Golf course bypass could move closer to Alisal Golf course bypass could move closer to Alisal (April 29, 2005)

Developer's 79 homes would fund roadway
by Jeb Bing

Although they want a bypass road to keep golf course traffic off Alisal Street, Happy Valley residents are opposing a 79-home development that city planners believe could give them just what they want.

Happy Valley property owners, who live in unincorporated Alameda County outside of Pleasanton, want the city to honor its commitment to build the bypass road high in the hills above Alisal and out of sight of those who live below. They argue that the city agreed to that location as part of the Happy Valley Specific Plan the City Council adopted in 1998.

But Sean Buran of Greenbriar Homes Communities, the builder that wants to construct the new homes, said the upper bypass road is unrealistic because of geotechnical studies that determined the soil there is unstable. He said Greenbriar's proposal would include the bypass on flatland along Alisal, with lots ranging from 7,500 square feet to 40,000 square feet.

"To build that (upper bypass road) would require massive grading operations involving up to 1 million cubic yards of dirt to fix," Buran said. "Specifically, there are two large and deep-seated landslides that have been identified on the upper ranch.

"Given that constraint, we quickly came to the conclusion that it made a lot more sense to look at a proposal that would relocate the residential units down to the flat area," he added. "We also set up a location for the bypass road that is feasible, less costly and more environmentally friendly."

Buran's comments came at a public meeting to discuss how extensive Greenbriar's Environmental Impact Report should be, a costly, time-consuming process that would follow one already completed as part of the specific plan process.

Happy Valley residents who opposed the housing project so close to their neighborhoods also want golf course traffic to follow a more distant route.

Greenbriar's housing plan is the second development proposal for the irregularly shaped 157.5-acre ranchland owned by Al Spotorno. The property, largely undeveloped except for Spotorno's home, extends west to Alisal Street and east to the top of the hills. The proposed bypass road would run through the property, connecting the new Callippe Preserve Golf Course to Sycamore Creek Road, and then to Sunol Boulevard.

Initially, Summerhill Homes had agreed to build the upper bypass road as part of its plan to build 79 homes, with 56 to be constructed along the bypass right-of-way in the hills. However, the Summerhill project was rejected by the Pleasanton City Council in October 1999 over concerns about the need for extensive landfill and because of the geotechnical safety issues, including possible major land shifts on the hillsides.

After Happy Valley property owners turned down an annexation proposal in 2002, Spotorno agreed to annex his ranchland into the city a few months later, with the city also annexing the undeveloped acreage it needed to build the golf course.

Although city officials continue to tell Happy Valley residents that they will abide by the agreement to provide a bypass road, their focus appears to be shifting to the flatland location that Greenbriar is proposing. This follows the council's decision two years ago to have city staff work with the Spotorno family in order to expedite development on his ranchland and build the bypass road.

At the EIR discussion meeting, Vince Barlow, president of the Alisal Improvement Club, which serves as neighborhood's homeowners association, opposed the Greenbriar plan and the proposed lower level bypass road.

"We're all very concerned with the increased density for the Spotorno flat project and the relocation of the bypass road," he said. "Quite frankly, I fear it is an environmental disaster that would forever change the rural environment that we all now enjoy."

"I'm sure that it will surely open the door for increased density in all of Happy Valley," he added. "If future annexation occurs, and we're pretty certain that over time the city will want to annex more and more parcels into the city, we'll see that what's good for Spotorno will look pretty good to the rest of the landowners out there."

Donna Decker, the city's Principal Planner, said her department will review Greenbriar's plan before deciding the extent of the EIR that needs to be conducted. Once completed, those findings will be presented at a public hearing to determine if Greenbriar should be allowed to continue with its home site planning.

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