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Dublin City Council gained the power to break the eastern urban limit line and allow limited commercial development on the unincorporated buffer between Dublin and Livermore called the Crosby property, following voter approval of Measure II last month.
Otherwise known as the “Dublin Traffic Relief, Clean Air/Open Space Preservation Measure,” Measure II passed with 53.11% support (13,649 votes) in the general election.
In exchange for the council’s newfound authority, the city of Dublin can accept a land donation to make the 1.5-mile connection from Dublin Boulevard to North Canyons Parkway in Livermore at no cost to taxpayers, according to the measure.
Of the roadway extension, a half mile is expected to pass through the Crosby property, 180-acres of unincorporated Alameda County land owned by Livbor-Manning LLC (Harry Crosby).
Estimated to cost over $150 million for its full length, “limited commercial, non-residential development along the Dublin Boulevard extension could provide an opportunity to offset certain costs associated with the extension,” according to a staff report from July 16 when the council approved the measure for the ballot.
Meanwhile, conservation groups like Save Mount Diablo and Tri-Valley Conservancy have spoken out against the development of the Crosby property.
But the city expects council to discuss the potential annexation of the property and the Dublin Boulevard extension at a meeting next year — construction of the roadway could begin in 2026-27 at the earliest, according to city officials.
“We are pleased that Dublin’s electorate voted in favor of the measure,” Crosby said. “But because the measure simply restores the City’s discretion to approve development on the property in the future, this is just the first step of a long process. We do not yet know what the future holds for the property, other than a portion of it being used for the Dublin Road extension.”
Along with the road, construction is set to include bike lanes, pedestrian access and new trails, according to the measure. Proponents claimed the measure protects open space and commercial development would bring high-paying jobs to the area, according to the argument published in favor of the measure.
However, its passage cancels the protections set out by the city’s Open Space Initiative of 2014, which “restricts development to the east of Dublin’s eastern boundary”, according to an analysis of the measure by Dublin city attorney John Bakker.
“Tri-Valley Conservancy supports building a road between Dublin and Livermore, but it’s not necessary to break the Urban Limit Line to do it,” the group’s executive director, Rebecca Spector, said in a statement during election season.
Of note, voter-approved housing development restrictions are still in place.
Now in the hands of Dublin council, limited commercial development would mean at least 100 acres of the 180-acre Crosby property would be permanently protected as open space, according to the measure.
Development cannot exceed 1,200 feet north of I-580, except west of Cottonwood Creek which may exceed that distance if the total developed area is 80 acres or less, according to a staff report from July 16.
Authorization of commercial development requires that the development would “contribute substantially to the funding of the construction and/or maintenance of the Dublin Boulevard extension” according to the general plan amendment that came before council on Dec. 17 as part of the election certification.
In total, Dublin expects to pay $124 million and Livermore would be expected to pay $27.5 million, according to the staff report. But if Dublin were to annex the Crosby property the full cost of the road would be on the city’s dime.
Measure II was added to the November ballot based on a 3-2 vote by city council at a regular meeting on July 16. Those who voted in favor were then Vice Mayor Sherry Hu and councilmembers Janine Thalblum and Jean Josey.
“Its ballot title and summary were deceptive and misleading, and naturally the public was confused,” said representatives of the environmental group Save Mount Diablo. “The three councilmembers who placed the measure on the ballot should be ashamed of themselves. They purposely tried to trick Dublin residents.”
On Aug. 9, Save Mount Diablo and the Friends of Livermore sued the city of Dublin, its city council and other involved parties, alleging the city was required to undergo an environmental review before placing Measure II on the ballot, according to Save Mount Diablo conservation director Seth Adams.
The city of Dublin contended the measure did not require an environmental review.
Paused until after the election, the legal proceedings are expected to start up around March, Adams said.
In the meantime, the roadway extension and potential annexation of the Crosby property are topics scheduled to come before council in 2025, city officials told the Weekly. If the city council is interested in annexing the Crosby property, then the city would need to pre-zone the unincorporated territory and complete an environmental review.
New retail, dining options coming to Stoneridge Shopping Center later this yearApril 19, 2026 9:24 pm
My first visit to California was in August, 1964, with my 3-year old and 18-month old children in tow, by train from the Midwest. We were visiting my father, who was then living in Anaheim in an adult only condo complex, challenging on many levels. I set out one day to find a park for the boys to stretch out and run about freely, as being cooped up was wearing thin on all of us.
I drove for two hours, and never was able to find a playground or even an open space park. It was one freeway to the next freeway, off-ramps leading to a shopping center or another on-ramp. Bear in mind, this was pre-Google search, in an area completely foreign to me, alone with two active youngsters, one of them barely toddling. When they both fell asleep, I was fully frustrated, near tears, and simply returned to the condo.
In 1970, we moved to Dublin, where the houses were new and 580 westward was still under construction. Pleasanton was a country drive then, and the feeling of room to breathe refreshing and a bit familiar.
When Dublin started its eastward expansion I realized it wouldn’t take much for the idyllic city-in-the-coutryside life we all loved was in danger of becoming the freeway-to-freeway existence I had found so oppressive years earlier. Pleasanton and Livermore both have expanded, too, of course, and San Ramon has become a city of rooftops visible from the freeway. No more rolling hills, yellow with mustard in the early spring, green in winter, brown in summer. But urban growth boundaries protected us to some degree from over-building and becoming a solid freeway with off-ramps and little demarcation between cities.
One can only hope this roadway expansion is handled thoughtfully, with measure put in place to preserve a greenbelt between Dublin and Livermore, just as we need to preserve a greenbelt between Pleasanton and Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore.
The now old-fashioned concept of Planned Progress must be revisited. That doesn’t mean nobody builds anything. That leads to stagnation. It means care must be taken to not encroach on one another and erase the borders between our unique cities. It’s doable, not without challenges, but doable. Our city leaders must work together to find the balance between progress and quality of life intact. Without it, we are in real danger of becoming southern California gridlock moved north.