FAQs on The Livermore Downtown Specific Plan

In order to get clarification on Livermore’s Downtown Specific Plan, I have reached out to the developer to answer some questions that I and the community have been asking. From what I know and from what I am hearing, there is a real disconnect in what people think is being proposed and what actually is being proposed. For more information on the Livermore Downtown Plan and updates follow LivermoreRising.com.

Here are some of the questions that have been asked.

How many parking spots will there be? How many are there now in the dirt lot?

There will be 550 stalls in the 5-story public garage built by and owned by the City – this provides 1:1 replacement for the current dirt lot, with the benefit of providing secure covered parking with better overall walking proximity to First Street. Combined with the 454 residential stalls, the proposal creates over 1,000 stalls. Finding parking will not be an issue for the public or for onsite residents.

What type of housing is being proposed?

200 luxury rental apartments

60 condos

All the residential is elevator-served with onsite covered parking; all the units are “stacked flats”, not townhomes that require internal stairs. The multi-family apartments would have a separate, private parking garage with 350 stalls and the condos would have 104 covered onsite stalls.

How many rooms are in the proposed boutique hotel?

Approximately 130 rooms

How tall are the proposed structures for the residential, parking, hotel, and market hall?

Exact heights are not finalized but the plan is to have the building structures fit within the already designed structures around the planned site. Downtown Livermore currently has several 3 and 4-story buildings that will allow 3-4 story residential buildings to blend in well: this is the ideal location to allow height.

As comparison, the Bankhead Theatre is a 4.5 story structure of about 50 feet.

The parking garage will be 4.5 stories, around 50 feet.
The multi-family apartments will be 4 stories, around 45 feet to top of pitched roofline.
The stacked flat condos will be 3 and 4 stories, around 35 to 45 feet.
The market hall retail will have 15 to 20 foot tall ceilings, with 2 stories of apartments above, around 35 to 40 feet total.

If housing is not completed will anything else be completed? Is this a package deal for all parts?

Without housing, the proposal lacks the critical mass and economics to provide a stand-alone market hall concept; the hotel may opt not to proceed without the creation of public parks and the market hall across the street.

What is the marketplace? Will it include food vendors, other retailers, farmers market?

Yes, all of the above – think Ferry Building but smaller.