After five hours of public debate, Contra Costa County supervisors voted 4-1 on Tuesday to approve one of the largest developments in the county -- the 1,400-unit Alamo Creek project in the Tassajara Valley.
Besides providing about 340 affordable housing units, developers Shapell, Braddock & Logan and Ponderosa Homes must pay an unprecedented $8.5 million in fees to the county's new livable communities fund, which will fund "smart growth" projects elsewhere in the county.
They also must pay $8.5 million to the East Bay Municipal Utility District for water conservation measures on and outside the project. Much of Alamo Creek lies outside the utility's service area and would have to be annexed by a vote of the county Local Agency Formation Commission.
With their approval, the supervisors also wanted assurance that affordable units would stay affordable for at least 20 years, and that developers must pay for public transit services from Alamo Creek to nearby job centers by forming a county assessment district.
Supervisor Donna Gerber, in whose district the project sits, was the dissenting vote. In a lengthy rebuttal, she urged her colleagues to vote only for a general plan amendment and number of units, and set aside the land use planning for further exploration.
But her arguments drowned in an undertow of support by the other supervisors. "This project has more affordable housing than Danville," Supervisor John Gioia said.
The project brings a mix of affordable to luxury houses, a new elementary school, fire house, athletic fields and a senior care facility.....
