The Danville Design Review Board is scheduled to review plans for more hillside sprawl in the suburban town of Danville, Contra Costa County. The project would add just 22 units to the Martin Hills Ranch property near the Sycamore Valley open space. Walnut Creek-based Davidon Homes is responsible for the application.
Rough outline of the Martin Hills Ranch area drawn by YIMBY, image via Google Satellite
Martin Hills Ranch, site plan by Bassenian Lagoni Architects
The development will include some enormous houses ranging in size from 4,300 to 5,450 square feet. Each house includes an option for a backyard accessory dwelling unit, and four will be required to fulfill the application’s affordable housing requirements.
Bassenian Lagoni Architects is responsible for the design. Illustrations show the wood-frame structures will be dressed in vernacular facades imitating a handful of architectural styles.
The 103-acre property is located at the end of Como Way. Construction would encroach on the natural hillsides near the Sycamore Valley Open Space and the gated Crow Canyon Country Club community. The estimated cost and timeline for construction have not yet been shared.
Martin Hills Ranch accessory dwelling units, illustration by Bassenian Lagoni Architects
Martin Hills Ranch single-story house elevations, illustration by Bassenian Lagoni Architects
The public meeting is scheduled to start tomorrow, Thursday, June 11th, at 5 PM. The event will be held at the Danville Town Offices, with public comments accepted in person or via email. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the meeting agenda here.
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Tons of progress has been made on building multi-family housing, townhouses instead of single family homes, as well as ADUs.
What we need next is more complicated.
We need some sort of financing mechanism which allows single family homeowners to demolish their home, rebuild as a mini apartment building (3-4 stories, full floor flats), and retain ownership somehow. A win/win situation where they own the entire building, however the rents for all new units go towards paying off the construction loan.
Something like:
– Year 1-2: Construction. You live somewhere else.
– Years 3 – 20: Rent from units #2 and #3 go towards paying back the loan.
– Year 21: You’re a landowner with serious cashflow.
There will be people willing to do this to create generational wealth for themselves, their kids or grandkids.
Anecdotally, Greece urbanized in the mid to late 20th century to great effect using a similar mechanism. My family friends in Larissa owned what was previously a rural villa-style house, eventually the city reached them, and a developer approached them to build a multi-family building. It got turned into about 12 condos, they were given 4 of the units, including the penthouse. The original couple lived in the penthouse, their elderly father-in-law lived in a groudfloor unit, and they rented out the other 2 on shorter term leases. They may have also been paid a cash lumpsum but I’m not sure.