573-Unit East Ranch Housing Project Approved By Dublin Council

DUBLIN, CA — The Dublin City Council unanimously approved the 573-unit East Ranch Project housing proposal this week, which is slated to be built on 165 acres on the eastern outskirts of Dublin.

The vote came at the close of a public hearing Tuesday night that ran more than four hours. About two dozen people offered comments on the proposal, many of whom were residents of the Positano neighborhood, which sits next to the project site.

Residents and council members discussed concerns such as effects on traffic and overburdened schools, four heritage trees on the property, water availability during a drought and frustrations that may arise from noise levels due to the site's proximity to the Livermore Municipal Airport.

"It's not that we're not listening to you. It's that we do have a job to do," said Mayor Melissa Hernandez in response to concerns about overdevelopment in the city. "And when I got onto the council, ... we have denied a few developments, and no one ever remembers the developments that we denied."

Vice Mayor Shawn Kumagai said that he supported the project but added that, regardless of his personal feelings, the council was required to approve the proposal because it was compliant with standards previously set by the city for the area.

"We don't make the laws, but we do have to follow them," he said.

The East Ranch proposal called for six neighborhoods to be built off of Croak Road, north of Central Parkway. The community would include two parks totaling more than 11.5 acres, 72 affordable housing units scattered throughout four of the six neighborhoods and nearly 6 acres of open space.

It would be bordered by Jordan Ranch to the west, Positano to the north and undeveloped land to the east and south, according to a city report. Central Parkway would eventually be expanded, and Croak Road would be widened to accommodate the community.

Local artists would be commissioned for ranch-inspired art installations. Plans also included a $3 million investment in stormwater treatment facilities, Pamela Nieting, director of community development for developer Trumark Homes, said at the council meeting.

Councilmember Jean Josey acknowledged that "we spent a lot of time beating up on Trumark tonight for a lot of things," but the East Ranch has "really lovely features in it," such as parks and a creek and bicycle lane.

The project advanced to the council after it was approved Nov. 9 by the city's Planning Commission on a 3-2 vote. Commissioners Renata Tyler and Stephen Wright, who cast the dissenting votes, said they wanted to see a greater variety of housing options for lower-income residents and more information generally.

The council also approved an exemption to the California Environmental Quality Act in order to move forward with the East Ranch Project. That law seeks to prevent major environmental damage by requiring officials to consider the environmental effects of a project.

City staff believed the project was exempt because it was consistent with three plans for the area that have already gone through the environmental impact report process, which is required by state law if a project could have a significant effect on the environment.

Most recently, the city received certification in 2005 for its Fallon Village Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. The project is located in the Fallon Village community, as defined by the Eastern Dublin Specific Plan.

Some residents who spoke in the public comment session expressed concern that nearly 30 years had passed since the last full environmental review in the area. Concerns about wildfires have significantly increased since then, some said.

The Dublin Unified School District argued that the project may not qualify for an exemption because local schools were either near or at capacity.

"When you have to then divert the students to other locations, that becomes an environmental effect under [the California Environmental Quality Act] that you are obligated to consider," said Harold Freeman, the district's legal counsel, at Tuesday's meeting.

The city believed it was not required to consider the effect on school facilities.

Although the project was approved, developer Trumark Homes must still obtain a permit for each neighborhood in the project. Those permits must be approved by the Planning Commission.

The developer estimated that the first homes would go on the market in the fourth quarter of 2024.

— Patch Special Correspondent Bob Porterfield contributed to this report

Watch the City Council meeting online.