Valley Christian Center (VCC) submitted a General Plan Amendment (GPA) request back in March 2008 to change the land use designation on a 1.4 acre parcel of their property from Public/Semi-Public to Medium-High density residential (14.1-25 units/acre). The motivation for the change is that VCC would like to have the option to sell the re-designated land to a developer and use the proceeds (estimated at the time to be approximately $1.5M) to fund a significant portion of the $3-5M in planned projects, including facility improvements at the prestigious Valley Christian School.

History of VCC’s Request

The request submitted in March 2008 was actually the second request to study the potential land use change. Back in October 2001, the City Council initiated a study to change the designation to Medium-High density residential and then later rejected the request in May 2003 based on traffic concerns. Specifically, the residents of the nearby residential neighborhoods and the City Council felt that the decision to change the designation to Medium-High density residential needed to be postponed until after a traffic signal was installed at the intersection of Dublin Boulevard and Inspiration Drive and a few other traffic circulation improvement measures were implemented by VCC. The traffic signal and traffic circulation improvements were implemented by early 2005.

Fast Forward to January 2009

VCC has placed their request to change the designation to Medium-High density residential on hold due to many factors, including:

1. More Studies – The Dublin San Ramon Services District is now requiring VCC to complete a water study for the impact that could be created by having 19 – 35 homes on the 1.4 acre parcel (the maximum number of units will primarily be determined by the results of soil studies to see how many units can be supported by the land).
2. Change in Strategy – VCC has undergone a change in senior leadership since the change request was submitted back in March 2008. This has resulted in a change in strategic focus at VCC.
3. Land Values - The market value of land has dropped precipitously over the past year. This in turn, makes some of the other potential Public/Semi-Public uses more attractive (which would not require a change in the land use designation).

Potential Outcomes if VCC Proceeds With Their Request

If the request is approved by the City Council, then the future developer will be required to build below market rate housing on any project with at least 20 residential units and VCC would be able to fund a significant portion of the improvements planned for their schools.

If the request is not approved by the City Council, then VCC would not be able to receive as much money for the 1.4 acre parcel, but they would still be able to use the land for many different purposes, including:

• Valley Christian School buildings
• Library
• Child or adult care center
• Religious facility
• Non-profit affordable housing for senior citizens (similar to Wicklow Square next to the Dublin Senior Center)

This 1.4 acre parcel of land presents Valley Christian Center with a tremendous opportunity for future projects. VCC has been a fantastic employer, land steward, neighbor, worship center, and educator for the community. Whichever direction is eventually taken, the residents of Dublin will be proud of the development on this 1.4 acre parcel of land.

Please check back on Around Dublin and Dublin Townhall for more details as they become available.