Local property owner Steve Depper has submitted a preapplication to city officials to construct a 74-unit apartment building on the site of Dutch Girl Cleaners, the San Francisco Business Times reported. Depper ran Dutch Girl Cleaners at 2094 Mount Diablo Boulevard for more than two decades before retiring and selling the business while remaining its landlord.
The development comes on the back of the city’s West Downtown Specific Plan, which rezoned the site in 2018 from commercial to mixed-use residential and commercial use, according to the Business Times. Depper applied to build on the site using SB 330 to secure streamlined approvals and a 50 percent density bonus, committing to eight very-low-income units. In Contra Costa County, very-low-income for one person is defined as making less than $55,950 annually.
Walnut Creek’s Housing Element called out the location as a potential site for development as the city works to meet its state-mandated housing construction goals, according to the Business Times. Under the Housing Element, the city must prepare to build 5,805 new units of housing — including 3,501 affordable homes — by 2031.
“I have four daughters, I know how important it is to young people that they have day cares they rely on,” Depper told the Business Times of his amenity plans for the mixed-use site. “I think it’s something we should do if we’re building for residential.”
Earlier this year, Depper filed a complaint against the owners of the Speedway Express gas station next door, claiming that emissions from the fuel site could threaten any development at the Dutch Girl site. The regional board declared the location safe to build on, though Depper believes the construction process will reveal toxic soil that would be a costly and time-consuming headache to clean up, according to the Business Times.
The local fire department is reviewing the project plans after residents raised concerns about fire access on the sliver of commercial property. Depper will reportedly have to wait for a thumbs-up from the fire department before seeking final approvals from the city’s Planning Commission for final approvals.
Read the original article at therealdeal.com
