No impact on the General Fund. If authorization is granted, the applicant will be responsible to pay fees to cover the cost for a General Plan Amendment study.
The Department of Conservation and Development is in receipt of a letter from Mr. Douglas Simpson, Vice President, Real Estate Development, Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, for a General Plan Amendment study involving property located at 589 Pacifica Avenue in Bay Point (Assessor Parcel Number 098-210-001). The subject property is a 2.4 acre site that is designated as Single Family Residential – Medium Density (SM) under the Land Use Element Map, Contra Costa County General Plan (2005-2020), and likewise it is zoned under the R-10: Residential District. A copy of the letter from Habitat for Humanity is attached to this Board Order
As explained in the letter from Habitat for Humanity, they would like to develop a 23-unit residential townhouse project on the 2.4 acre property. The effective residential density under their proposal would be 11.9 units to the net acre, which means the project would fall within the higher range of the General Plan’s Multiple Family Residential – Low Density (ML) designation. The Multiple Family Residential – Low Density (ML) designation ranges from 7.3 to 11.9 units per net acre. Therefore, a General Plan Amendment to re-designate the property at 589 Pacifica Avenue from the current Single Family Residential – Medium Density (SM) to Multiple Family Residential – Low Density (ML) is necessary to meet Habitat for Humanity’s development objective for a 23-unit townhouse project.
Staff believes that the request for a General Plan Amendment study to consider re-designation of the subject property to Multiple Family Residential – Low Density (ML) is reasonable, and recommends the study be authorized. The basis for the staff recommendation is that the subject property, which is underutilized, provides an opportunity site for development of affordable housing within reasonable proximity of the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station. Furthermore, the project proponent, Habitat for Humanity, has successfully developed projects that provide homeownership opportunities for low income households and they have track record in developing affordable housing in Bay Point that achieved multiple goals and objectives of the County General Plan.
Authorization of this study, however, does not imply support or endorsement for the project, but that the matter is appropriate for study. A determination to amend the General Plan, as requested, will be subject to the study outcome, public hearings, and the completion of appropriate environmental review of the project.