Council to Vote on Transit-Oriented Development Plans

The Specific Plan for a new development planned for the west side of town is coming to the city council’s table this week.

Council members will vote whether to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Dumbarton Transit-Oriented Development Specific Plan and whether to approve a General Plan amendment in support of the project.

If those are approved, land developers could to go forward with developing more detailed plans for approximately 205 acres of land, which would include up to 2,500 residential units on 150 acres of that property.

The development start east of Willow Street and span west toward Hickory Street between Central and Thornton avenues.  

City officials have said the idea of developing the land – previously known as Area 2 – has been a years-long process.

The project would include 14 acres designated for retail and commercial businesses; 16 acres allocated for parks and open space; 22.95 acres for miscellaneous use; and about 6 acres set aside for a future transit station.

TruMark Companies and Integral Communities are the developers of the parcel. Both companies have the proposed community listed on their websites.

Approval of the project would not give a green light for construction.

Instead, it would “establish the allowable land uses, development regulations, design guidelines, necessary infrastructure improvements, and an implementation plan to direct future development and redevelopment of the project area,” according to the council’s agenda.

The project has been a concern of about overpopulation, traffic conditions and pollution at community meetings and most recently, the .

Newark resident and city council candidate Rick Bensco spoke during that meeting about his worries over the number of residents living in a confined area and the lack of open space in the project Specific Plan.

Still, the commissioners voted to approve moving the project forward to the city council. Only Commissioner Karen Bridges was absent from that meeting. Click to read about the Aug. 23 Planning Commission meeting.

Click here to download the council’s full agenda for its Sept. 8 meeting. Click here to download the Specific Plan. Click here to read the Final Environmental Impact Report.

The council meets at 7:30 p.m on Thursday at City Hall, 37101 Newark Blvd.

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