Oakley approves late change to housing plan

Court opinion might stall progress

By Chris Campos Staff Writer

OAKLEY The gears of city government are often slow and greased by legal requirements. The city Planning Commission performed one of those tasks

Tuesday night as it approved a late amendment to the city’s state-mandated Housing Element.

Although the state Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) accepted the city’s Housing Element at the end of March a late court decision may undercut one aspect of Oakley’s submission. According to a city staff report, a recent court opinion has been issued by the state’s Fifth Appellate District that affordable housing overlay districts in the City of Clovis do not satisfy its rezone program obligation to meet the lower-income regional housing needs allocation for affordable housing. The state is analyzing the implications of this opinion and how it may affect Oakley’s affordable housing overlay, which is similar.

The main purpose of these amendments is to provide the City a safety net by having an adopted version of the housing element that HCD can certify by May 31, 2023, which will ensure the City has the full three years from Jan. 31, 2023 to implement Action 1.1, rather than one year should HCD not certify the housing element by May 31, 2023. After a short discussion, the Commission approved the amendments in a 5-0 vote.

A General Plan serves as a blueprint for the future of a city, prescribing policy goals and objectives that shape and guide its development. Like a book, the General Plan consists of chapters, which are called “elements.” Each element covers a different aspect of the urban environment, such as land use, housing, open space, or conservation. The housing element is one of nine state-required components of every city’s General Plan. Unlike the other elements, the housing element must be updated on an eight-year schedule and be approved by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development.

In other actions, Jason Kabalin, the city’s Capital Projects Engineer, gave the commission an update on Oakley’s capital improvement projects. “We’re in a very, very good place,” Kabalin noted as he listed the highlights of the city’s $34 million budget projects for this year, which include:

• Project #176, Oakley Regional Park Project: This $60 million project aims to transform a 55-acre site at the north end of Sellers Avenue that was given to the City as part of the develop- ment agreements with the Emerson and Gilbert Ranch projects. This project will construct a regional park at this site that will be a destination point for the Oakley community. A team of staff, consultants, and a Council sub-committee began the process of concept planning for this site in 2016.

• Project #186, West Cypress Road Bridge at Contra Costa Canal Reconstruction Project: The existing West Cypress Road Bridge that crosses the Contra Costa Canal is structurally deficient, according to the latest Caltrans inspections. It will need to be reconstructed to continue to be safe and remain in service.

• Project #205, Downtown Gateway Plaza Roadway, and Parking Lot Project: The Oakley Multi-Modal Roadway and Parking Lot Project features a new AMTRAK train platform station north of Main Street in the area between 2nd Street and Norcross Lane. The facility will provide connections for the Tri Delta Transit bus service to the new train sta- tion, as well as from the new Park & Ride lot at Cypress Road and Main Street.

• Project #247, East Cypress Road Widening (Knightsen Avenue to Jersey Island Road) Project: This project will widen and fully reconstruct East Cypress Road east of Knightsen Avenue to Jersey Island Road

• Project #273, Laurel Road Extension Project (Teton Road to Sellers Avenue): This project will extend Laurel Road from Teton Road to Sellers Avenue providing an alternate and much-needed secondary route to East Cypress Road.

• Project #279, FY 2022/23 Street Repair and Resurfacing Project: This project will repair the base and surface failures, as well as resurface the City’s streets as a part of a comprehensive program to maintain the roadways.

• Project #231, Sellers Avenue (Riverrock Drive to CCWD Canal Crossing) Widening and Improvement Project: Sellers Avenue is a two-lane road constructed by Contra Costa County decades ago. The section of Sellers Avenue from East Cypress Road, to the north end of the road at the gate to the future Oakley Regional Community Park will be widened to four lanes with curb and gutter, sidewalks, landscaped medians, bike lanes, and street lighting.

For more information: www. ci.oakley.ca.us/agendas-minutes-videosarchive/