After hearing an update on the Draft Moraga Canyon Specific Plan (MCSP) from city staff and consultants on Sept. 23, Piedmont’s Planning Commission generally agreed the new housing was moving in the right direction. They did, however, ask that the city focus more on traffic and safety issues in the development area as they continued to refine the proposal.
This was an informational item only, and no action was taken.
The MCSP is the outline for the development of up to 199 new housing units in the Moraga Canyon area; 60 of which would be reserved for low income owners. This project helps Piedmont meet 34% of its state-mandated housing requirement. The plan includes recreational uses and the Public Works Corporation Yard. Planning work on this project started in the summer of 2023 and is expected to conclude in early 2025. The affordable housing development portion of this project is expected to receive Alameda County funding.
The project includes all city-owned land in the Moraga Canyon area — including Blair Park, Coaches Field, the Kenelly Skate Park, and the Corporation Yard. The goal is to add housing and maintain, replace, and improve existing facilities. Plus improve traffic, pedestrian, bicycle, and wildlife safety.
Andrew Watkins with JMKZ consultants delivered the presentation that covered four chapters of the proposal, some of which are outlined below:
- Regulations and analysis of constraints and opportunities such as surrounding land uses, slopes, hydrology, tree coverage, and soil conditions;
- “Circulation” — roadway layouts, parking conditions, driveways, pedestrian and bicycle connections and more;
- Site design — standards for building, orientation, utilities, service area, building equipment, private and common open space, vehicular and bicycle parking areas, pedestrian access, site lighting, and slope and grading standards;
- Building design — building form, massing and siting standards
The Commission received a report on architectural styles in August.
Commissioners re-iterate traffic and safety concerns
Commissioners probed proposed traffic mitigations and wondered if any would help decrease speed on the roadway. The posted speed limit on Moraga Avenue is 25 mph, the consultant said, but drivers typically drive about 10 mph above that. The consultants based some of their projections on a 40 mph speed. Adding a three-way stoplight at Red Rock Road is part of the design proposal, but commissioners and residents who spoke during public comment expressed concern that traffic back-ups and bottlenecks on Moraga Avenue during peak commute hours would persist or get worse even with that new feature. (Planning Director Kevin Jackson noted that it was premature to analyze the traffic light issue at this stage of project development.)
The proposal also recommended changing the building height restriction from 45 to 60 feet — an elevation that the consultants said would have no impact on views of any surrounding homes.
Watkins also noted earlier in the meeting that under a new California law, Native American tribes can weigh in on the planning process and that six tribes have asked to consult on the plan. The city is in the process of setting up meetings, said Watkins, to better understand their interest and/or concerns with the proposal.