Wallis Ranch in Dublin, CA
Wallis Ranch is an approved residential housing development in East Dublin of about 935 homes (currently at Stage 2 PD of the project process) that encompasses 184 acres and starts just north of Roxbury on Tassajara Road and goes all the way to the Alameda/Contra Costa County line. You may have noticed some of the work at Wallis Ranch has already begun across from Quarry Lane School. The developer is currently in the process of building bridges across Tassajara Creek that will allow the construction crews to start working on the grading and other preliminary infrastructure work.
Wallis Ranch is expected to be set back quite a bit from Tassajara Road and will offer home buyers a broad mix of options – executive homes, single family detached, penthouses, townhouses, and flats. Here is a summary of different types of homes that are expected to be built (please click on the image for an enlarged view):
Of the 184 total acres, Wallis Ranch is expected to have approximately 100 acres dedicated to neighborhood parks, open space, semi-public use, and a water quality and detention basin.
Another unique feature of the Wallis Ranch project is that the Antone School building will be relocated from one area of the property over to the Community Green to be used as a Community Center (similar to how the old Murray School building was rechristened as the Dublin Heritage Center). A distinctive feature of the relocated Antone School building is that it will also house numerous historic documents that date back to Dublin’s early days.
A few other items to note:
- At present, there are not any plans to build a school within the Wallis Ranch area. If the Dublin Unified School District did want to build a school within Wallis Ranch, a few of the notable contingencies would include: 1) some of the open space and/or park space would need to be used for a new school facility; and 2) the City Council would need to approve a land-use/zoning change to allow for a school to be built.
- There could be up to four trails located throughout the Wallis Ranch development – including two that run along Tassajara Creek.
4:07 PM on July 7th, 2008
Living in Silvera Ranch, I’ve been very curious about all the work I’ve seen going on (ok, I can’t see much from the street, just a bunch of equipment and nice 7:00am work going on, while I try to sleep in!
(BTW, isn’t there some law as to how early they can start up that work?).. If it’s not the late-night firing from the shooting range, it’s the new early morning heavy machinery work we have going on now…
Anyways, I’m hoping that these houses aren’t up for sale for awhile as I’d hate to see all these come onto the market in the current state… They’d have a tough time selling, and would be forced to sell even lower than we’re seeing today — Here’s to hoping the market changes in time for them to not have to cheap sell these off (further ruining our own home values..)..
Gordon
5:44 PM on July 7th, 2008
Hi Gordon – construction on Wallis Ranch is probably a few years away. My impression is that the property owner is planning to take their time on this project.
There was another nearby project at Moller Ranch (to the north of Silvera Ranch on the other side of Mission Peak) that has been effectively put on hold.
Thx, John Z.
11:56 AM on July 9th, 2008
I’m not sure what flats and penthouses are doing on a ranch, but a total of 678 condominium units seems inappropriate since they will be not be within walking distance of any businesses, as far as I can tell. I think that many condo buyers are looking for simpler, walkable lifestyles, and don’t want to have to get in their car every time they want to do anything. I hope the builder is planning a large number of parking spaces, because there is likely going to be a high ratio of cars to residents in Wallis Ranch.
12:33 PM on July 9th, 2008
Hi tiger650 – the mix of housing hasn’t been finalized and there will be an opportunity to make changes as the Wallis Ranch project makes it’s way through the planning/approval process.
Thx, John Z.
7:16 PM on July 9th, 2008
I share Tiger650′s concerns. I absolutely love the variety of detached home products Charter has planned, but I am not impressed by the number of townhomes and condos also included. Townhomes and condos are appropriate in transit-oriented development (TOD), and Wallis Ranch is definitely not a TOD. Those multi-family dwellings will only detract from the value of the detached homes in Wallis Ranch and its neighboring communities. With almost 700 units of townhomes and condos, each with at least two cars, I shudder to think what traffic along Tassajara will be like once the project is completed as is. Also, Charter can’t possibly plan for enough street-level parking to accommodate the additional 1,400 cars from the townhomes and conds, so we will be doomed to spread the infamous Dublin Ranch Villages parking crisis elsewhere in East Dublin. As we have learned there, people will park where it’s convenient and not where the CC&R recommends. I like Charter, but why do they always choose to mar perfectly fine proposals with townhomes and condos that no one likes to see or buy? They did it with Grafton Plaza, and now they are doing it again with Wallis Ranch. The Dublin City Council and the Planning Commission set a bad precedent by approving the Silvera Ranch Condos in the middle of nowhere, but it is not too late to learn from the botched “smart growth” experiment that is Dublin Ranch Villages and make sure we only build townhomes and condos in sensible locations going forward.
9:17 PM on July 9th, 2008
Is everyone in agreement that adding more condos in Dublin hurts home values? I believe so, especially when there are so many condos already available in Dublin, and they’re moving slow already.. We also don’t want Dublin / East Dublin / Tassajara Valley to be known as “Condo City”.
What little I know about Wallis Ranch is that there will be a large park near Tassajara, then a bridge.
Here’s my grand thought:
Why not change Wallis Ranch to be a Ruby Hill/Blackhawk type of development? Just large 3500+sf homes with good sized lots..There is not much more space to build in Dublin’s hills and I think this would be a great way to put Dublin on the map (vs “just more condos/townhomes”). Developer could even talk to Camp Parks about allowing grape vines to be planted all over those bare hills, furthering the desirability of the location.. Also, being just 6-7 miles from Blackhawk,etc is worth noting, as is our great golf couse at Dublin Ranch, which is walking distance from Wallis Ranch via Fallon (once opened)..
I really do fear adding condos / townhouses in this area as Toshi is right, it’s pretty far out.. I really think it makes more sense to add executive style homes (why only give Ruby Hill and Blackhawk that exclusive domain?)– Of course one major thing that would need to change is we’d have to add an East Dublin High School for sure, to lure these high-end buyers.
Honestly, Ruby Hill is nothing more than very expensive houses on somewhat boring hills/land. There is nothing special (oh, except the homes are amazing)… I think this area has even more going for it as the golf course is so close, as are some great parks and a bunch of new schools. (for the horse lovers, there are stables out this way even, so the wealthy can have their horses nearby… That bridge they’re already working on? That can be the guarded gate to keep riff-raff like me away!
Dream big—
G
4:15 PM on October 6th, 2008
HIGH DENSITY has no place North of Central Parkway. Especially way back at Wallis Ranch. Imagine the amount of Traffic it will produce. High Density should be designated to the Transit Villages only. We as a city needs to relook at the General Plan for High Density housing. 12% BMR of 3000 High Density Unit is painful compared to 12% of 100 SFR Executive Homes.
Repeal the BMR ordinance also, put it up for a citywide vote.
Please John, between you, Kasie and Tim do look at High Density and consider limiting any future construction to Transit Villages. Also please relook at BMR, Dublin has done more than its’ share in the Tri Valley.
4:16 PM on October 6th, 2008
Be the administration responsible for saving the City of Dublin from becoming Antioch. Instead more like San Ramon, Pleasanton etc..
9:12 PM on October 6th, 2008
I agree that we need to get the BMR ordinance up for a citywide vote…We also need to make sure that the mix at Wallis ranch changes….it has far too many high-density units. It will lead to horrendous traffic plus in this economic climate all it will do is help push home values down further. Don’t we have enough unsold product at Sorrento and what is yet to be built at Sorrento East? The current plan at Wallis Ranch is far from ‘smart growth’.
9:51 AM on October 7th, 2008
Hi MGF,
You are absolutely right in your characterization of the high density (HD) component of the upcoming Wallis Ranch project. High density housing makes sense for areas within walking distance of a transit-oriented development (TOD), because residents who live in such a community will be able to walk or rely on public transportation for most of their daily routines. When a city puts a high density project in the middle of nowhere like San Ramon’s Windemere project,
where the only reliable mode of transportation is by car, it is effectively increasing the number of cars on city roads and contributing to the city’s carbon footprint. When we take into account the TOTAL environmental impact of high density projects in the middle of nowhere, what seemed “smart” at first can no longer be considered environmentally responsible. If we must build in the middle of nowhere, let’s take the environmentally sound approach and minimize the number of homes we build by putting more estate and executive homes there. No HD away from TOD!
2:24 PM on October 7th, 2008
Absolutely agree. The general plan should be relooked at in regards to housing density that is away from TOD. Dublin officials are touting us as possibly being the Greenest City but developments like Dublin Ranch Villages, Sorrent East and West, Wallis Ranch is contrary to being Green. Also a High School way across town where 1000-1200 students will have to drive to daily at buildout is anything but green. Also agree on putting BMR ordinance up for a public vote.
2:29 PM on October 14th, 2008
Suggestion is for Charter Properties to Exchange the High Density planned at Wallis Ranch for the units they want us to approve for Grafton Plaza. Donate or sell the land at Wallis Ranch for a discount to the District where the Medium High and High Density was planned for a potential 2nd High School.
Now everybody wins. Grafton Plaza with some residential gets voter support, The Promenade could become reality with Grafton Plaza as a catalyst, Eastern Dublin Residents are at ease since a 2nd High School is now at least a possibility. No more High Density where it has no business being at Wallis Ranch but instead closer to I580, Downtown or near TODs. Now Executive homes only at Wallis Ranch along with the potential High School. Nearly everthing voters are calling for and are deeply passionate about.
Even the City Council, Mayor, Planning Commision and School Board can finally earn some respect from their constituents for being so creative. Looking at the City as a whole instead of just in parts (tunnel vision).
3:18 PM on October 17th, 2008
Please write to the City Council, Mayor and Planning Commission and express your opposition to Medium and High Density at Wallis Ranch. It has not business being there as it is possibly the last parcel where single family executive homes with yards could be built in Dublin. Also write to Charter Properties to express the same opposition.
1:26 AM on December 12th, 2008
I also think that Wallis Ranch should be low-density, with a few BMR single family homes for moderate income families that are sacattered throughout the development. However, instead of a high school, the land for the high density development should go to an elementary and middle school, possibly a K-8. The high school should be built closer to the Villages near the high density development to avoid traffic from students driving and commuting to and from the school.