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The Danville Town Council is set to hold a study session Tuesday assessing the feasibility of real estate development on northern Hartz Avenue, in and around the area of downtown Danville located north of Linda Mesa Avenue and south of San Ramon Valley High School.
An assessment of potential redevelopment projects, made by the consulting teams of Economic and Planning Systems, Inc. and MIG, Inc., will be given to the council to review findings and potential development opportunities in the area.
“Redevelopment opportunities in the downtown area are limited. However, continual reinvestment in the downtown is critical to sustaining vibrancy,” EPS representatives Benjamin C. Sigman and Michael Nimon wrote in the assessment the council will receive on Tuesday morning.
According to a staff report prepared by economic development manager Jill Bergman, principal planner David Crompton and administrative services director Nat Rojanasathira, the assessment identified six key findings:
* Retail, restaurant, office and residential locations exhibit low vacancy and town interventions can motivate investment in the area.
* Downtown Danville retailers face challenges in successfully competing with nearby large retail centers and online shopping.
* The high value of existing space makes redevelopment financially infeasible under current development standards.
* Redevelopment is unlikely under all but one scenario tested.
* Denser zoning allowances, additional flexibility in allowable land uses and development incentives that reduce project costs may incentivize development. The additional value from allowing stores to have a third floor could make a significant contribution to redevelopment feasibility.
* While changes to land-use policy have the potential to stimulate redevelopment, lack of parking space is a potential issue that must be considered.
The assessment finds that redevelopment options are limited, and while the town’s downtown areas is vibrant, does not have the same draw as regional centers such as Walnut Creek.
“The business base of the downtown is commonly characterized as ‘mom and pop’ establishments, with many independent and locally owned businesses,” Sigman and Nimon wrote. “While this market profile can make redevelopment challenging, these small businesses comprise a unique tenant mix that is central to Danville’s character and economic fabric.”
The issues of offsite parking continue to plague downtown Danville, and present additional challenges when considering redevelopment options for the north Hartz area.
“Existing municipal parking lots do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate additional off-site parking demands generated by upzoning the north Hartz Avenue area,” town staff wrote. “In order to develop additional public parking to serve the area, it would be necessary to identify or develop a source of funding.”
The Danville council study session is set to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, at the Danville town offices, 510 La Gonda Way.
In other business
* Downtown Danville may be the recipient of a series of new banners, as the council will discuss expanding the town’s banner program from San Ramon Valley Boulevard and Hartz Avenue to include Railroad Avenue.
The current memorandum proposes purchasing five sets of additional banners and the equipment necessary to hang them on light posts for an estimated cost of $26,408. In addition to this initial cost, the ongoing annual cost for rotating new banners five times a year will total $6,125.
* City clerk Marie Sunseri is set to lead a conversation reviewing the town’s recruitment process for various commissions, boards and agencies tasked with advising the council and carrying out their policies.
According to a staff report prepared by Sunseri, the Town Council recruits and appoints 52 Danville residents to serve on various governing groups and interviews each candidate prior to their appointment. The purpose of Tuesday’s discussion is to review the interviewing and appointing process to see if it can be done in a more timely way.
Toward the end of this month, the town will begin recruiting members for the Planning Commission, Heritage Resource Commission, Design Review Board and the Contra Costa County Library Commission.
* The council is also set to hear a presentation updating the community on a memorandum related to the proposed Tassajara Parks development located east of Danville in unincorporated Contra Costa County.
* Starting in this fall, the council will begin signing official documents electronically, using their own smart electronic devices.
Information technology analyst Mark Guenther will lead a discussion on how electronic signatures will be gathered and used, as well as the benefits of switching away from hard copies to digital ones.
* Rojanasathira will give the council an update on the town’s IT security measures.
* The council will also discuss the process of updating the town’s planning ordinance.
