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As the park district and developers move forward with plans to redevelop the site of Danville’s last walnut orchard into housing and an agricultural park, the Danville Town Council held a discussion this week on what to do with a portion of the property that has been under the town’s ownership for decades.
Years before the 17-acre site at the corner of Fostoria Way and Camino Ramon was left to the East Bay Regional Parks District by its late owner Armand Borel, the town acquired a portion of the site, according to a staff report by City Attorney Robert Ewing.
The Borels’ decision to sell portions of their property led to “a number of development projects (including the Costco/Marshalls site and the adjoining townhouses) as well as a number of lawsuits,” Ewing wrote, ultimately resulting in the town’s acquisition of 1.6 acres on the property’s southwest corner.
The town entered into what was known as the “Fostoria agreement” alongside the City of San Ramon and the Contra Costa Transit Authority in 1993, in which the town paid $50,000 and the transit agency paid $220,000 for a quiet title to the property.
Of that 1.6 acres, San Ramon was granted a half-acre portion to complete the Fostoria overpass, with the two municipalities working together in adjusting the city limits to accommodate it.
Under the Fostoria agreement, the town agreed to sell the remaining 1.1 acres if the adjacent Borel property were to be developed for non-agricultural use, with proceeds from the sale being split between the town and CCTA by 25% to 75% respectively, and being used by both parties for transportation “purposes or improvements.”
With the vacant 17-acre site now set for redevelopment into an agricultural park on 10 acres retained by the parks district, and into housing on a seven-acre portion being developed by Trumark Homes, town officials have begun initial discussions on what to do with the 1.1-acre portion owned by the town and CCTA.
“Because of the location of the parcel and the fact that it is landlocked, there are really only two options for the Town Council to consider: uses compatible with the District’s park or sale to the District,” Ewing wrote.
The former option was a topic of discussion by the town’s Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission over the summer, which failed to identify “any beneficial uses for the site” according to Ewing, instead recommending that the town explore selling the site to EBRPD.
Both scenarios pose their challenges, however. Although the property is zoned for commercial development, the lack of access to the site makes that “simply not a viable option,” Ewing wrote. He noted that EBRPD staff had expressed interest in acquiring some or all of the town’s portion of the property in preliminary discussions.
Before the town can move forward with selling the site to EBRPD or anyone else, Ewing said that the town would need to discuss the matter with CCTA and with the City of San Ramon, and to ensure compliance with the Surplus Lands Act.
At the conclusion of the discussion at the council’s Tuesday morning study session, town staff were directed to meet with EBRPD before returning to the council with a recommendation at a later date.
