On December 6, the City Council approved the Alternative Recommendation rather than the staff recommendation, as we had urged – thus facilitating development on areas zoned Private Recreation and Open Space. However, thanks to the demand from almost 1,000 residents, the Council also voted to consider options for city-led community engagement for development on the Pleasant Hills Golf Course.

In a community engagement process, local residents share their ideas and feedback on proposed development projects. Planning Department staff stated at the Council meeting that a city-led community engagement process is much more likely to benefit the city and provide what residents need – for example, including significant open space as part of the development project. However, some Council members still want the community engagement process to be led by the developer, rather than the city. This would likely result in a focus on the developer’s priorities, rather than the city’s and community’s needs.

Next Steps

Planning Department staff will provide their community engagement recommendation to the Council in February or March. We will notify residents at that time of the opportunity to once again urge the Council to choose city-led community engagement. We look forward to your support.