A group of Walnut Creek residents on Tuesday plans to rally against a proposed development project on a beloved open-space ranch.
Seven Hills Ranch is a 30-acre space in the hills of the city, but after the owners sold it, there were plans to build a large retirement community that could create nearly 500 homes.
Some neighbors oppose the project, saying it would ruin the area and disrupt traffic.
Rosemary Nishikawa has been enjoying the tranquility of nature in her own backyard for nearly 20 years.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“We hear Redtail hawks,” she said. “There’s gray horned owls that have nests, woodpeckers, bluebirds, wild turkey, deer that come and take the plums off our tree.”
Residents will gather Tuesday at City Hall to ask city leaders to take their concerns to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.
The plan has to be approved by the Board of Supervisors to go forward.
Local
Meanwhile, the Walnut Creek City Council also will decide whether or not to endorse an affordable housing project on Ygnacio Valley Road with a letter meant to help the nonprofit developer get funding.
Resources for Community Development (RCD) wants to develop a 100% affordable mixed-use project at 699 Ygnacio Valley Road, at the southwest corner of Ygnacio and North Civic Drive. RCD wants to build a four-story, 97-unit project on a 0.86-acre parcel that formerly held a gas station.
The site has been cleaned up and cleared by the state Water Resources Control Board for mixed residential-commercial development.
“A phenomenal aquatic center, restaurants, gym,” said Troy Bourne, of Spieker Senior Development Partners. “As well as a performing arts center.”
He said it’s a concept that’s in high demand. He said a similar development in Pleasanton has 250 families on the waiting list and people are already signing up in Walnut Creek.
“The fact that 700 families have already reserved homes indicates a strong demand for this kind of product in the area,” said Bourne.
But many existing neighbors worry it’ll change the whole feel of the area.
“We do not need a Disneyland put in our backyard here in the middle of a residential community,” said Nishikawa.
The developer said they’ve been working with the county to maintain the area's beauty and said the goal is to be a good neighbor
“We’ve incorporated areas of walking trails for residents. There’s a lot of open space including a waterway that goes through the middle that’s been preserved and enhanced,” said Bourne.
The project received its planning entitlements in March 2021, and RCD is currently applying for financing. Staff recommends the council authorize Mayor Matt Francois to sign the letter.
The City Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 1666 N. Main St.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
