Pleasanton planners probe proposed teardown at 231 Old Bernal; applicant seeks single large home with ground-floor live-work

A Pleasanton Planning Commission workshop on Aug. 27 focused on a PUD application to demolish an existing two‑story commercial office building at 231 Old Bernal Avenue and build a three‑story single‑family residence with a 725‑square‑foot ground‑floor live‑work area. The application was presented by city staff and discussed at length with the applicant and nearby residents; no formal action was taken because the item was a workshop.

Why it matters: The lot is in the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) mixed‑use transitional (MUT) area, where DSP policies generally prioritize street‑front commercial uses. The applicant’s plan would reduce commercial square footage on the site and request deviations from several objective design standards in the Pleasanton Municipal Code and the city’s Objective Design Standards (ODS). Commissioners said the proposal raises policy questions about whether the downtown policies should be strictly applied on this block, and whether a single large home is appropriate on a site where zoning and the DSP anticipate higher residential density or ground‑floor commercial.

What staff told commissioners: Staff said the existing site contains a roughly 6,160‑square‑foot commercial building, 21 surface parking stalls and about 34 trees (none designated heritage trees). The proposal would demolish that building and construct a roughly 38‑foot‑tall structure with approximately 15,088 square feet of living area, a 725‑square‑foot ground‑floor live‑work space, about 6 total parking stalls for the new development, and roughly 6,320 square feet of new landscaping. Staff identified several nonconformities with the DSP, the ODS and the Pleasanton Municipal Code (PMC): proposed front setback of 5 feet to the porch (ODS minimum 10 feet); side setbacks of 5 feet and 10 feet (ODS requires 7 feet minimum and 16 feet combined); proposed height about 38 feet (PMC/ODS maximum 36 feet in MUT); proposed cumulative FAR around 85 percent (DSP…