The San Ramon City Council is set Tuesday to resume discussions and receive additional feedback from the public on a proposed townhome project in the northwestern part of the city, ahead of further deliberations and a potential vote on some key components of the proposal at the end of the month.

The three required public hearings at the council level on the proposed 61-unit Trumark Townhomes project on a 4.4-acre Deerwood Drive property kicked off on Jan. 24, following its endorsement by the Planning Commission on Dec. 6.

Approval of the proposed project would include approving a rezoning of the property from office to residential use and open space, as well as an amendment to the city's General Plan in which the area is designated for office use.

While the rezoning and General Plan amendment complicate the application process, city division manager Lauren Barr noted in a staff report that the area is already designated as a housing opportunity site under the city's pending new Housing Element, which was submitted for review by the state's Department of Housing and Community Development earlier this month.

"Rather than wait for the city process to be completed before filing development applications, the Applicant opted to pursue the General Plan amendment, rezone and development applications independent of the city process for more certain timing of the proposed changes," Barr wrote in the report prepared for Tuesday's meeting. "Once the approvals are complete, the site will be consistent with the proposed Housing Element once adopted."

With the rezoning process requiring two steps, according to Barr's report, staff are recommending that councilmembers introduce an ordinance approving the rezoning application at the upcoming meeting, ahead of a vote at their Feb. 28 meeting.

Under the city's affordable housing requirements, 15% of the 61 units are required to be affordable to moderate incomes and below.

With the rezone, General Plan amendment and mitigated negative declaration on the table for discussion at the upcoming meeting and a recommended vote at the end of the month, the project is poised to return to the Planning Commission for discussion and approval of a subdivision request that would see a portion of undevelopable space on the property designated as open space, along with the project's development application.

One concern brought forward during the Jan. 24 public hearing on behalf of the homeowners association in the surrounding neighborhood was a potential increase in stormwater drainage from the proposed project, with the existing office space having an easement in place. Barr said that he, staff and developers were seeking to address this ahead of a final vote on the project, as part of the Planning Commission's final review.

The San Ramon City Council is set to meet Tuesday (Feb. 14) at 7 p.m. The agenda is available here.