Controversial East Ranch Project Targeted In Referendum Effort

DUBLIN, CA — A local group is collecting signatures in hopes of stopping the recently approved East Ranch housing development, which would bring six neighborhoods and 570 units to Dublin's eastern outskirts.

Dubliners Against Overdevelopment said on its website that it must gather 3,500 signatures from registered voters in Dublin by Jan. 27 in order to put the matter on the ballot as a referendum.

If the group is successful, Dublin voters would be asked to vote on Ordinance No. 11-21, which was unanimously approved Dec. 21 by the Dublin City Council. The ordinance paved the way for San Ramon-based developer Trumark to proceed with the project.

"The look of our city is more urban sprawl now than the town & country scene that many moved here for," Dubliners Against Overdevelopment said on its website. "We don’t want Dublin to look like San Francisco or LA."

Two days after the council vote, the city of Dublin received a letter containing the referendum from attorneys on behalf of local resident Arunabha Chakma, said city spokesperson Shari Jackman in an email. The city attorney provided Chakma and his attorneys with an impartial summary of the ordinance — in accordance with state law — so the group could share a petition with voters.

East Ranch would be built on 165 acres off 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.

Neighbors complained about potential effects on traffic, water availability, wildfire evacuation routes and wildlife.

But a key part of the opposition effort hinges on a technical matter related to environmental standards — an issue that also caught the attention of the Dublin Unified School District.

The council 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.

Critics, including the school district, expressed concern that nearly 30 years had passed since the last full environmental review in the area. Enrollment in Dublin's public schools has since ballooned, leaving schools overcrowded.

"The city and district have both changed in such a way that the circumstances under which the project is to be undertaken have changed substantially," said school district attorney Harold Freiman in a letter to the council.

The council said it did not believe it was legally able to factor impacts on schools into its decision.

At a public meeting last month, Vice Mayor Shawn Kumagai said that he supported the project but, 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.

Patch Special Correspondent Bob Porterfield contributed to this report

See also: East Ranch Project Approved As DUSD Doubles Down On Concerns