Two aging office buildings beside Interstate 680 in San Ramon could give way to 222 homes under a proposal the San Ramon Planning Commission was set to discuss for the first time Tuesday night.
The project, called Plaza San Ramon, would replace roughly 308,500 square feet of offices and parking at 2000 and 2010 Crow Canyon Place, according to a city staff report. The 12.29-acre site borders undeveloped land in Danville to the north, shops to the east, a gas station to the south and the freeway to the west.
What's proposed
The applicant, Sunset Development Co., is seeking approval for:
- 117 three-story, for-sale detached condominium homes;
- three live-work detached condos;
- up to 68 optional junior accessory dwelling units built into the for-sale homes;
- a five-story apartment building with 102 rental units, all but the manager's unit set aside below market rate.
The affordable building would sit on about 1.2 acres the developer would dedicate, and average rents would be capped at 60% of area median income, the staff report says. Its 101 below-market units make up about 45% of the project, and the Danville San Ramon newspaper reported that BRIDGE Housing would develop it.
In its project description, quoted by Danville San Ramon, Sunset Development pointed to the natural lifecycle of office buildings and weak demand for office space as reasons to turn the site into a walkable neighborhood.
Waivers sought
Because of the affordable units, the developer says the project qualifies for California's density bonus law and has asked for two incentives or concessions and seven waivers, mostly from the city's objective design standards and including a parking reduction. Two would waive zoning rules for the site: a 0.45 minimum floor-area ratio for nonresidential buildings and a 10-foot minimum front setback.
The developer has said those rules would physically preclude the project and that some design requirements would make it financially infeasible, according to Danville San Ramon. The developer also wants the city to waive certain fees, including parkland impact fees, under a 2022 council policy for fully affordable rental projects; whether that applies is up to the City Council.
City staff note the site is not one of the housing opportunity sites in San Ramon's Housing Element, and eligibility for the density bonus will be settled during completeness review, which is still underway.
The commission will take public comment and give feedback but will not vote. Formal hearings, and a recommendation on environmental review, would come later.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at San Ramon City Hall, 7000 Bollinger Canyon Road, and streams on the city's YouTube channel and Zoom. The same agenda includes an appeal of the approved Club Studio fitness center at 3207 Crow Canyon Place.
Sources
danvillesanramon.com
sanramonca.portal.civicclerk.com
