Piedmont’s City Council on Monday night took another step forward in the development of housing in Moraga Canyon by directing the city to narrow its focus down to two plans from the original four under consideration.
The first site — “option 1” in the city staff report HERE — would keep market rate and affordable multi-family housing grouped together and sited on the south side of Moraga Avenue (Blair Park) and includes two market rate single-family lots off Abbott Way and Maxwelton Road. Improvements would be made to Moraga Avenue sidewalks and bike lanes, and a signal added to the intersection. The plan also calls for improving the soccer and baseball fields, adding additional parking for recreation facilities, and new public trails on the northern hillside. The Public Works Corporation Yard would remain where it is, but modified slightly to accommodate an enlarged soccer field.
The second site — “option 3” in the staff report HERE — would locate market rate and affordable multi-family housing together on the north side of Moraga Avenue where the Corporation Yard and skate park are now. The Corporation Yard would be moved across the street to Blair Park.
Council removed “option 2” from consideration after learning that the Blair Park side of Moraga Avenue could not accommodate both a full-size soccer field and baseball field. Council also eliminated consideration of a fourth site plan that included a new parking garage and Corporation Yard in Coaches Field and a soccer field rebuilt on top of the parking structure because it would require significant investment in infrastructure before housing can be developed.
The Council also asked the city to explore increasing the number of market-rate units, currently at 72, to up to 139 in order to better fund community amenities; eliminate the skate park entirely, and instead seek the development of other community facilities, such as a dog park, a playground, or a pickleball court; include an under-14 soccer field, youth baseball/softball field, batting cages, artificial field turf, and ball field seating.
The Council affirmed that it wanted to:
*Prioritize a master developer for the construction of both the affordable and market rate housing together in an integrated design and location
*Prioritize housing for families (units with 2+ bedrooms)
* Prioritize community benefits, particularly the improvement of recreational facilities to include an under-14 soccer field, youth baseball/softball field, batting cages, artificial field turf, and ball field seating.
*If a master developer seeks to use the Coach’s Field portion of the site, prioritize building into their agreement with the city, the relocation and improvement of the recreation facilities.
The Moraga Canyon Specific Plan is one piece of the city’s newly adopted Housing Element. The Specific Plan covers city-owned land in an estimated 18 acres in the Moraga Canyon area and the Moraga Avenue roadway that intersects them. Details of development will be resolved once the city issues a request for developer proposals and the city negotiates an agreement with a selected developer.
Regardless of which site is eventually developed, both options will require future financial investment by the city, Councilmembers said.
Although Councilmembers chose to keep two sites open for consideration, most residents who spoke at the Monday meeting favored the first option — saying it was the most fiscally prudent route and the most specific and realistic of the four plans considered over the last several months.
Several speakers spoke to safety and traffic concerns. All plans include roadway improvements on the busy Moraga Aveune corridor, including improved bike and pedestrian pathways. Councilmembers emphasized that improved safety is a baked in assumption into all Moraga Canyon development plans.
Next steps
City staff and the city’s consultant, JZMK Partners, will prepare a Draft Moraga Canyon Specific Plan in the next three to four months with the expectation that the draft plan would be made available for public review and consideration by the Planning Commission and City Council this summer. A final draft is expected to be completed and considered for adoption during the second half of 2024, the city said.