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Contractor and residents tell council permitting delays are slowing home improvement projects
Summary
During the public comment period on the consent calendar, a local landscape contractor and a resident described months‑long permitting delays for residential projects and asked the council to review building‑department responsiveness; staff offered follow‑up and contact information for case review.
Two speakers addressing consent items on Oct. 21 told the Pleasanton City Council they have encountered lengthy and inconsistent permitting timelines for home‑improvement projects, and they asked the city to investigate and improve customer service in the building department.
Helping Hand Landscape Design owner Denise Alvarez told the council her company has operated in Pleasanton for more than 35 years and that permit review times have “increased by nearly tenfold compared to 20 years ago.” Alvarez said the firm received a comparable permit in neighboring Danville in two weeks while Pleasanton review took more than six months.
Resident Jicky Thomas described a personal project (record B25‑0314) submitted Feb. 6, 2024, and said she had spent roughly $43,000 on required reports and updates while the application remained unresolved more than eight months later. Thomas said she had previously contacted the deputy director, who acknowledged the delay but that no progress followed.
Staff response and follow‑up Mayor Balch asked staff to exchange business cards with both speakers and follow up directly; staff offered to review project B25‑0314 and contact the speakers. The mayor instructed staff to provide a case review and to report back to the speakers and council.
Why it matters Speakers framed their remarks as concerns about transparency, timeliness and fairness in the building‑permit process. Council members accepted the request for staff follow‑up and asked staff to investigate the specific records cited and to report back to the speakers.
Ending Staff agreed to follow up with the contractor and resident to review the case files and to improve communication; the council closed public comment and proceeded with the consent calendar vote.
