Planning staff outlines work plan; East Pleasanton, BART housing and design‑review changes top priorities

City planning staff presented an itemized work plan and prioritization to the Planning Commission on Aug. 27, summarizing projects the Community & Economic Development Department is leading and identifying items the commission should expect over the next 12–18 months.

Why it matters: The work plan frames where city staff time and resources will be focused and connects those priorities to City Council direction following the budget process. Several items in the staff list will come to the commission for review or recommendation and will shape downtown and East Pleasanton land‑use decisions that affect housing capacity, public infrastructure and economic development.

Staff presentation and highlights: Director Clark and staff said the work plan is grounded in the city’s 1 Pleasant strategic plan (2023–2028) and council‑identified strategic priorities. Staff reported a long list of projects across departments and explained they had sorted the list into tiered priorities (tier 1 = must‑do/committed priorities; tier 2 = near‑term important projects; tiers 3–4 = important but to be undertaken as time allows). Items staff expects to bring to the Planning Commission over the coming year include: a BART station housing concept plan for East Pleasanton, additional rezonings and housing‑site work to increase high‑density capacity, refinements to the Objective Design Standards (ODS) and targeted simplifications of design review procedures, an East Pleasanton policy framework (a joint workshop with City Council was scheduled for Sept. 16), Stoneridge Mall planning, and a retail attraction strategy. Staff also noted longer‑range efforts—such as a potential general plan update, targeted downtown specific plan adjustments, sign ordinance changes and historic‑preservation work—that are in tiers 3–4 and will proceed as resources permit.

Commissioner feedback: Commissioners praised the level of detail and asked staff to (1) publish the work plan presentation to the commission, (2) add simple timeline visuals or a Gantt‑style calendar, and (3) include measurable performance indicators (KPIs) so the commission and public can track progress. Several commissioners urged staff and council to consider whether industrial/office areas such as Hacienda Business Park should be prioritized for potential housing conversions where leases and market conditions make conversions viable; staff said some rezonings in Hacienda are already planned. Commissioners also discussed parking tradeoffs for higher densities, impacts on neighborhood street parking, and how to balance downtown commercial retention with new housing goals.

Next steps: Staff said a joint Planning Commission–City Council workshop on East Pleasanton is set for Sept. 16 and that revised ODS and design‑review amendments will be presented to the commission this fall. Staff also committed to sending the work plan presentation and to exploring a simple Gantt chart and KPIs for progress reporting.

Bottom line: The department’s prioritized list signals where council and staff expect to focus in the near term—East Pleasanton, BART station housing concepts, objective design standards refinements, Hacienda rezonings and design‑review streamlining—while larger undertakings such as a general plan update remain on a later‑stage list pending staff capacity and budget.