City Council Approves Sunflower Hill Development

From the City of Pleasanton: The Pleasanton City Council voted unanimously last night to approve the development application and support a financing plan for Sunflower Hill, a 31-unit residential community for individuals with special needs.

Sunflower Hill, a local nonprofit, focuses on creating livable communities for people with mild to moderate developmental disabilities.

“This is a perfect example of how Pleasanton can serve a unique need in our community, and we couldn’t have gotten to this point without the passion and commitment of a group of residents, in partnership with the Mayor and City Council, who saw an unmet need and were creative in coming up with a solution,” said Pleasanton City Manager, Nelson Fialho.

Sunflower Hill, a 31-unit special needs development, will be co-located with another development project, the Homestead at Irby Ranch, which comprises 87 single family homes that will be slightly more affordable due to a smaller footprint. During negotiations, the developer donated 1.64 acres of land to the Sunflower Hill development and $1 million to the City to support the development for a total City contribution of $2,250,000. In addition to the City’s contribution from its Lower Income Housing Fund, Sunflower is diligently working to secure up to $7,195,844 in funding from the Alameda County Measure A1 Housing Bond. Sunflower will also be submitting its application for federal and state low-income housing tax credits by the February 28, 2018 deadline. The estimated total project cost is $19.2 million, with an initial construction estimate of $13 million.

Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA), founded in 1966 with a mission to provide affordable, service-enriched housing that promotes healthy and dignified living for people with limited options, has partnered with Sunflower Hill to assist with obtaining additional funding and serve as the onsite project manager once the project is built. The two organizations, SAHA and Sunflower Hill, have an agreement to form Sunflower Hill LLC at Irby Ranch. SAHA will hold 51 percent and Sunflower Hill will hold 49 percent of the new partnership. The current proposal would see the city retain ownership of the land and lease it to the Sunflower Hill complex for $1 per year.

In addition to the homes, the project will have a 5,000 square foot community center, a multipurpose room, commercial kitchen, fitness room, craft room and administrative offices. The plans also call for a spa lounge area, bocce court, multi-use lawn, group outdoor seating and a convertible sport court.

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Image courtesy of the City of Pleasanton