HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 8.3 Tassajara Road Undeveloped Properties
STAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
DATE:July 19, 2016
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:
Christopher L. Foss, City Manager
SUBJECT:
Future of Undeveloped Properties along Tassajara Road in Dublin
Prepared by: Jeff Baker, Assistant Community Development Director, John
Bakker, City Attorney
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Rural properties on Tassajara Road are becoming increasingly surrounded by suburban
development. Current zoning allows the existing uses-mainly residential but in some
cases agricultural businesses-to continue. Some of these properties have limited
development potential, and for that reason development proposals are not anticipated in
the near future. The purpose of this report is to identify the options that the City Council
has to address the future of these properties.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report and provide direction to Staff
on what options, if any, it desires to pursue.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None at this time.
DESCRIPTION:
On November 3, 2015, the City Council directed City staff and the City Attorney to
examine the options the City has with respect to several rural properties along
Tassajara Road. In addition, the City Council inquired as to any alterations or changes
to the Municipal Code that the City Council could adopt to give City staff additional
powers to improve the aesthetics on these and other properties in the City. Staff will
address possible changes to the Municipal Code in a future report on the status of code
enforcement. This report focuses on the options the City Council has to address the
future of undeveloped, rural property along Tassajara Road in Dublin. Generally
speaking, the City’s current planning policies allow the existing uses to continue until
such time as development is proposed on the sites.
Background on the Sites
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On the west side of Tassajara Road, between North Dublin Ranch Road and Fallon
Road, there are two small, undeveloped parcels with limited development potential and
one site on the east side of Tassajara, just south of Quarry Lane School, that is the
subject of a development proposal from Wanmei Properties (see map below). These
sites are presently occupied rural residential properties. A wood storage and sales
business is permitted to operate on one of them. There are ongoing property
maintenance and use issues with all three of these properties. The City is currently
working with the property owners to address those issues and to bring them into
compliance with City regulations.
In all cases, the City’s General Plan and Eastern Dublin Specific Plan designate the
sites for future development as follows.
Site A: 1 ac designated Medium Density Residential (6.1-14 du/acre) & Open Space
Site B: 3.2 ac designated Medium-High Density Residential (14.1-25 du/acre) &
Open Space
Site C: 2 ac designated as Medium Density Residential (6.1-14 du/acre)
The zoning for the sites were established with prezoning completed when the properties
were annexed. The sites were annexed in two different annexations: 1) the Dublin
Ranch annexation (between Tassajara Road and Fallon Road, plus several properties
east of Tassajara Road); and 2) the Wallis Ranch annexation. The zoning established
at annexation created interim zoning designations that essentially allow existing
residential and agricultural uses to continue.
Options.
Staff has identified three basic options for the City Council’s consideration.
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1. Status quo. Doing nothing would maintain the status quo. The property owners
could continue to use the properties as they are permitted to do under the existing
zoning until they chose to develop their properties. Staff would continue to pursue
efforts to bring the properties into code compliance.
2. Zoning changes. The current zoning allows existing uses to continue indefinitely.
If the City Council desires to create an incentive for redevelopment of some of these
sites, it may wish to consider directing Staff to take steps to rezone the sites in a
manner that makes the existing uses nonconforming or otherwise incentivizes the
property owners to redevelop the sites, such as by increasing the development
potential. The City Council might also consider designating the sites for less intense
use, such as open space, rural residential/agriculture, or single-family residential.
Typically, local agencies making changes to zoning do not immediately terminate the
right to continue existing uses. Instead, the uses are treated as “legal nonconforming”
uses which typically have a right to continue but a limited right to expand. Local
agencies can also adopt so called amortization periods after which time the use must be
eliminated. In general, the period must be “commensurate with the investment
involved.” (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency v. King (1991) 233 Cal.App.3d 1365,
1395.)
Zoning changes could have an impact on the City’s adopted Housing Element. As the
City Council is aware, state housing law (Government Code section 65863(c)) requires
the City to replace planned units that are lost as a result of downzoning. The City’s
housing sites inventory includes 10 moderate income units on Site A and 64 moderate
income units on Site C (see map above). Were the City to downzone those sites, it may
have to increase the moderate units on other sites in order to meet the requirement.
If the City Council wishes to consider zoning changes, Staff would return at a future
meeting with a plan for doing so. Staff would include recommendations for particular
sites to focus on, a schedule, environmental review, and funding. At that point, the City
Council could provide Staff with further direction on whether or not to proceed.
3. Completing roadway improvements. Development of the public infrastructure in
Eastern Dublin has been completed primarily by developers as they develop their sites.
Thus, some of the undeveloped properties result in gaps in the transportation
infrastructure. As a result, along Tassajara Road, there are incomplete frontage
improvements and street right-of-way. As a means of improving the community’s
aesthetics and possibly encouraging development of some of the undeveloped sites,
the City could choose to acquire street right-of-way and complete some of these
frontage improvements that are not likely to be completed in the near future.
This scenario is anticipated in the Eastern Dublin Traffic Impact Fee (EDTIF) program.
The EDTIF includes costs for frontage improvements and street right-of-way of
properties with limited development potential. The EDTIF collects fees for the costs
associated with the properties along the west side of Tassajara Road between the Yarra
Yarra Equestrian Center and the Wallis Ranch property. The current Capital
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Improvement Program (CIP) includes Project ST0116, Tassajara Road Realignment &
Widening (Attachment 1). The first phase of the project is currently underway, the
development of revised right-of-way width and alignment (precise plan) from North
Dublin Ranch Drive to the city limit. The first phase may result in adoption of a General
Plan Amendment, new precise plan, and related environmental document.
On completion of the first phase, there may be an opportunity to consider accelerating
the completion of the roadway improvements along the west side of Tassajara Road
between North Dublin Ranch Road and the County line. It is anticipated that a portion
of this work could be funded by the Eastern Dublin Traffic Impact Fee. If the City
Council wishes to consider this option, Staff would return at a future meeting with a
proposed schedule for accelerating the project and funding considerations. At that
point, the City Council could provide Staff with further direction on whether or not to
proceed.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
Staff notified the property owners of this meeting and provided them with a copy of the
Staff Report.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Excerpt from Capital Improvement Plan
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rKVdtl.I UtJl:KIrIIVIV
This project will add one automobile lane and one bike lane in each direction of Tassajara Road from North Dublin Ranch Drive and Contra Costa County limit line. The project
will also add new sidewalks and upgrade all existing and future traffic signals to accommodate the street widening. Each intersection in this segment will be designed to
achieve good circulation while adhering to the Complete Street Policy. The project also includes the construction of a new center raised concrete median with street lighting
and new curb and gutter. This project requires preliminary engineering including a feasibility analysis to define the new roadway alignment, design cross - section, right of way,
and environmental clearance before it can be moved forward to the design and construction phase. Preliminary engineering and environmental document preparation began in
Fiscal Year 2015 -16. Detail design and right -of- -way acquisition will follow, pending available funding. Total cost of the project is $43.6 million. Of this cost, $16.6 million worth
of improvements are expected to be completed by the developers and the remaining amount ($27 million) will need to be generated from Eastern Dublin Traffic Impact fees
and /or from regional funding sources like Measure BB. A significant amount of this cost is related to improving the horizontal alignment of the street at the County line which
requires several retaining walls to straighten the roadway. The City has submitted a project application for inclusion to the Alameda Countywide Transportation Plan.
MANAGING DEPARTMENT: Public Works
ESTIMATED
9100
PRIOR
COSTS YEARS
Salaries & Benefits
2015-2016
!
$4,250
2016-2021 YP
11 2017-2018
$25,840 $25,840
+ IMPROVEMENT
1 12019-2020
$38,400
PROGRAM
1 I I
$95,480 $145,480
FUTURE
+'
$800,000
TOTALS
$1,135,290
9200
Contract Services
$115,750
$174,160
$174,160
$361,600
$1,235,520
$2,030,520
$4,000,000
$8,091,710
9300
Land /Right of Way
$1,115,000
$6,084,000
$7,199,000
9400
Improvements
$27,215,000
$27,215,000
TOTAL
1
$120,000
$200,000
$200,000
$400,000
$21446,000
$8,260,000
$32,015,000
$43,641,000
2016 -2021 Capital Improvement Program Page 60
2016 -2021 Capital Improvement Program Page 61