Planning Commission Poised To Reluctantly Approve Marketplace Condos

SAN RAMON, CA — The San Ramon Planning Commission decided to schedule a special meeting Thursday to adopt a resolution deeming a contentious plan to demolish above 55,600 square feet of existing commercial tenant space to build 40 single-family detached condominium units near the site of the former Nob Hill supermarket.

On Tuesday, the commission held its third public meeting on the project, which has been in the works since an application was filed in November 2021. As in prior meetings, both the planning commissioners and numerous members of the public expressed a variety of concerns about the project, including the perceived lack of adequate shared parking, the lack of a necessary full-scale grocery store, the lack of affordable housing, and more. Many callers alleged that developer TRC purposefully let the Marketplace shopping center fall into disrepair with the ultimate goal of installing these condos.

However, though all commissioners voiced similar concerns, they stated that they have no choice but to approve the project due to the 2018 Housing Accountability Act. Under that legislation, municipalities must approve proposed housing unless they can prove that it violates “objective standards” of the general plan.

“We’re not allowed to vote on feelings anymore, it’s based on objective standards, and objective standards are things that can be measured when there’s two unbiased people looking at it, will come to the same conclusion, things like how tall is the building, how wide is the building….right or wrong, our General Plan doesn’t have a lot of objective standards,” Commission Chair Gary Alpert said. “They weren’t important until state law said they were important.”

Further, city staff and developer TRC negotiated an agreement that the city must take final action on the project by March 14, or it will be automatically approved as is. A staff report also declares that the project is consistent with applicable standards of the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance, Municipal Code, and other city requirements.

Commissioners disagreed. Commissioner Corie Edwards called the project a “failure of imagination” that represents a “gross lost opportunity for this city.” Commissioner Rick Marks said he does not feel the project is consistent with the General Plan, and said he feels he has solid legal ground to vote against it on the basis of limited shared parking. Commission Chair Greg Alpert said he was “disappointed” in the plan.

Still, commissioners were divided on whether to vote that meeting, or hold another public meeting. “I’m not suggesting that we rush to vote, but we keep hearing in no uncertain terms that we have no power to deny this project - our hands are tied, and that’s not going to change,” Edwards said. “From my perspective, holding another hearing is an idle act and it will take time away from the other important business that this commission needs to undertake in order to amend our General Plan.”

Commissioner Marks disagreed. “These meetings are the public’s opportunity to tell us, here’s what we think, and even if we’ve heard it all before, and we’ve pretty much heard everything tonight that we heard in the first one or two meetings, nonetheless, that’s our obligation. That’s what transparency is about. We have the obligation to assume that somebody could come forward with something that convinces us otherwise.”

Ultimately, the commission spent the rest of the meeting making further revisions to the draft resolution, and voted for a special meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16 to review those changes. The public is encouraged to comment on those changes, since that is the area where the commission retains the most power.

The meeting will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16.