With sufficient certified signatures for the Richmond Hills initiative measure, the Richmond City Council will consider its options during a public hearing set for Jan. 24, 2017. The initiative proposes to amend the city’s general plan to limit development and land uses on parcels in El Sobrante Valley north and east of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. Residential development would be banned outright but property owners would be permitted to participate in a transferable development credit program for housing units elsewhere in the city. The initiative also revises the city's Housing Element, eliminating 15 housing opportunity sites consisting of approximately 134 acres located within the target area and re-assigning its roughly 800 residential units to new sites and higher densities in other areas of the city. The shift would occur primarily through the conversion of commercially zoned parcels to residential designations. The council could adopt the ordinance outright or place the measure on the November 2018 ballot. The council may also direct staff to prepare a report on the impacts of the measure. Click here to view the agenda and related documents. For questions or comments, contact BIA’s Lisa Vorderbrueggen at 925-348-1956 or lvorderbrueggen@biabayarea.org.
