DANVILLE — Citing the need for more housing and calling it “a step in the right direction,” the Danville Town Council has approved a 37-unit townhouse development near Interstate 680.
The plan calls for building the townhouses in seven buildings on two separate parcels at 359 and 375 W. El Pintado Road on nearly two acres of land. The project is near the southbound Interstate 680 freeway off-ramp at El Cerro Boulevard.
The townhouses would include 10 three-bedroom units, 23 two-bedroom units and four one-bedroom units.
“We need more housing like this in Danville,” said council member Lisa Blackwell. “Our young families cannot afford to live here. I think this is a step in the right direction.”
Blackwell did an informal check on the prices of houses in Danville and said she found the lowest price for a house in Danville was going for $1.4 million.
The council’s resolution certified the environmental impact report, approved a general plan amendment, final development plan and tree removal requests allowing for the development. The vote was unanimous, 5-0, on Tuesday night.
The project, which has been in the works since early 2016, was approved by the Danville Planning Commission on June 11.
“What we’re trying to do is develop a really nice-looking project here that looks appealing to the neighborhood,” said Glenn Novotny, who spoke on behalf of GMMR of Danville, the owner. Talmont Homes of Alamo is the developer.
Public speakers at Tuesday’s meeting said they were worried about increased traffic, parking and safety issues.
“It feels like I’m living in ‘The Twilight Zone,’ ” said Jeff O’Connell, who lives in the West El Pintado area. “It just doesn’t make sense. I’m a paramedic and also a nurse, so safety’s my life. If you pull 50 to 100 cars out of that driveway every morning, somebody’s going to get hit.
“If you were to live in that neighborhood, would you want 37 places going in there? Just ask yourselves that question,” O’Connell told the council members.
In its resolution, the Danville Town Council said the developer made a “reasonable and good-faith effort to eliminate or substantially mitigate … all potential negative impacts” and certified the environmental impact report.
“There’s honestly nothing I can say to the neighborhood that’s going to address your concerns,” Mayor Robert Storer said. “There will be traffic; there will be issues coming out in the morning when you have a new subdivision.
“The ownership of this property was sensitive to some of the concerns,” Storer added, noting that the owners could have legally applied to build up to 46 townhouses but instead chose to build 37.
