Nonprofit developer eyes Chabot Drive for affordable housing complex

A nonprofit developer is looking to partner with the city to build a 100%-affordable housing complex on Chabot Drive.

Bridge Housing is set to present a preliminary project concept to the Pleasanton City Council at its Tuesday meeting, with the nonprofit seeking feedback from council members on the design as well as on a potential funding strategy that would include contributions from the city.

The proposed project would be located at 4780 Chabot Drive, in the Hacienda Business Park; the 1.39-acre site is currently occupied by a three-story, 24,000-square-foot office building.

Bridge is seeking to replace that building with a 142-unit multifamily complex that would feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for rent. According to a staff report prepared for the council meeting, 14 of the units would be deed-restricted at 30% of the area median income, qualifying as affordable to extremely-low-income households. Another 15 units would be deed-restricted at 50% of the area median income; 55 units would be restricted at 60% of the area median income; and 57 units at 70%. There would also be one manager’s unit. All of those units qualify as affordable to low-income households.

The new complex would be a six-story building, including a roof deck, built over underground parking and would reach a maximum height of 75 feet. The staff report notes 75 feet exceeds the 55-foot height limit identified for the site in the city’s Objective Design Standards. However, staff said, it would be well within the 85-foot height limit allowed elsewhere in Hacienda. 

Staff also note that as a 100% affordable, transit-proximate project, the development would qualify for an increase in allowable height of 33 feet above the maximum without city approval, and Bridge is proposing a height below that allowance. 

According to the staff report, Bridge plans to seek a combination of financing for the project, including federal and state tax credits, a permanent mortgage, deferred developer fees and a loan from the California Housing Finance Agency’s Mixed-Income Program. The developer anticipates that could cover about 90% of construction costs, and it’s seeking to close the funding gap through a city allocation of affordable housing impact fees, paid directly into the project by one or more private development projects. Direct payment of those fees would normally be deposited into the city’s Lower Income Housing Fund.

The staff report notes the applicant for the Positas Park project at 5976-5994 West Las Positas Blvd. has reached a tentative agreement with Bridge to allocate about $10.3 million-$10.5 million to the Chabot Drive project, the equivalent of its required contribution to the Lower Income Housing Fund. The Positas Park project is currently undergoing city review.

Bridge is also requesting the city waive or defer certain fees, including development impact, building permit, plan check and inspection fees, and that the city expedite permit processing. 

The Chabot Drive site is listed in the city’s 2023-2031 Housing Element, which requires the city to plan for 5,965 new units, 2,758 of which are targeted toward lower-income households. Though the city must rezone to allow for the units, it is not required to actually build them.

Because the site is listed in the housing element, if a formal application was submitted, the project would be subject to Planning Commission review and approval under the Housing Sites Compliance Analysis Process; that analysis would include review for compliance with the adopted Objective Design Standards for housing sites. Any submitted plans would also need to undergo California Environmental Quality Act review.

Bridge has also proposed holding one or more workshops to receive stakeholder feedback on the project elements, according to the staff report. 

Bridge was founded in 1983, and its portfolio includes more than 14,000 apartment units across more than 130 properties. It built and operates The Parkview, a 105-unit assisted living and memory care senior rental housing community on Valley Avenue in Pleasanton that opened in 2007.

The council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 20) in the City Council Chamber, 200 Bernal Ave. The full agenda is here.

In other business

In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the council is expected to:

• Approve the appointment of the advisory board for the 2027 Downtown Pleasanton Business Improvement District.
• Authorize the submittal of three grant applications totaling about $5.9 million to the California Department of Transportation for traffic signal safety upgrades, pedestrian safety crossing enhancements and the Owens Drive Class 4 bikeway project.
• Adopt a resolution to approve a six-month contract extension between the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department and the Department of Veteran Affairs to continue to provide emergency and fire-protection services for the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Livermore through April 30, 2027 and authorize the city manager to execute the agreement. 
• Approve a task authorization with Sanbell-Bay Area in an amount not to exceed $242,784 for the annual Street Resurfacing and Reconstruction project. 

All of those are on the council’s consent agenda, typically reserved for bulk approval of items deemed non-controversial. 

The council is also scheduled to receive a presentation from Ava Community Energy and receive an update on citywide communications.

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