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5.20 Bow to Count Unib Towards the Housing Cap? The Pleasanton General Plan and Municipal Code do not have a specific definition of the tens housing unit for purposes of determining which units are counted towards the housing cap. ht practice, each new single family home (including each duet, townhome, condominium, and mobile home), as well as each unit in an apartment complex, have been counted as housing units for purposes of calculating the housing cap. However, second units are not counted, nor are rooms at nursing homes, in assisted living facilities, or at extended stay hotels. The application of the Initiative's definition of a housing unit to a single family home, duet, townhome, condominium and each unit in an apartment complex are consistent with the City's current practice. Similarly, a nursing home, whero patients' rooms typically do not have their own "kitchen" and "bathroom", would not be defined as a housing unit by the Initiative, nor has the City's practice been to count such residences towards the housing cap. This is also consistent with the Census Bureau categorizing a nursing. home as institutional "group quarters" in terms of type of housing unit. While a second unit is a residence with a "kitchen,. and "bathroom", and therefore a housing unit as defined by the Initiative, State law specifically provides that second units shall not be counted towards any local growth control liaritation.33 Therefore, the City's current practice is consistent with State law, and second units cannot be wonted towards the City's housing cap, even if the Initiative is adopted. Less certain is the application of the Initiative's definition of a housing unit to units/rooms in an assisted living facility or an extended stay hotel. In both of those situations, each unit mould be said to be a "residence" with its own "kitchen" and "bathroom". However, the Census Bureau's defimition of housing unit emphasizes separate living by providing that; "... separate Iivin~ quartero ... in which the occupants Iive separately from any other persons fn the building .. ". Similarly, the California Building Code also uses the language "Independent iivinp facllides'. In the case of m assisted living facility, which typically provides residents with a shared meal plan, Personal services, emergency alert response system, housekeeping, memory care, transportation services, etc., it would be a question whether such persona "live separately" and are "independent". This might depend upon the services ofi'ered at the facility, and therefore be decided on acase-by-case basis whether each urrit in such a facility wants as a separate housing unit for purposes of the housing cap, or if the facility more accurately provides group 4, ~ defined by the Census Bureaa36 "see Qovernmeat code §t+sa32.2(ax2} '~ In a telephone call between city sta8and the Ceasw Bureau regarding the 20t0 census, when the Parltvitnr Assisted Living Facility wu disea,aed, City staRwen advised snc6 m assisted living facility would direly ba classified as droop tZuarten, and not a individual housing unit. 23