When the County approved the “Glen at Heather Farm”, formally known as “Diablo Glen”, in November 2022 the developer “gave” two self-serving concessions which the County Board of Supervisors accepted as Conditions of Approval but that Save Seven Hills Ranch finds to be wholly inadequate. The developer is skirting the County’s Park Dedication and Inclusionary Housing Ordinances meant to provide public benefit to communities impacted by development.

Ironically, while the County intends to count the development towards fulfilling State RHNA Housing quotas the developer insists their 350 units are NOT Housing but a “Service Community”. By making this distinction the developer and their attorneys have told the County, and the County has acquiesced, that they need not honor the County’s Park Dedication and Inclusionary Housing Ordinances that every large county Housing development must adhere to. These ordinances require that large developments provide on-site park, open space or recreation land (or, in the case of smaller developments, funds in lieu of) and some affordable housing units as part of their development.

The developer “threw a bone” to the public, presumably to allow the Board of Supervisors to appear magnanimous in their approval of the massive project and claim, “look what the developer has given the public”. In fact, the self-serving, sub-standard concessions are of little value to the public and certainly not any sacrifice by the developer. The County did not insist that the development provide equivalent concessions- equal to what a housing development of this size would have to provide - but allowed instead the following useless offerings:

Park Dedication Ordinance: The developer has skirted the true spirit of this ordinance by stating they are “giving” 2.4 acres for public use. Unfortunately for the public the 2.4 acres the developer is “giving” is actually an inaccessible and for the most part excessively steep area of the property, in essence the concession is “giving” unusable acreage. (In fact, portions of the area are so steep they are considered rockfall hazard areas.) Below are illustrations regarding the location and contour lines of the steep and land-locked “gifted” space.

Inclusionary Housing Ordinance: The developer’s so-called generous substitute offering in this regard is to promise an annuity that will generate an approximate $100,000 annually (at today’s rates) to provide support for moderate or lower income residents who wish to move into the complex. Looking at prospective resident’s move-in costs of between $600,000 and $2.5 million AND the additional monthly fees of between $3,000 and $7,000 per month it is easy to see how paltry and inadequate this offering is. These concessions fall far short of what the Inclusionary Housing ordinance requires for a development of this size.

The developer is the winner and the Board of Supervisors is compliant in accepting these bogus offerings rather than insisting that the developer honestly respect the Ordinances specifically put in place to protect the public from the negative impacts of such a massive HOUSING development. The public is the loser.

Scroll down for a graphic understanding of the steepness and lack of accessibility to the site. (Best seen on a laptop)