Thursday, APRIL 29, 2021 VOLUME LVIII, NUMBER 17 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, PLEASANTON, SUNOL Set for June County Board Dublin City Council Continues the Approves $10 Million Sunwalker For Affordable Housing Solar Hearing By Ruth Roberts individuals and families, and By Aly Brown DUBLIN — The city coun- veterans. These 40 homes cil unanimously agreed to would include basic neces- LIVERMORE — The Al- sities, such as furniture and ameda County Board of spend $10 million on the possible development of an kitchen items, including Supervisors voted last week appliances. The remaining to continue the Sunwalker affordable housing project adjacent to the west Dublin units would not be furnished. Energy solar facility project The project will be paid appeals hearing to its June 3 BART station. The city will partner with for with $7.1 million from meeting. Dublin’s affordable housing Supervisors David Hau- BRIDGE Housing, a non- profit organization that aims fund and $2.9 million from bert, Richard Valle and Wil- Karl D. Wente, chief winemaker at Wente Vineyards, shakes the hand of Mark Alameda County Measure man Chan voted 3-0 on April Schwager, co-founder and president of Monarch, on Thursday, April 22, after officially to build 308 units on a city- owned 3.6-acre site at 6501 A1 bond funds. 22 to revisit consideration of accepting delivery of the first Monarch tractor. Now available to order on the Monarch “I’m in favor of what we the four appeals, along with website, the Pilot series of the driver-optional tractor is 100% electric and comes Golden Gate Drive. The 100% affordable housing are doing, and it’s a great certification of the project’s with a base price of $50,000. (Photo - Stephanie Mollenhauer) idea,” said Councilmember final environmental impact complex would be built in two phases, 136 units and Jean Josey. “We are sorely report (EIR) and approval in need of affordable housing of the conditional-use per- Longtime Restaurant Closes 172 units. Thirty percent of the first-phase homes – 40 and having this many units is mit. Supervisors Keith Car- fantastic. I’m really pleased.” son and Nate Miley were units– are slated for special Commission Says the Site of Former needs residents, homeless excused; the clerk of the (See HOUSING, page 7) board later stated there was no known reason for their Barone's Should Include Commercial absences. By Ruth Roberts cess of the Downtown Specif- ning commission argued The project would gen- PLEASANTON —The icon- ic Plan in 2019, the city coun- that the plan needed less Planning Commission erate about 6 megawatts ic Barone’s Restaurant is go- cil said that the initial Barone residential and more com- of photovoltaic power and ing out of business after more plan to redevelop the property mercial space. cover 59 acres of a 71-acre Votes 4-1 in Favor of than 25 years as a Pleasanton for residential use was not “This site is 2.3 acres and parcel located at 4871 N. mainstay. desirable, although still a is part of the core of down- Livermore Ave. The East The planning commission consideration. However, the town, and as such I think Eden Housing Plan County Board of Zoning recently told the owners of planning commission argued we should be looking at an Opponents Want Housing Relocated; Adjustments’ (EBZA) deci- the restaurant to incorporate during the workshop that the all-commercial use ... to be sion to certify the final EIR Community Group States Current Plan Violates additional commercial space project was neither in keep- consistent with what the resi- in December 2020 saw four in their conversion plans for ing with residents wishes, dents are asking for and in City Standards and Cannot Be Approved appeals from Save North the downtown establishment adhering to the original input keeping with the Downtown Livermore Valley, Friends LIVERMORE — With changes. or risk losing support for the from the city council regard- Specific Plan,” said Commis- of Livermore, Friends of Commissioner John Stein The project site, occu- proposal. ing commercial use, nor in sioner Greg O’Conner. Open Space and Vineyards, the dissenting vote, the pying 2.5 gross acres, sits The commission re- keeping with the Downtown Not all residents agreed and the Bowles family. Livermore Planning Com- on the southeast corner of viewed the project during Specific Plan. with his assessment. The groups’ appeal points mission voted 4-1 to send South L Street and Railroad a March 24 work session Richard Yee, with Rob- “Joe Barone looks out his charged that the project rep- the Eden Housing project Avenue; the site once housed where the applicant, Robson son Homes, contended the front door, and all he sees are resented an improper use for final approval to the city a Lucky supermarket. The Homes, initially proposed mixed-use plan brought be- dozens of brand-new houses of the agricultural land and council. proposed plan, revised over two options for the 475 and fore the commission was in towering over Peters and would decrease aesthetics. Despite residents voicing time, now consists of two 493 St. John St. locations. keeping with the Downtown St. John streets,” wrote one They further stated that the opposition, the commis- four-story buildings — one Both plans call for the Specific Plan and consistent resident on social media. “... board needed to explore al- sion on Tuesday recom- on Railroad Avenue and the preservation of the Barone with criteria outlined for And then, he wants to tuck ternatives for solar construc- mended the development of other fronting Veterans Way. family residence and the the redevelopment of the 10 attractive-looking houses tion and establish a county the 130-unit, 4-story Eden Each building would contain demolition of the existing property. between St. John and Ar- solar policy. The groups Housing project in the city’s one-, two- and three-bed- restaurant and surrounding “Specifically, our plan royo, and he gets told ‘no?’ challenged the public need downtown core, without any (See EDEN, page 6) structures on the property. retains the existing Bar- Doesn’t seem fair ... doesn’t for the project. The first plan called for 10 one residence, preserves seem right.” The appellants also re- detached single-family, two- the small-town character of In the end, the commis- John Stein Criticized ported the project to be story homes and seven sec- downtown ... provides no net sion said mixed-use commer- overall inconsistent with ond-story accessory dwelling loss of commercial space and cial space should encompass the Williamson Act. The Commissioner's Comments units (ADUs) above detached Williamson Act enables garages. The second proposal local governments to enter Lead to Possible Dismissal included nine detached two- into contracts with private By Aly Brown mission meeting, Stein had story, single-family homes landowners for the purpose said, “I really don’t want to with five ADUs above de- LIVERMORE — The city of restricting specific par- see the downtown become a tached garages, along with council voted unanimously cels of land to agricultural ghetto of affordable housing, a commercial building and this week to consider the or related open space use. removal of Commissioner and I support inclusionary parking lot. The plot covers housing both on a macro and a total of 2.3 acres. John Stein from the planning (See SUNWALKER, page 7) commission at a meeting set micro scale … (but) it should “I believe this project site be distributed throughout the is appropriate for mixed- for May 3. On ValleyCare The April 26 decision fol- city.” The commissioner was use with a strong commer- then the lone dissenting vote cial presence or potential The owners of Barone's Restaurant, which is going out lowed a discussion of Stein’s Foundation's comments at last week’s during that meeting, when the commercial-use only,” said of business, will now need to add more commercial to planning commission passed Vice Chair Nancy Allen. “As their development plans. (Photo - Doug Jorgensen) April 20 planning commis- Members to sion meeting. a recommendation 4 to 1 for nice as the designs are, and the city council to approve they are beautiful, both of provides sufficient on-site the property looking out on Councilmembers said they parking,” said Yee. St. John Street, with resi- had received emails and calls, Eden’s current plan. Vote on Merger those projects are primarily At this week’s council a residential project, and I He added that new resi- dential units, if any, on the complaining that the commis- By Aly Brown dents and tenants would second floor or behind the sioner had used inappropriate meeting, Stein issued an apol- believe it doesn’t serve our ogy for his remarks. REGIONAL — The gov- support the existing commer- property. Yee said Homes has language when discussing the community well; (it) doesn’t “I’d like to say that I do erning bodies of the Valley- cial core and that affordable heard the commission and is Eden Housing project pro- enhance our downtown and feel my comments were in- Care Charitable Foundation housing would also be pro- committed to coming back posed for the old Lucky site in is inconsistent with our intent temperate … I also believe (VCCF) and the Stanford vided along with the ADUs. to the table with the requests the downtown core. Among in zoning.” that as a planning commis- Health Care – ValleyCare During the adoption pro- However, a united plan- of the city. other statements at the com- (SHC - VC) each voted (See DISMISSAL, page 7) unanimously to move for- ward with a conditional merger, pending VCCF’s Jewish Center Building to corporate member approval.