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Archive for the ‘Community Benefit Payment’ Category

Community Benefit Payment

money-useCommunity Benefit Payments are sizable contributions made by developers to cities in addition to the standard building and impact fees required by new development. Developers usually make these payments to compensate the cities for making exceptions to the General or Specific plan guidelines, city ordinances, as well as other design policies for specific projects.
Community benefit payments should be used to improve the areas surrounding the new developments that generated the payments, as illustrated by the Schaeffer Ranch community benefit payment plan, where $1.5M was dedicated for improvements at the nearby Dublin Historic Park. Additionally, the developers of Schaeffer Ranch committed funding to build the new School of Imagination building.

Following that example, the City should use the Wallis Ranch community benefit payment to fund the completion of Emerald Glen Park and the astro turfs at Fallon Sports Park. The previous City Council had voted to fund the astro turfs at Fallon Sports Park through a surplus in the general fund. Instead of pulling money directly from the general fund, that popular optional upgrade can be more appropriately subsidized through a community benefit payment generated by a project in the vicinity like Wallis Ranch.

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Wallis Ranch Project is Approved

wallis ranch mapThe Dublin City Council approved the Development Agreement for Wallis Ranch to allow the developer to move forward with a residential housing project in East Dublin consisting of about 935 homes (58 units will be low density and 877 units will be medium and medium-high density) 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 (across from Silvera Ranch).

The City Council’s discussion Tuesday night primarily revolved around the agreement to provide the project developer with a 15-year term vs. the standard 5-year term in exchange for a $1M Community Benefit Payment. Councilmember Kevin Hart noted that 15 years was a long time to provide in the Development Agreement and implied that extending the term of the agreement might reduce the sense of urgency for the developer to build-out the project and leave the parcel vacant for up to 15 years; however, Councilmember Kasie Hildenbrand countered that the developer could choose to delay construction at Wallis Ranch with or without the Development Agreement.

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