Pleasanton planning panel backs Ponderosa Homes project, recommends EIR certification and entitlements

The Pleasanton Planning Commission voted unanimously April 22 to recommend that city council certify the final environmental impact report and approve entitlements for Ponderosa Homes’ Hidden Canyon project, a hillside proposal that would annex roughly 130 acres and construct 28 new single‑family homes while rebuilding two existing residences and dedicating substantial open space and a small staging area for East Bay Regional Park District.

The commission’s recommendation covers three separate resolutions: certification of the final EIR, approval of project entitlements (annexation, general plan amendments, rezoning/pre‑zoning, vesting tentative tract map and planned unit development), and endorsement of a pre‑annexation and development agreement that would vest developer rights and secure public benefits including a trail staging area and, according to staff, monetary contributions toward Dublin Canyon Road improvements.

Natalie Amos, the city planner presenting the project, told commissioners the application stems from Pleasanton’s housing element work and would formalize and annex a site that staff has tracked since 2018. Amos said the proposal includes a mix of private and public open space, life‑estate dedication of a parcel to the East Bay Regional Park District for a staging area, on‑site improvements such as sidewalks and bike lanes, and a traffic signal the applicant agreed to install to address long‑standing…