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voters. If adopted, either by Council or by the voters, the Initiative would amend policies in the Land Use Element of the General Plan to prohibit building or grading on slopes of 25 percent or greater or within 100 vertical feet of a ridgeline. Housing developments of 10 or fewer units would be exempted from the policy. The Initiative provides an opportunity to discuss the issue of hillside development with the City Council and to determine if existing policies and regulations provide sufficient protection of Pleasanton's hillside areas, or if new hillside protection regulations are warranted. DISCUSSION As noted above, the existing General Plan provides a policy framework for hillside development based on several goals: ensuring the stability of slopes and the safety of hillside development; preserving the visual open space character of the hills; and retaining heritage trees and natural land forms. New hillside protection regulations would create development standards and regulations to implement these goals in specific areas. The following paragraphs lay out options for what topics might be regulated and where the regulations could be applied. Staff is seeking City Council feedback and direction. • What area is to be subject to new regulations? As noted above, the Ridgelands area west of Foothill Road is covered in the General Plan (and cannot be changed except by a further vote of the people) and in the West Foothill Road Overlay District. In addition, the City's Urban Growth Boundary and the County's Measure D Urban Limit line effectively prohibit new land subdivisions beyond these boundaries. Land inside the City's UGB in the Southeast Hills, however, is generally subject to discretionary review through the PUD review process, and development projects are reviewed against the General Plan policies. Development in the Vineyard Avenue area is also regulated by the Vineyard Avenue Corridor Specific Plan. Some of the Vineyard Avenue Corridor properties are also covered by development agreements; to the extent that a property owner has a development agreement with the City, during the term of that agreement, new hillside regulations (whether adopted by initiative or City Council action) would have no effect. Options: One option would be to subject all the above hillside areas to new hillside protection regulations. Alternatively, if it is believed that the western Ridgelands General Plan policies (adopted by the voters), the existing West Foothill Road Overlay District, and the Vineyard Avenue Corridor Specific Plan provide sufficient regulation for the hillsides in these areas, the potential regulations could apply only to the Southeast Hills. • What projects to include? The language in the Save Pleasanton's Hills Initiative regarding hillside development states that projects of 10 or fewer units would be exempt from the policy regarding development on slopes and ridgelines. However, if the objectives of new regulations include retaining the Page 5 of 9