Catholic Community of Pleasanton

Social Justice Newsletter Archive

Selected Article on Local Community Involvement

 
 

Pleasanton's Housing Element Update and Affordable Housing

 

The city of Pleasanton has submitted a draft Housing Element Update to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HDC) and has received back a comment letter, http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/pdf/HE-HCD-CommentLetter-10-14-11.pdf

 

Regarding the comment letter Janice Stern, Pleasanton's Planning Manager, said by email, "As you can see it asks for additional information and analysis on a number of topics; there are also some tougher policy questions raised in the letter that we will have to discuss further with the Planning Commission and City Council." In a second email she explained, "[T]he HCD letter raises the issue of "by-right" zoning on p.9 - by-right zoning means that a development project that meets certain pre-established standards and regulations must be approved by the decision-making body. It essentially removes discretion from the decision-making process." In this case discretion would evidently be that of Pleasanton's Planning Commission and City Council.

 

The HDC has a web page for Housing Elements and Regional Housing Needs Assessment, http://hcd.ca.gov/hpd/hrc/plan/he/.

 

The beginning of the HDC comment letter makes reference to comments received from Citizens for a Caring Community and Public Advocates. This citizens group has long been an advocate for affordable housing. A prominent member is former City Council member Becky Denise and another is Pat Belding of CCOP's Social Justice Committee. The comments from Public Advocates are contained in a letter dated 9-27-2011, http://www.publicadvocates.org/sites/default/files/library/urban_habitat_comments_on_pleasanton_draft_housing_element.pdf.