The City of Dublin now has another incentive with which to attract new businesses – a 25% water and sewer hookup fee credit. Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) has often been criticized for charging new businesses outrageously high hookup fees. Restaurants moving into new buildings routinely pay from $200K to $400K in fees just to get water and sewer service. Many have pointed to the exorbitant hookup fee as a primary deterrent that has prevented many restaurants of distinction from moving into Dublin.

In response to this criticism, the City of Dublin and the DSRSD have created a program that offers new restaurants with a credit of up to 25% of their standard hookup fee. Under this program, the City of Dublin will make available 66 previously unused Dwelling Unit Equivalent (DUE) credits that were acquired as part of the Civic Center and Dublin Senior Center site purchases. A DUE is equivalent to the water and sewage needs of an average single family home.

Here is how this innovative credit program works: A new restaurant moving into Dublin typically needs 20 DUE credits, which will cost approximately $300K. If approved by the City, Dublin could provide up to 25% of the required 20 DUE credits, or 5 DUE credits, that could save the new business approximately $75,000 in costs. The credit is available for commercial and some residential uses, if the residential construction could lead to future commercial development. This provision could be very helpful to the future development of Downtown Dublin.

The Water/Sewer Hookup Fee Credit Program is another one of the incentives Dublin offers, as it tries to attract businesses to our City. Some incentives such as Dublin’s sales tax reimbursement program, lower traffic fees, and fee deferrals are geared towards luring large employers and tax generators, but this program was a specifically designed to bring high-end, independent restaurants and very popular restaurant chains to Dublin.

Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti noted, “I want to thank the DSRSD for working with us on this partnership to help bring restaurants to Dublin. Historically our higher connection fees have been a deterrent for restaurants, but this program will allow us to maintain far more competitive connection fees and make us a more attractive place for restaurants to locate.” Apparently the program is already working. Grafton Station is very close to landing an upscale restaurant, according to Dublin’s Economic Development Director Linda Maurer.

Please contact Economic Development Director Linda Maurer at (925)833-6650 for more information about the city’s Water/Sewer Hookup Fee Credit Program, which is also known as the Sewer Capacity Assistance Program.