None. If authorization is granted the applicant shall pay fees to cover the cost for a General Plan Amendment study.
The Department of Conservation and Development is in receipt of a letter request from Don Gilmore, Executive Director, Community Housing Development Corporation – North Richmond, for a General Plan Amendment study involving property located along the 1500 block of Fred Jackson Way in North Richmond, between Grove Avenue and Chesley Avenue, directly and across from the North Richmond Senior Housing Complex. The subject parcels are currently designated Commercial (CO) under the Land Use Element Map, Contra Costa County General Plan (2005-2020) and they are zoned within the P-1: Planned Unit District for North Richmond.
The Successor Agency to the former County Redevelopment Agency transferred these to the County, the Housing Successor. The subject parcels are also known as the Heritage Point site. The County as the Housing Successor has entered into an agreement with Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC) to develop the Heritage Point site. As explained in the attached letter from Don Gilmore, CHDC is interested in developing a 33-unit, low income, rental housing project on the 0.79 acre Heritage Point site, which would also include up to 3,000 square feet of retail use (preferably a produce market). Since the subject parcels are designated Commercial (CO) under the General Plan, a change in General Plan land use designation to Mixed Use (MU) would be necessary to meet CHDC’s development objective to develop a mix of rental housing with retail commercial on the Heritage Point site.
A copy of the letter from Mr. Gilmore, CHDC, requesting the authorization for the General Plan Amendment study is attached to this Board Order (see Exhibit A).
Attached for the Board’s consideration under Exhibit B are maps and aerial photos of the Heritage Point site location, comprising Assessor Parcel Nos. 409-080-001,020,016,015,014,and 013, showing the existing and proposed General Plan land use designations for each of the six parcels.
Staff believes that the request for a General Plan Amendment study to consider a change in land use designation to Mixed Use (MU) is reasonable. Development of the Heritage Point site was an objective under the former North Richmond Redevelopment Plan. The parcels were originally acquired by the former Redevelopment Agency for the purpose of developing a mixed use retail and housing project along Fred Jackson Way (formerly 3rd Street) to complement the North Richmond Senior Housing Complex located directly across the street. The North Richmond community has strongly supported development of the Heritage Point site. However, due to market conditions, and then the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency, development of Heritage Point never occurred and the six parcels have remained vacant. Now, CHDC’s agreement with the County as Housing Successor and their development proposal offers new hope that a mixed use project on the Heritage Point site maybe be realized. Staff recommends that the General Plan Amendment study be authorized. Authorization for this study, however, does not imply support or endorsement for the application to amend the General Plan, but only that this matter is appropriate for study.