Measure Y: East Bay Regional Park District Formally Backs Project

DANVILLE, CA — The East Bay Regional Park District has formally backed the Magee Preserve project, central to the Measure Y initiative that voters will see on the March 2020 ballot. The district declared its support for the project in a letter to the Danville Town Manager.

In that letter, the park district said it has worked closely with the town to "ensure that open space protection and public access is maximized," according to a statement sent Wednesday by Yes on Y, the group backing the project.

Measure Y would allow 69 single-family lots on 29 acres on the Magee Preserve property — a 410-acre site on the south side of Diablo Road and Blackhawk Road extending approximately two miles east from the intersection of Diablo Road/Green Valley Road/McCauley Road. The other 381 acres would be permanent open space with dedicated hiking and biking trails for public use.

Read Patch's Measure Y voter guide.

The development would fund the management of the open space areas, the park district wrote in its letter of support.

East Bay Regional Park District has backed the project since 2018, according to the statement.

Danville Town Council approved the project in July 2019, but some voters objected and successfully petitioned to put the issue on the March 2020 ballot. Opponents claim the project could bring additional traffic and traffic hazards, force school diversions for students and make wildfire evacuations more difficult. They also argue that open space would be lost in areas where homes are erected.