Archive for June, 2008
by John M. Zukoski on June 30, 2008 | 
16 Comments | Topics: Polls
Based on the findings of a recent survey, the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) is considering a resolution to sponsor a November ballot measure to levy a 5-year $99/year parcel tax to fund Dublin school operations. The survey indicated that 70% of the respondents were in favor of a $99/year parcel tax and 71% of those individuals were in favor of having the parcel tax for a 5-year period. It is estimated that the $99/year parcel tax would raise roughly $1M/year to fund Dublin school operations. This would be a critical measure in bridging the DUSD’s operating budget gap.
The proposal for this ballot measure will be taken up during a July 15th DUSD Board of Trustees meeting. If approved by the DUSD Board of Trustees, the parcel tax measure will appear on the November ballot.
So what do you think? Are you in favor of a 5-year $99/year parcel tax?
by John M. Zukoski on June 29, 2008 | 13 Comments | Topics: Development · Retail
Dublin residents are eagerly anticipating the arrival of The Green on Park Place along Hacienda Drive across from Hacienda Crossing (right off of I-580). As noted in the Around Dublin March 22nd entry, The Green on Park Place will have 300,000 square feet of retail shops and restaurants – including a coveted 55,000 sq. ft. Whole Foods market (the developer’s website says 50,000 sq. ft., but Whole Foods’ site lists the future new store at 55,000 sq. ft.).
At this point, the developer (Blake Hunt Ventures) is still going through the planning process. It looks like Blake Hunt Ventures hopes to have their development entitlements before the end of the summer and would also like to be grading the site by September or October of 2008. Optimally, Blake Hunt Ventures will have their building permits approved by next spring and have The Green on Park Place open by the first quarter of 2010.
The Green on Park Place will be a huge draw and a premier center for Dublin once it opens in the first quarter of 2010. In the absence of a concerted effort by the City of Dublin and business owners to implement the Dublin Downtown District Specific Plan, The Green on Park Place will likely become the unofficial Dublin Downtown District by default.
by John M. Zukoski on June 28, 2008 | No Comments | Topics: Development
The Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) is considering a change to the John Green Elementary School boundary to include the K-5 kids in the Sonata and Verona developments in Dublin Ranch (off of Gleason Drive) and exclude the K-5 kids that will eventually be living in the Moller Ranch development (off Tassajara Road, next to the Alameda/Contra Costa county border). Please click on the image above to see the current and proposed boundaries. It’s important to note that the Moller Ranch development has not yet been started and the K-5 kids would likely attend Kolb Elementary under the proposed boundary change. Here are the major pluses to the proposed boundary change:
- It would allow the Verona and Sonata K-5 students to walk to school without crossing Gleason Drive – currently set at a speed limit of 40 MPH.
- The K-5 kids at Moller Ranch will need to be driven to school with or without the boundary change. Based on this, there isn’t much of an impact whether the kids need to be driven to John Green Elementary or the soon-to-be-built Kolb Elementary (expected to be built in 2010).
- The residents of the Sonata and Verona developments overwhelmingly support the proposed boundary change. It’s great to see the DUSD working so closely with parents in the community.
So what are your thoughts on the proposed change? Please feel free to leave a comment and/or contact your elected DUSD Board of Trustees members with your questions and comments. Please click here for a link to the Board of Trustees contact page.
by John M. Zukoski on June 27, 2008 | No Comments | Topics: Opinions
What housing slump? At least not in Dublin! We had a 21% increase in the average sale price of homes in Dublin this week (to $596K) with – get this – nearly a 100% increase in home sale volume. We had 2 new home sales reported (at Elan) and 13 existing home sales. The existing home sales number was especially encouraging because the sold homes are located all throughout Dublin – from West to East. It’s great to see a hearty upswing in home prices with a healthy volume of sales throughout the city. This is a strong indication of the tremendous demand for homes in Dublin.
Dubliners can continue to see strong demand for their homes by installing energy-saving and sustainable features. The new Sonata development is a perfect example of the lure that installing solar panels and other “green” features has on prospective home buyers. This is something that our City leadership should keep in mind when evaluating future proposed residential developments. Please click here for an article discussing the value of having energy-saving and sustainable features in our homes.
by John M. Zukoski on June 26, 2008 | 3 Comments | Topics: Parks · Things To Do
The City of Dublin has designated three parks where it will be okay to use safe and sane fireworks from 10am to 10pm on the 4th of July. Here are the three parks:
- Alamo Creek Park
- Dublin Sports Grounds
- Emerald Glen Park
Please click here for a link to more information about where fireworks cannot be bought or used.
by John M. Zukoski on June 24, 2008 | 5 Comments | Topics: City Hall
As Around Dublin readers, you are most likely very curious about our fine City’s exciting ongoing and future developments. Additionally, many of you have probably scoured the City of Dublin’s project lists (please click here for a link to the Jun-08 development project list). While our project list is a fantastic resource and an illustration of the City of Dublin’s commitment to its residents to provide transparent governance, some of the terms and references on the project list can be confusing or not as clear as residents would prefer – specifically the “Status” column. It can sometimes be challenging to determine if a project is in the beginning, middle, or end of development.
To this end, here is a summary of the stages of development for most projects in Dublin (thank you to Around Dublin reader Ovidiu for this entry suggestion):
- General Plan: this establishes how land in Dublin can be used. For example, the open land along Tassajara Road is designated by the General Plan for Commercial use. However, it is possible that the owner may request a General Plan amendment to change the land use designation to Residential for one or more of the parcels.
- Specific Plan: this is an extension of the General Plan and applies to a particular development area of Dublin. For example, there are Specific Plans for East Dublin and Village Parkway. This provides more detail as to what the City would like to see in a particular area (e.g., design elements).
- Stage 1 Plan Development (PD): this is a preliminary permit process where the developer presents very high-level information about their project. Developers will often state the requested zoning for a project in this stage (which may or may not be consistent with the Specific Plan).
- Stage 2 Plan Development (PD): this is a refinement of the Stage 1 Plan Development permit request that has more detail (e.g., setbacks, height specifications, and parking proposals). Stage 2 will often include the proposed design details – but not always. Some projects, like Grafton Plaza, can be at the General Plan, Specific Plan, Stage 1 PD and Stage 2 PD – all at the same time!
- Site Development Review (SDR): this includes all the nitty-gritty details of a proposed development. The end result of a successful SDR is that the City will issue a permit to proceed with development.
- Planning Commission Review: the Planning Commissioners (appointed by Dublin’s City Council) review and approve the project ordinances and SDR. This can be an iterative process if there are questions and/or concerns about a project.
- City Council: the City Council takes the Planning Commission’s recommendation into account and determines whether or not to approve the proposed project as-is or with modifications.
- Plan Check: this is more detailed review of the project plans all the way down to the structural, elevation, and contingency detail. This is a process that can sometimes take 3 to 4 iterations before the developer and City come to an agreement.
- Construction: also known as “sticks in the ground”. This is the stage where the architect’s vision becomes reality.
This is a very high-level overview of the planning and development process. While each project is unique and can have different steps, the list of eight steps above provides a solid framework for the City of Dublin’s development process. Please feel free to comment or email me at john.zukoski@gmail.com if you have any related questions.
by John M. Zukoski on June 23, 2008 | 10 Comments | Topics: Polls
As Around Dublin readers, you are probably very interested in seeing unique and distinctive stores and restaurants establish roots in East Dublin – specifically Grafton Plaza, the Promenade, the Green on Park Place and the future commercial/retail area along the east side of Tassajara Road (where we currently have open land).
This week’s poll is actually a collection of polls to gauge your preference for the options in each of these categories: retail shops, restaurants, and grocery & coffee/juice bar. Please feel free to click on the links below to familiarize yourself with some of the featured options.
Retail Shops
Smith & Hawken Garden Supply
Crate & Barrel
Burberry
Sur La Table
Restaurants
Bix
Bing Crosby’s
Olive Garden
Left Bank Brasserie
Grocery & Coffee/Juice Bar
Fresh & Easy
Draeger’s
Fantasia Coffee & Tea
Jamba Juice
So which retail shops and restaurants would you like to see in East Dublin?
by John M. Zukoski on June 21, 2008 | No Comments | Topics: Things To Do
The City of Dublin recently announced their 2008 Summer Concert Series. Concerts are held at the Civic Center (100 Civic Plaza) fountain plaza from July 11th to August 8th on Friday nights starting at 7pm and going until 9pm. This year’s performers will be:
- July 11th – Joni Morris: Hits from yesterday and today
- July 18th – The Hitmen: Dance style hits from the 70s until today
- July 25th – The Wild Catahoulas: Cajun/Zydeco
- August 1st – Led Kaapana: Grammy-winning Hawaiian music
- August 8th – Swing Fever: 30s and 40s swing jazz
Please click here for more information about this fantastic FREE concert series. You can also call the Dublin Parks and Community Services department at 833-6645 if you have any questions.
by John M. Zukoski on June 20, 2008 | No Comments | Topics: Opinions
Dublin residents saw the average home sale price hold steady at $493K for the week-ended 6/20/08. We had a total of 8 homes sold – 3 new homes (2 at Elan and 1 at Silvera Ranch) and 5 existing homes. It’s important to note that Dublin most likely had more new homes sold (this week and in prior weeks). However, the developers at the Terraces, Sorrento, Verona, and Sonata do not report the sales of their homes (except to Alameda County for property tax purposes).
The value of Dublin’s homes will increase more and more as businesses choose to make Dublin their home. More Dublin jobs = more demand for Dublin housing. In recent news, the engineering and construction contractor Fluor just recently announced that they would be leasing out 37,000 square feet of class A campus office space at the Dublin Corporate Center (at I-580 and Tassajara Road.). Fluor will also be adding 100 jobs to Dublin as part of their expansion. Companies like Fluor are attracted to Dublin because of our fantastic location, skilled talent pool, affordable office space, wide selection of housing options, friendly business environment, BART, and many other reasons.
Let’s raise our glasses to another great week for Dublin.
