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The Danville Town Council and other town officials are set to discuss a revised concept for a three-story apartment complex proposed for Diablo Road near the freeway during a joint study session Tuesday evening.
The current proposal from property owner Danville Office Partners calls for 153 for-rent apartment units in an E-shaped building at 373-379 Diablo Road, adjacent to the southbound Interstate 680 on-ramp.
The new development plan differs from the concept that received negative reviews from town officials during a study session last November and that was created by ROEM Development, which is no longer affiliated with the project.
“We have taken very seriously the comments provided by the town during the study session held Nov. 3 … and as a result, we have spent considerable time and money in completely redesigning the project with a fresh approach,” Russel Stanley, of Danville Office Partners, wrote in a letter to the town last week.
“However, in accomplishing the town’s design changes, significant costs have been added to the project, well beyond what a project with an affordable component can sustain and far more expensive than the wrap project that ROEM was ready, willing and able to build,” Stanley added. “We are excited about this alternative design proposed to the town.”
The current concept for the complex, now dubbed Riverwalk at Downtown Danville, calls for 153 apartments, a clubhouse, exercise room and lobby in a single, continuous building shaped like an “E” pointing toward Diablo Road.
The apartments would not sit right along Diablo Road, instead being set back behind roadside buildings with tenants such as Heritage Bank of Commerce and American Packaging Capital. The 3.74-acre site currently contains two-story office buildings and is located just west of the freeway.
The property owner proposes 20 studio units, 65 one-bedroom units and 68 two-bedroom units in the E-shaped building — a design that differs from ROEM’s plan, which recommended a “wrap design” with a ring of apartments around the site, with another smaller group of apartments and a parking garage inside the outer ring.
The revised proposal eliminates the parking garage, replacing it with 279 parking spots split almost evenly between parking underneath the building at the basement level and increased ground-level parking around the building.
By removing the parking structure, the property owner reduced the surface-area footprint of the apartment structures by about one-third, according to Kevin Gailey, Danville’s chief of planning.
The entire apartment building is proposed to stand three stories tall, a height council members objected to during the November study session. They also pointed to problems they found with appearance, size, parking and landscaping of the prior proposal.
Those components of the new plan, and more, are set to be up for discussion during the study session Tuesday night between the Town Council, Planning Commission and Design Review Board at 6 p.m. inside the Town Meeting Hall, 201 Front St.
“At a minimum, the review should consider building height and mass, roof treatment, setbacks and relationships to adjacent buildings,” Gailey wrote in his staff report. “The review is not a permit or entitlement and is not binding on the town.”
The property is one of two in the town to secure a new multifamily land-use designation through the 2030 General Plan approval in recognition of the regional housing needs allocation shortfall identified in the town’s 2007-14 Housing Element, according to Gailey.
Based on town density rules, the site would be eligible for a maximum of 112 residential units, so the property owner seeks a density bonus to allow the 153 units. The owner also asks for permission to build to a height of 37 feet, two feet taller than the maximum allowed under the General Plan.
No final decisions are scheduled to occur during the Riverwalk at Downtown Danville workshop, which aims to give town officials a chance to provide early feedback to the applicant and town staff about the design concept.
The joint study session is set to occur in the middle of a day of meetings for the council members.
They have a morning budget study session scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday at the town offices, 510 La Gonda Way.
The council then has its regular meeting at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Town Meeting Hall after the apartment project workshop. The regular meeting is set to feature update presentations on the Planning Commission and Visit Tri-Valley as well as consideration of a seven-item consent agenda.
Diablo apartment project : Where are the kids going to go to school? We have waiting lists for kids to get in to kindergarten with the residents that live in Danville now. Build a school if you want to build more housing. Danville is getting so busy!!!
That is way too many units. It’s crowded enough downtown. Build out where there is open land. Traffic is bad enough, and this will only make it worse. Your are ruining our town. We don’t need apartments.
Send them down to faceless San Ramon.
So the state and federal government mandate (force) local towns and cities to build high density to accommodate more people and to allow for affordable housing (politically correct way of spreading the wealth). They talk about teachers and firefighters etc who can’t afford to live where they work. Give me a break, teachers earn a great living for a 9 months job and firefighters get paid more than most in private industry with their benefits!
Like rats in a maze! It will no longer be the nice town that everyone who moved here envisioned. Get used to it, the town planners and council are going to pass most everything put in front of them. That is why 1/3 of Californians are moving to other states when they retire.
Clearly, the overwhelming amount of Danville residents are strongly against this massive apartment complex, which will overburden an already overburden infrastructure of traffic and crowded schools. The current town council has a reputation of being pawns of wealthy developers, so do not be surprised if they approve this huge new development. Is there anyone on the town council who actually is interested in what their constituents think about this huge new development, or are the campaign contributions from wealthy developers the deciding factor?
The density of the housing, height and look of the project is more appropriate in Dublin where it would fit in nicely with the rest of the housing. I feel strongly the height limit and density limitation should be strictly followed if additional housing is mandated by regional authorities.
Just what this area needs: more people/more cars/more demand for services AND more water usage.WHEN are cities going to STOP seeing dollar signs in more taxes!!!! Ridiculous!
People need to attend City Council meetings and Planning Commission meetings to voice their opinion. The more folks that show up and voice their opposition the less likely that Danville will continue to be ruined.
Memo to Mr. Stanley…..NO IS AN ANSWER. Not only are you wanting to build 3 stories you also request approval to build 36% more units than the zoning allows. The expenses you incurred crafting this second proposed project is not relevant. Any Town council member that votes to approve this is out in their next election cycle. I promise.
This three story stack & pack will fit in nicely with the Town of Danville motto “small town atmosphere outstanding quality of life.”.
@JRM: No one in the Town of Danville is willing to run for Council, except the 3 incumbents up for re-election. Wait and see… And if indeed anybody runs but the 3 incumbents, the challenger(s) will likely lose; or if he/she/they get elected, they will be developers and developer- lackeys like the current Council members. Danville is a lost cause. No one cares enough to do anything. I am surprised I even took the time to write this comment….
Time for the Town Council members to be voted out this November. The Planning department with Kevin Gailey and David Crompton need to go as well! Ruining Danville with crap projects like the Danville Hotel, Basil Leaf Parking Lot, and this “Riverwalk Danville” Russ Stanley is the biggest d-bag alive he’s suing the neighboring property owners because they will not amend the CC&R’s to approve his project! Joe Calabrigo just as guilty with his $350K salary! Time to clean house! #MakeAmericaGreatAgain go TRUMP! 2016!
There seems to be no coordination between the SRVUSD, developers, and the town planners when it comes to adding housing units. Vista Grande cannot accommodate the students who live within its boundaries, and it’s not likely that Montair nor Green Valley could take the overload either, due to construction in their boundaries. Who could believe that another 200+ cars are a good idea for Diablo Road???? The charm that was Danville is being carted off by the ton, along with construction debris. My family will be on their way to less crowded schools and quieter neighborhoods as soon as school ends. We have lost our taste for the little town that we grew up in.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ !
Use to like to go to Danville shopping and attending special functions.
Don’t go any more.
The town is completely ruined by government people who think they know better then tax payer.
Feel sorry for you tax payers in Danville, but then San Ramon is no better. 🙁
As we celebrate the holiday season…shouldn’t us “Haves” show compassion for the “Have Nots” and allow for others to share in this wonderful community?
Other communities have done much more with fewer resources. As for schools extra classrooms or increasing class size may be an option. Danville homes have some of the largest back/front yard landscaping, let’s put drought resistant plants and reduce water usage.
There are solutions out there.
Good location for more stack and pack. It’s a go!
Will these units be available to house existing local residents or new San Ramon area tech employees with extended families of 3 generations…that’s all good but can we keep the small town atmosphere and they build more south where that area wants the new demographics and massive influx?
Danville is on the way of loosing its small town charm…Sad!