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Pleasanton and Alameda County have reached an agreement that will allow the city to acquire the 10-acre transportation corridor that slices through downtown Pleasanton, ending an 18-year effort by the city to gain control of the old train route needed for parking, pedestrian pathways and building easements.
Alameda County bought the former railroad right-of-way from Southern Pacific Railway in 1989. As it is no longer useful for transportation purposes, Pleasanton approached the county to purchase this surplus parcel. At the suggestion of city and county elected officials, a mediator was hired to negotiate the terms of the property transfer.
Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, whose district includes Pleasanton, and Mayor Jennifer Hosterman made the announcement but said they could not disclose the purchase price agreement until the proposal was accepted by the county board and City Council. The Board of Supervisors is expected to review the sale shortly before its August recess. It’s expected that the council will discuss terms of the agreement at its Aug. 21 meeting.
Because the transaction involves property acquisition, both the council and supervisors will meet in closed sessions, with public review and a joint public announcement expected on Sept. 4.
The corridor was acquired at a time when the county and some cities envisioned an intra-county transit system. But over the years, development occurred so close to the corridor property line that its use for mass transit became too difficult and costly.
Although officials declined to state a price Pleasanton might have to pay under the agreement, Haggerty told a meeting of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce last January that an appraiser had valued the 10 acres at $6 million.
The corridor is a narrow strip of land that extends from Bernal Avenue on the south to Old Stanley Boulevard on the north. Some of it, including a section between Angela and Abbie streets, has been paved by Pleasanton and is leased on a monthly basis for off-street parking, including parking for the Saturday Farmer’s Market event. Much of it is unpaved and not accessible.
“When we acquire this land, it will be paved, landscaped and lighted in accord with our longstanding Downtown Specific Plan,” City Manager Nelson Fialho said. “We expect to gain about 400 parking places, which we need downtown.”
The plan also calls for developing the corridor with bicycle and pedestrian trails through the heart of downtown.
Acquisition of the transportation corridor became more critical in the last two years as plans moved forward to build the Firehouse Arts Center as part of the renovation and expansion of the old firehouse on Railroad Avenue. Easements needed for a section of the new building’s foundation and parking spaces are in the corridor.
Also leasing the corridor from the county are Hap’s Restaurant for customer parking and the ice house at Neal and Railroad Avenue.
In recent weeks, some advocates of moving forward in acquiring the corridor feared that Haggerty and the county board might back away from negotiations because of initiatives being advanced to curb development of the county-owned Staples Ranch, a 124-acre site just outside the eastern boundary of Pleasanton that is in unincorporated Alameda County.
“I know that the corridor is an important acquisition for Pleasanton,” Haggerty said. “We’ve all worked very hard on this and I’m not about to hold it hostage to the development of Staples Ranch which we also want to see happen.”
“I’m not a game player,” he added. “If we can sit down and negotiate terms that work for one of the communities that I represent, I’m more than happy to do that. The Staples Ranch issue needs to stand on its own merit.”
Pleasanton Mayor Hosterman was also encouraged by the cooperation between the city and the county.
“This gives Pleasanton the opportunity to create additional parking in our downtown, as well as develop a connection to the regional trail system,” she said. “These amenities are top priorities of our residents and our council, and we are very happy that the negotiations were concluded so successfully.”
