Photo Credit: Granicus
During the May 26 Danville Planning Commission meeting, the Community Presbyterian Church presented a proposal to redevelop its 12-acre campus at 222 West El Pintado Road. Local officials and church leaders discussed the benefits and versatility of the project, which details a 66-unit townhouse development with updates to the church's community facilities.
Navigating State Housing Mandates
Chief of Planning David Crompton contextualized the decision by explaining how recent California laws have shifted planning authority away from local municipalities and governments in an effort to accelerate housing production and construction.
"I'm going to talk about some of the many state laws that have been passed for the last 5, 10 years that, to a great extent, take away our local discretion and attempt to streamline housing developments," Crompton said.
Due to new strict state guidelines like the Housing Accountability Act, the commission can only reject a housing project if it poses a specific threat to public health and safety.
Since Danville is now legally obligated to plan for 2,241 new housing units (a four-time increase from the prior quota) during the concurrent eight-year cycle, California's state-mandated timeline for updating the “Housing Element”, a required portion of every city and county's General Plan, the town plans to rezone the rear portion of the church property to accommodate family housing.
Photo Credit: Granicus
Project Details and Infrastructure
The proposed plan attempts to satisfy all parties by balancing new residential units alongside expansions for the church and its school:
The Residential Units: The plan includes 49 townhouses along Charles and Ilo Lanes, with 19 of those units incorporating Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which will serve as secondary living spaces on said townhomes. Four of these ADUs will be designated for very low-income households for 55 years.
The Church Expansions: A new 27,000- square-foot youth ministry building will be constructed alongside a new pavilion, basketball courts, and a grass soccer field.
Traffic and Parking: This project plans to add a new parking lot, which will feature an extended loop, intended to keep school pickup lines from backing up onto West El Pintado Road, alongside 206 additional parking spaces.
Community Outreach
Matt Henry, representing the Community Presbyterian Church, reflected the congregation's 175-year history in the valley. He explained that the primary goal of the expansion is to upgrade aging facilities for the children who attend the church and its school, allowing the church to continue to serve as a pillar of the community.
"Youth is a huge need in our community... We have a school there, been there since 1979. It has no turf. Kids play on an asphalt parking lot," Henry explained.
Henry noted that while the church leadership did not initially understand the complexities of state housing laws, discussions with town staff helped them see how the property could align with broader municipal goals, eventually realizing their land could be "part of the solution for the town’s housing element and general plan."
Due to the community-oriented and overall town benefits, the project ultimately was able to receive a recommendation for approval from the Town of Danville’s Design and Review Board.
Correction or Addition? If you would like to add information to this report or suggest a correction, please contact me at alizeh.i@lead4earth.org.
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