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Tassajara Valley Urban Limit Line Threat
Voters approved the Contra Costa County Urban Limit Line in November 2006, putting Tassajara Valley off-limits to development. However, developers recently proposed a 193-unit housing development,called New Farm, outside the boundary on 770 acres of land east of San Ramon and Danville.
County Supervisors agreed to review the proposal, setting a bad precedent, as they were essentially agreeing to consider allowing suburban development outside the Urban Limit Line. Unfortunately, the new farm proposal has been submitted to the County. You can read the proposal here. Now the fight is about to begin to protect Tassajara Valley by resisting this proposal that attempts to break the Urban Limit Line.
In addition to the County, Tassajara Valley landowners and interested developers have appealed to the growth-friendly City of San Ramon in 2007. Although Greenbelt Alliance and its allies killed this expansion in 2007, San Ramon still remains a threat. San Ramon may again attempt to expand its sphere of influence, which is the precursor to expanding the city’s urban growth boundary--the city’s equivalent of an Urban Limit Line—which could lead to the subsequent annexation of the desired lands and ultimately, development of New Farm.
Either way—if San Ramon extends their Urban Growth Boundary or if the County outright approves the New Farm project—it could open the floodgates for similar expansion strategies and development proposals throughout Contra Costa County, undermining the authority of urban boundaries and putting thousands of acres of land at risk.
What's at Stake
The New Farm proposal attempts to skirt the law by
not requiring the County to physically alter the Urban Limit Line. Instead, the developer
is attempting to convince County Supervisors that the proposed housing
development project is “rural” in nature.
But New Farm is not rural, and it’s no farm.
The proposal blatantly breaks the Urban Limit Line by extending water and sewage lines
across the line. Rural development has traditionally been defined as
parcels using septic tanks and wells, whereas urban development requires
the construction of public utilities—such as water and sewage lines.
The New Farm 193-unit proposal will allow massive development on prime
agricultural land. On the land, only one home per 80 acres is
currently allowed, to support true farms. But the New Farm proposal would
subdivide the land into 5-acre parcels. The developer is even requesting “density
bonuses” for consolidating development on 40 acres, to allow more
units.
The proposal is sprawl development, pure and simple.
Even if it were a better proposal, New Farm is in the wrong place. Contra
Costa County voters agreed on a growth boundary with the understanding
that no urban or suburban development would be allowed beyond that point
until at least 2020, at which time the General Plan will be reevaluated.
Calling this project “rural” is a transparent attempt to
get around the law, and is in clear opposition to the will of the people
of Contra Costa. Greenbelt Alliance opposes this threat to farmland,
and to the policies protecting farmland and natural areas.
New Farm and San Ramon
In February 2007, the City of San Ramon gave notice that they were considering a Sphere of Influence Amendment for the Tassajara Valley Planning Subarea. While San Ramon City leaders may argue that the amendment will not necessarily lead to annexation or development, typical California land-use practices suggest otherwise. According the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, “The sphere of influence is an important benchmark because it defines the primary area within which urban development is to be encouraged (Sections 56377(b) and 56841).”
After expanding its sphere of influence, the City must also expand its voter-approved Urban Growth Boundary and formally annex the lands though another Local Agency Formation Commission proposal. Conveniently, San Ramon is slated to reevaluate and publicly vote on their urban growth boundary in 2010.
Sphere of influence amendments lead to annexations. Annexations lead to development. Period.
By no means a coincidence, the 770 acres proposed for the New Farm development fall entirely within the 4,900 acres included in the amendment. What’s more, the neighboring cities of Dublin and Danville—who share a significant border with Tassajara Valley—were not consulted about the amendment and were left to hear about the proposals in the newspaper!
The New Farm project and the San Ramon sphere of influence amendment are inextricably linked; both are fueled by one of the county’s most influential political operatives and both threaten the validity of voter-approved growth boundaries. Greenbelt Alliance will continue to adamantly oppose the amendment and any other proposals that could potentially threaten Tassajara Valley open space.
What You Can Do
• Contact Patrick Roche, lead staff on the projct for Contra Costa County, to get updates and know when the next meetings are: by email or by telephone at (925) 335-1242.
• Sign up to receive email updates about the campaign – email Christina Wong.
• Write a letter in defense of Tassajara Valley:
Write to San Ramon Mayor H. Abram Wilson and Members of the Council, opposing the proposed amendment and the future annexation and development of the Tassajara Valley.
citycouncil@sanramon.ca.gov 2222 Camino Ramon, San Ramon, CA 94583
Phone: (925) 973-2530
Fax: (925) 866-0547
Write to your County Supervisor, or to the Board of Supervisors, to say that you oppose studying the New Farm proposal.
District I (El Cerrito, Richmond, & San Pablo):
Honorable John Gioia
Supervisor, District I
11780 San Pablo Ave. Suite D
El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510) 374-3231 dist1@bos.co.contra-costa.ca.us
District II (Hercules, Lafayette, Moraga, Martinez, Orinda, Pinole, Walnut
Creek):
Honorable Gayle B. Uilkema
Supervisor, District II
651 Pine Street, Room 108A
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 335-1046 gayle@bos.cccounty.us
District III (Alamo, Brentwood, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Byron,
Discovery Bay, Blackhawk, Knightson):
Honorable Marry N. Piepho
Supervisor, District III
309 Diablo Road
Danville, CA 94526
(925) 820-8683 dist3@bos.cccounty.us
District IV (Clayton, Clyde, Concord, Pacheco, Pleasant Hill. Walnut
Creek):
Honorable Susan Bonilla
Supervisor, District IV
2151 Salvio Street, Suite R
Concord, CA 94521
(925) 521-7100 dist4@bos.cccounty.us
District V (Pitsburg, Antioch. Oakley, Bay Point, Bethel Island):
Honorable Federal D. Glover
Supervisor, District V
315 E. Leland Rd.
Pittsburg, CA 94565
(925) 634-5915 dist5@bos.cccounty.us
