Pleasant Hill city council moves forward with rezoning as neighborhood groups balk at proposal

By Amanda Hari

City leaders in Pleasant Hill moved forward with a proposed rezoning Monday night, as opponents packed a meeting to push back against the plan.

Leaders said the rezoning needs to be done to align with its newly and already adopted 2040 General Plan and a state-mandate to address regional housing needs, but residents are concerned.

“It’s going to change the whole dynamic of the city,” said Jeffery Thomas.

Thomas has lived in Pleasant Hill for 42 years. He raised his son in the city and it’s his home. He says it’s special to him.

“It’s a little bit more affordable,” said Thomas, describing the city. “It’s got the community feel to it. We have neighborhood block parties, barbeques, cookie exchange at Christmas time. We know everybody.”

Now part of his street is on the list to be re-zoned, and Thomas feels it could change everything.

“If somebody wants to sell, they’ll sell to a developer and then the next person will sell to a developer and the next person will do the same thing and then after they get enough land, they’ll build a 500-unit apartment building on it,” Thomas said.

The city of Pleasant Hill says the rezoning needs to be done to add in more mixed-use and high-density zoned land. It’s required to align with its already adopted 2040 General Plan and with a state-mandated process to address regional housing needs.

It would re-zone 1,072 parcels throughout the city.

The city’s Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval. But Thomas worries about the ramifications of the city growing so rapidly.

“It’s going to bring in more crime, more homeless,” said Thomas.

And he’s not the only one with concerns, so many people attended the meeting, there were two overflow rooms.

Rochelle Gardiner shared many of Thomas’s sentiments.

“You go to these new developments, and every house looks the same,” Gardiner explained. “Pleasant Hill is not like that. Real cute, small little houses with good families that have lived there forever. Huge apartments mean more congestion, possibly more crime, just more people. We don’t have enough services for the people who already live here.”

She’s lived in the city for 23 years, but Gardiner says the new zoning may encourage her to think about moving.

“Unfortunately, yes,” said Gardiner when asked if she would move. “Everyone in our neighborhood has been talking about how sad that would be, but it might be a possibility that this is not the community we moved to.”

Thomas is also considering it. His son lives in Tennessee and it’s starting to look more appealing to him.

“Yeah, absolutely,” said Thomas. “Everybody here is angry.”

The City Council voted to approve the rezoning by a vote of 3 to 1, with one member of the council abstaining. The council said they need to approve it to keep it consistent with the 2040 General Plan and the 2023-2031 Housing Element.

Councilors said they will be reviewing the General Plan so they can possibly amend it in the future and then amend the zoning for some of the parcels.