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The San Ramon City Council and Planning Commission is set Tuesday to continue debating whether to lower the housing density in western Crow Canyon.
The 5 p.m. joint meeting will immediately precede the regular council meeting at 7 p.m. that will feature a discussion on a new waste collection contract and updates on the Bollinger Canyon Road widening, among other items.
This will be the second meeting focusing on a proposed amendment to reduce the maximum number of dwelling units per acre within the Crow Canyon Specific Plan (CCSP), an area that covers 130 acres and is bounded by the San Ramon city limit line to the north, Interstate 680 to the east, Crow Canyon Road to the south and the San Ramon city limit line to the west.
“Over the past 12 months, the city has received several inquiries and processed several conceptual review applications for potential projects in the CCSP area,” acting division manager Lauren Barr wrote in a previous staff report. “These project concepts, with the inclusion of density bonus allowed by state law, reflected a significantly higher density than was originally anticipated.”
Only 41 of the 130 acres that span the CCSP are designated for housing. Currently, the residential density range for this area is 22-50 dwelling units per acre, but the amendment would reduce that to 22-35.
However, if passed, the dwelling unit limit for the entire area would remain still constant at 735, meaning that the proposal would primarily affect unit distribution across the 41 acres and how many units are permitted on an individual housing site.
The state density bonus law was passed as an incentive for developers to build affordable housing in California — if developers designate a certain number of units for low-income, very low-income and moderate-income residents, they can build additional units to their development, for a maximum bonus of 35%.
With the state bonus factored into the current density cap of 50 units per acre, then developers could now potentially build 68 units per acre. But with the proposed amendment, the maximum including the density bonus would be 47 units per acre.
At the previous joint meeting focusing on the density issue July 25, members of the public, council members and commissioners talked about the impact of density changes.
Hassan Sharifi, the owner of the CCSP-located Golden Skate property at 2701 Hoover Drive, which has a pending apartment development application, came to the public hearing to voice his objection to the proposed amendment.
“I don’t see any rationale for doing what you’re doing,” he said, adding that the amendment “circumvents the state’s law, the state’s desire to add low-income housing to this area.”
In the most recent staff report, planning director Debbie Chamberlain cautioned against placing an exact number on the potential number of units that could be developed.
“With many factors such as parcel size and constraints, land cost, construction type, project costs, return on investment, and financing strategies taken into account when determining if a project is economically viable, it is difficult to predict the number of units that could potentially be accommodated on individual parcels,” Chamberlain wrote.
The Planning Commission is set to hold its third public hearing on the subject Aug. 29. The third public hearing with the council will be scheduled, following action taken on the amendment by the commission.
The joint meeting will be held at the council chamber at City Hall, 7000 Bollinger Canyon Road, beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, right before the regular council meeting at 7 p.m.
In other business
* The council will consider entering the city into a new long-term solid waste collection franchise agreement, in light of the fact that the current agreement with Waste Management of Alameda County will expire on Sept. 30, 2019.
The city will talk about either undergoing a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process, which would involve finding a potential new contractor or entering into sole source negotiations with Waste Management.
“The primary advantage of an RFP process is that it is the clearest way for the City to be confident that it has obtained the best pricing possible,” wrote solid waste and recycling program manager David Krueger in a staff report. “The primary advantage a sole source negotiation is that it reduces the risk of contracting with a vendor whose service quality and contract compliance turn out to be worse than the status quo.”
As of now, staff recommends that the city moves directly to a competitive RFP process.
* The council will consider authorizing three application filings that seek to direct Metropolitan Transportation Commission funding assigned to San Ramon towards three specific road projects: the completion of the Bollinger Canyon Road-Iron Horse Trail Overcrossings Project, the completion of the Alcosta Boulevard Pavement Rehabilitation Project and the implementation of the San Ramon Valley Street Smarts Program.
* City Manager Joe Gorton will give an update on the Bollinger Canyon Road widening project.
* Mayor Bill Clarkson will be presented with an award for five years of service by city clerk Renee Beck.
* In a special presentation, the San Ramon Aqua Bears Swim Team will recognize the city of San Ramon and the aquatics staff for their support as the team transitioned from the San Ramon Golf Club Pool to the San Ramon Olympic Pool at Cal High.
