Pleasanton City Council Approves Zoning Updates to Attract Innovation-Based Businesses

Pleasanton City Council Approves Zoning Updates to Attract Innovation-Based Businesses

• August 28, 2025

The Pleasanton City Council has unanimously approved updates to the City's zoning code to make it easier for innovation-based businesses to locate and grow in Pleasanton. This action reflects a key City Council priority of advancing economic development to grow City revenues and directly supports the City's Economic Development Strategic Plan, which calls for attracting life sciences and other innovation-based businesses by modernizing zoning and reducing barriers.

Innovation-based businesses (IBBs) include industries such as life sciences, biotechnology, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and food technology. These businesses are clean, modern, and low-impact, operating entirely indoors and often combining office, lab, and small-scale manufacturing space under one roof. By updating the City's land use regulations to better accommodate these industries, Pleasanton is strengthening its ability to compete for new investment and high-quality jobs in the Bay Area.

"This is about real changes to make it easier to do business in Pleasanton," said Mayor Jack Balch. "This zoning update removes barriers and gives businesses flexibility to innovate, grow, and succeed while helping Pleasanton remain a hub of opportunity."

The City's Economic Development Strategic Plan identifies the attraction of life sciences and biotechnology companies as a cornerstone goal, as well as fostering entrepreneurship and creating clear, predictable pathways for business approvals. These zoning changes support these goals by:

• Establishing a clear definition for Innovation-Based Businesses, separate from traditional industrial uses, to reduce confusion and provide greater certainty for prospective businesses.
• Expanding the areas where IBBs may be located, including key hubs like Hacienda, the Johnson Drive Economic Development Zone, and areas around Stoneridge Mall.
• Streamlining design review requirements so that businesses can move forward more quickly when making minor building modifications.
• Updating development standards to reflect modern industry needs while ensuring new projects fit Pleasanton's character and remain compatible with nearby neighborhoods.

For the community, these changes mean a stronger and more resilient local economy, smart growth that balances business expansion with Pleasanton's unique character and quality of life, and greater access to high-quality, well-paying jobs close to home.

The approval of these zoning updates lays the groundwork for sustained economic vitality in Pleasanton. By creating a business-friendly environment that supports innovation and attracts investment, the City is positioning itself for long-term prosperity and stability.