From a City of Piedmont press release on Nov. 17:
The City of Piedmont invites community members to help shape the future of Moraga Canyon by attending a community workshop on Thursday, Nov. 30:
Moraga Canyon Specific Plan Community Workshop
Thursday, Nov. 30, 7-9 p.m.
Piedmont Veterans’ Memorial Building, 401 Highland Avenue
The workshop will be the first opportunity for community members to provide feedback on a set of potential development scenarios showing how existing uses of City-owned land in Moraga Canyon — including Coaches Field, Blair Park, Kennelly Skate Park, and the City’s Corporation Yard — could be reconfigured to accommodate 132 units of new housing, 60 of which would be reserved for households earning lower incomes.
Workshop offers opportunity to ask questions and share feedback directly with project team
This workshop marks the beginning of a new phase in the Specific Plan process, with the results of early engagement – including an online visioning survey that attracted over 1,100 responses – now translated into a set of development concepts for community members to weigh in on before selection of a final scenario by the City Council.
The event will begin with a brief presentation covering:
• history and timeline of the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan
• findings from work the project team has done so far
• a high-level overview of the alternative scenarios
After the presentation, attendees will be invited to dig deeper into each alternative at a series of staffed information stations, where they can ask questions and share feedback directly with members of the project team. Comment boards will be available for attendees to share written feedback, as well.
Moraga Canyon Specific Plan is a cornerstone of Piedmont’s Housing Element
The Moraga Canyon Specific Plan is only one of over 70 programs called for in Piedmont’s 6th Cycle Housing Element – an ambitious plan for how the City can accommodate 587 new homes by 2031. This initiative is studying all city-owned land in the Moraga Canyon area, with the goal of creating a detailed plan for how to:
• Incorporate 132 units of new housing, 60 of which would be reserved for households earning lower incomes
• Maintain and improve existing City facilities, open space, and recreational amenities in the area
• Improve bicycle, pedestrian, and traffic safety
• Enhance wildfire safety and evacuation routes
Work on the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan began in summer 2023, with a deep dive into existing conditions in the plan area. The project team closely studied site topography, hydrology, utilities, environmental hazards, traffic patterns, and more to create a comprehensive picture of opportunities and constraints to development.
Simultaneously, the team has been gathering ideas and perspectives from stakeholders to better understand how Moraga Canyon is used today and what will be necessary to support existing functions in any future development. The team has sought input from residents in the Moraga Canyon area, local market-rate and affordable housing
developers, athletic organizations, all City departments, the City’s Park and Recreation Commissions, and the community at-large. This input has been used to create the potential development concepts that will be shared for review at the Nov. 30 workshop.
Learn more about Piedmont’s Housing Element and the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan at PiedmontIsHome.org. Sign up for the Moraga Canyon project email list to stay informed about future engagement opportunities. With questions, email PiedmontIsHome@piedmont.ca.gov.