Many residents have wondered why the land at Dublin Blvd. and Tassajara Road (next to the new Lowe’s) has remained undeveloped. While the City of Dublin has been eager to see this land used for its highest and best purpose, the current owner of this land – the Dublin Land Company – has not been motivated to work with the City and prospective developers to develop this land.

The opportunity cost of leaving this land undeveloped is that the residents of Dublin have foregone tens of millions of dollars in fees and revenues (not to mention jobs) that could be realized if this land along Tassajara is developed. This translates into reduced funding for schools, roads, parks, and other services provided by the City. An indirect impact has been that a great deal of the development and building lease agreements in East Dublin have been placed on hold until the Dublin Land Company moves forward with their development plans.

With these concerns in mind, the City of Dublin made a move on Tuesday night to encourage the Dublin Land Company to step up their plans to develop these parcels of land . The vote – while largely symbolic – both increased the amount that the Dublin Land Company will need to pay for their use of the storm drain infrastructure at Dublin Ranch West (to reflect actual costs) and added a new provision to charge interest on their portion of the infrastructure costs for as long as the land remains undeveloped. In dollar terms, the increased expenses will not have a significant financial impact on the Dublin Land Company. However, by making this unanimous vote, the City of Dublin has sent a clear signal to the Dublin Land Company that the City of Dublin is willing to take whatever steps that are necessary to ensure that the residents of Dublin can benefit from the highest and best use of this land.

The Council’s efforts to encourage the Dublin Land Company to work with developers will bring increase funding for schools, parks, streets, and other services that Dublin’s residents will benefit from in the next few years.