Planning Panel Reviews Sale of Prime City Lot

The planning commission has a busy agenda of items — ranging from alcohol sales to the sale of a prime city parcel — for its meeting Thursday.

The Walnut Creek Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Council Chamber at City Hall. 1666 N. Main St.

The commission is due to hear a "general plan conformance review" of the city's proposed sale of 1500 Mt. Diablo Blvd. for an "infill development project" at the corner of North Main Street and Mount Diablo.

How prime is this lot? In city documents it is referred to as "Opportunity Site No. 1." The property is 6,265 square feet or 0.14 acre and now used as a city metered parking lot.

In February, the city reviewed several proposals and selected B.H. Development as the purchaser of choice "on the basis of, among other things, the extent to which the developer's proposal would implement the Specific Plan's vision for the Opportunity Site," according to the staff report.

The planning commission review relates to the development's conformance with the city's general plan. The city is in negotiations with B.H. Development on the terms of the sale — "details of the transaction will likely be brought forward for (City) Council consideration later next month," wrote Ron Gerber, the city's economic development director, in an email.

Brian Hirahara, president of , wrote a comment on a February Patch article about plans for a large restaurant. In the past, B.H. developed The Corners, which includes Tiffany &Co., Pottery Barn Kids, The Apple Store, Tommy Bahama and Va de Vi.

A portion of the proceeds of the sale is due to go to the city's in-lieu fee program and used to address parking needs generated by the loss of that lot, according to a footnote in the staff report.