On August 14, 2001, the Board agreed to participate in an Ad Hoc Policy Task Force with the City of Pleasant Hill, the Mount Diablo Unified School District, the City of Walnut Creek and the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District to discuss and consider the disposition of County properties and the Flood Control potential, and Land Use issues in the South Pleasant Hill area. The Board assigned technical staff from several County departments to support the Task Force work: Flood Control/Public Works, Department of Conservation and Development, Library and the County Administrator’s Office.
The County owns 3 properties in the South Pleasant Hill area. One 10 acre parcel on Oak Park Boulevard south of the Pleasant Hill Middle School is currently vacant (the School District has an ownership interest in 2 of the 10 acres). The County Flood Control and Water Conservation District owns 6 acres to the north of the Pleasant Hill Middle School and is also currently vacant. The County also owns the Pleasant Hill Library and Administrative offices on a 4.8 acre parcel south and west of the Pleasant Hill Middle School. Attached is a map showing the location of the 3 properties.
By 2007 it was collectively decided that the Oak Park Boulevard property would not be used for a Flood Protection Detention Basin and the County sold the property. A year and a half later the developer who purchased the Oak Park Boulevard property withdrew from the purchase agreement and the property reverted back to County ownership. The real estate market has turned around recently and County staff has been receiving calls from developers interested in purchasing the Oak Park Boulevard property. County staff has initiated discussions with City staff on the allowable uses and development of the property in preparation of placing the parcel on the market for sale.
At their September 19, 2013 meeting, the South Pleasant Hill Task Force received a report from the Army Corps of Engineers that the Corps Feasibility Study would not support a federally funded flood control project in the South Pleasant Hill area. Recognizing that a regional flood protection project would likely never occur, the Task Force directed staff to work on utilizing development fees collected under Drainage Area 46 to be used for local drainage improvement projects rather than the Regional Corps project. This has freed up the six acre parcel the Flood Control District owns and would be available for sale on the market.
In 2007, the County hired a consultant to evaluate all of its buildings for deferred maintenance. The Pleasant Hill Library/Library Administration building was included in that evaluation. The evaluation shows the Library/Administration building has deferred maintenance needs in excess of $10 million. The County’s Real Estate Asset Management Program requires staff to evaluate vacant properties for current and future County needs before being sold. There are several options available to resolve the high deferred maintenance needs of the Library/Administration building. One option could be to relocate Library Services to another site in a new Library building on one of the vacant County parcels, assuming project funding could be identified. Since these services are in and for the City, their feedback on any proposal is essential.
Staff recommends the Board authorize discussions with the City of Pleasant Hill to ascertain their thoughts on a new Library on either of the two vacant County parcels. County staff would like feedback from the City on the general feasibility of siting a Library on these parcels and to identify the broad issues associated with the resultant community design, community service, land use requirements, traffic circulation and any other pertinent implications. County staff would like this feedback from the City before pursuing this concept any further.
This collaboration with the City is consistent with the Board's original direction on the disposition of County properties in 2001, however, enough changes have occurred in the South Pleasant Hill area that reaffirmation of that direction is recommended by staff.