17A ATTACHMENTS - Laserfiche WebLink

Interpreting the Initiative to apply to grading for roads on slopes 25% or greater, or for roads on slopes of 25% or greater where retaining walls of six feet or higher are required, would likely preclude construction of the Bypass Road and other roads for hill area projects. 5.8 To what portions of a residential lot would the slope restriction apply? The Initiative states that housing units and structures shall not be placed on slopes 25% or greater, and that no grading to construct residences shall occur on such slopes. This language can be interpreted to mean that a lot which includes slopes of 25% or greater can be developed, as long as a structure is not located in such areas and that no grading occurs on such slopes. The Kottinger Ranch project and the Preserve are projects that have been built where a certain percentage of lots have included slopes of 25% or more, but no structures were placed and no grading occurred on such slopes (i.e., such 25% slopes were left unchanged in backyards). The Oak Grove project has similar features. 5.9 Define Ridgeline While the Initiative uses the term "ridgeline", it is not specifically defined. The 1996 General Plan includes a discussion of the Pleasanton Ridgelands area, as created by Measure F in 1993, but has no formal definition of "ridgeline". In Chapter 18.76 of the Municipal Code, for the Hillside Planned Development District (for which only one property currently has this zoning designation), a "ridge" is defined as "a connected series of major and minor hills", and a "ridgeline" means "a ground line located at the highest elevation of the ridge running parallel to the long axis of the ridge." 28 A "ridge" typically refers to a connected series of hills or an elongated crest or series of crests of a hill. This definition distinguishes a ridge from a knoll, individual hill, or slope bank. Ridges can be identified on a topographical map by the configuration of the contour lines. Additional clarification will be needed to define ridgeline, and whether other regulations need to be adopted to limit development of visually prominent foreridges, below the main ridgeline. For example, it appears that the intent of the Initiative is to limit the visibility of development from off site by preventing development that does not have a backdrop of another ridge or landform behind it. In some cases, however, development within 100 feet of a ridgeline would not be visible if located on an interior canyon or valley side of a ridge. (This is sometimes the situation in the Southeast Hills.) 28 See Municipal Code § 18.76.100. 15