Pleasanton City Council candidates focus on housing
PLEASANTON >> Seven candidates are vying for two open seats on the Pleasanton City Council this election season, and the top issue on the table is housing.
Because current council members Jerry Pentin and Karla Brown are being termed out (and running for mayor), their seats are open. Running are: Planning Commissioner Nancy Allen, school board member Valerie A rkin, Planning Commissioner Jack Balch, Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce board chair Randy Brown, attorney Jarod Buna, Housing Commissioner Zarina Kiziloglu and former Economic Vitality Committee member Chiman Lee.
On their minds is growth, specifically where to put staterequired housing in the city. The state mandates that Bay Area cities plan for more housing to accommodate the growing population, and the latest numbers for Pleasanton estimate it will need to plan for, though not necessa rily build, about 4,800 units by 2023.
One pot ential location is the east side of Pleasanton, favorable because there’s room to grow there. But nearly all candidates brought up concerns about a lack of transit on that side of town, making it difficult for people without cars to move about.
Allen said not only does the city need affordable housing, but moderate homes as well. “There needs to be a balance, but my biggest priority is putting (affordable housing) near a transit corridor, especially BART. And it needs to have easy freeway access.”
T hat means the city would have to look at the Stoneridge Mall area, Hacienda Business Park and potentially on Hopyard Road. The city will likely have to build on the east side of town to meet the state-mandated numbers, but it’s not her first choice because of the lack of transit, she said.
Arkin said she’s for more affordable housing, but opposes putting it all in one location, because of the stigma it could have on children from that area. She’s for inclusionary housing: not just multifamily units, but also senior housing, mixed-use or even housing for adults with special needs. She wants to be careful where the housing is placed so that it doesn’t put too much of a burden on nearby schools, or is not located “right smack up against an existing residence, where it would potentially affect their property value.”
Balch said he too would like to see a variety of housing, not just affordable hous
ing, and wants to go above the “the standard 30-units per acre” — the city’s density for high- density housing. If it were 45 units per acre, underground parking could be added, he said. Regarding the east side, he too is skeptical about placing housing there. Like other candidates, he said ideally placing more housing near transit and in infill lots would be great. But not all sites may qualify to be rezoned.
Buna presented another idea for the east side: Build a second downtown there, with mixed-use commercial, a residential area and even a school to accommodate the growth. He said there’s not really any space left in other areas by BART or Stoneridge Mall. “There’s nowhere else to put these homes — let’s do it in style, let’s make it very cool,” he said.
Kiziloglu said the city needs to rezone available land, particularly infill land, putting affordable housing throughout the city and not concentrated in one area. She’s for building near transit, such as near the BART station or near the Stoneridge Mall area. Since east Pleasanton is not near transit, “it should come as a last resort.”
Brown said that the east side would have to be part of the housing equation. But he also suggested that with the pandemic, “the need for large commercial buildings is probably going to diminish, so there may be some possibilities there.”
L ee ag rees Plea santon needs more affordable housing and he suggests building in the east side and add more bus lines or a shuttle from the east side to BART and the ACE train station.
He also recommends banning developers from paying in-lieu fees rather than including affordable housing in projects. Lee instead wants developers to be required to build affordable housing.
Candidates also shared why they were running for the council in the first place.
Allen said she’s running because she’s concerned the city is losing decades of institutional knowledge on the council. She said she has 13 years of experience serving on city commissions, including the Bike, Pedestrian and Trails Committee, and the Economic Vitality Committee. She will focus on economic recovery, smart responsible growth and inclusivity.
Arkin has spent 12 years on the school board, and said it’s time to move on and feels she can make a real difference on the council. Her top issues if elected are smart growth that doesn’t overburden the city’s infrastructure, the environment and Pleasanton’s COVID-19 recovery.
Balch, a certified public accountant, wants to bring his knowledge to the City Council to “help Pleasanton continue its financial success.” He has served on the Park and Recreation and Planning commissions.
Brown wants to bring his experience as a real estate company owner, from the Chamber of Commerce and his service on several boards (such as the Pleasanton Downtown Association) to the council.
Kiziloglu has a master’s degree in public administration and her main focus is on affordable housing within the city. “Changes can only come from within,” she said.
Lee said he was motivated to run after seeing hate toward Chinese Americans and Asian Americans on both a local and national level. “We have a huge lack of diversity on the City Council,” he said. He wants to focus if elected on clean drinking water, the environment and COVID-19 recovery.
Buna, an attorney who handles civil issues, grew up in Pleasanton and has returned to raise his family. Buna ran unsuccessfully for the council at age 18. He said he decided to run now because “there needs to be an attorney on the City Council to fight for the things that are important to us right now.”
According to campaign finance forms, Balch has raised $ 35, 375; Brow n $20,318; Allen $14,210; Lee $6,350; and Arkin $4,068. Buna spent $2,500 but has not raised money yet, and Kiziloglu has not filed any finance documents.