffic congestion, etc. Future residential development can occur in a manner which further aggravates the ability of the community to obtain adequate services; alternatively, new residential development can occur in a manner consistent with the provision of many community services. Occasion- ally, even, new development may aid the provision of certain facili- ties. The manner of development - its type, location, and relation- ship to other developed areas and existing facilities - is crucial in determining whether new residential development fosters or impedes the efficient, effective provision of community facilities to both new and existing residents. Goal 4: To guide residential development in a manner which ensures the efficient provision of community services and, whenever possible, which affirmatively aids in the provision of such services. In order to aid the city`s ability to exercise present planning and zoning powers, especially with respect to the control of the location, timing, or amount of new development, a new planning tool should be developed. Policy 18: To develop a residential allocation program which will regulate the yearly number of residential units, their location, and their timing. Many different landowners hold land within the Urbanization Line which. they wish to develop. Frequently, a single landowner holds enough land to accommodate all of Pleasanton's yearly growth, given the low yearly growth rate. For any one landowner/developer to monopolize the available development in any given year would be unfair to other landowners/developers and it would limit consumer choice as well. Developers can operate efficiently when building as few as 50 to 80 units a year. Phased development of large parcels of land into increments of this size would enable the landowner/developer to re- -12-