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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.1 RUST, BILL EMAIL 022326Outlook FW: DEV 25002, 101-119 Town & Country Dr. Re: Feb 24 Public Hearing. Comments by resident Bill Rust FromDavid Crompton <dcrompton@danville.ca.gov> DateTue 2/24/2026 7:47 AM To_Planning Commission <PlanC@danville.ca.gov> CcAmanda Levine <alevine@danville.ca.gov>     From: Bill Rust <wrusjrarb@comcast.net> Sent: Monday, February 23, 2026 5:04 PM To: David Crompton <dcrompton@danville.ca.gov> Subject: Fwd: DEV 25002, 101-119 Town & Country Dr. Re: Feb 24 Public Hearing. Comments by resident Bill Rust     ***CAUTION*** THIS EMAIL WAS NOT SENT FROM DANVILLE STAFF This email originated from outside of the Town of Danville and was not sent from a Town Staff member! Do not click on links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. My name is Bill Rust. My wife and I live on the west side at 252 Morris Ranch Ct., Danville. I am submitting these comments for the Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 5:00 P.M., at the Town Meeting Hall, 201 Front Street, Danville on DEV25-0002, which would allow the development of a mixed-use project including construction of a new 200-unit 4-story 348,112 sq. ft. multifamily apartment building ("The Village Apartments"), the retention of an existing 27,700 sq. ft. two-story commercial building on a 3.89-acre site, including a Tree Removal Request that would allow for the removal of 5 Town-protected trees. Over many years, I actively served the Town of Danville as Danville's citizen representative on the Citizens Advisory Board to the agency charged with balancing proposed transportation improvement taxes with appropriate mitigations which made possible the construction of the 680/24 interchange in Walnut Creek; the Citizens Advisory Board to the Southwest Region of our County (Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, Danville and San Ramon); the Citizens Advisory Committee of the County Connection bus system, and others. I am pleased to offer my comments on Development Application DEV25-002. We will be impacted by this project. Let me list the ways that come to mind now which must be managed and mitigated for the benefit of all Town residents and the Town itself. 1. THE PROPOSED PROJECT'S DENSITY. Thanks to the Town for holding briefings for residents on the pressures the Town feels to add housing. I attended some of them. I respect that we should do our part. Please do what you can to minimize the unflattering and overwhelming visual impact of so large a complex at the entrance to our residential neighborhood. MITIGATION: Distribute the density around the property to minimize its visual impact and for harmony with adjacent residential neighbors and nearby residential areas as well as with the Danville Livery shopping and dining center. A fourth floor feels out of character for the Town (not a city!) of Danville. Grade down the building pad to mitigate the building height's unwelcome impact. 2. RESPECT THE TOWN OF DANVILLE'S DESIGN CHARACTER THAT GIVES THE TOWN ITS PERSONALITY! No "cookie-cutter," big box-like, faceless buildings like we increasingly see in nearby cities! Density, whatever the Town decides is right for the property, does not require our Town to sacrifice the design elements that say that we are a "town," not a "city." MITIGATION: Apply the Town's design standards, particularly to mitigation the building's mass. 3. EMERGENCY EVACUATION ROUTE. Town and Country Dr. is a vital evacuation route for the entire west side. Traffic spilling out of this development, and future development on the corner parcel at Town and Country and San Ramon Valley Bl. can choke off this urgent, time-sensitive escape route for us and all west side residents when fleeing fire, earthquake or other emergency. Alternate potential routes may not be available when all fleeing west side residents are "rushing for the exits" at once. I trust our emergency services agencies will have some guidance for us. MITIGATION: Follow your established practice of consulting our emergency services agencies for requirements and recommendations. Comply with those emergency evacuation requirements and recommendations. 4. EVERYDAY TRAFFIC ON TOWN & COUNTRY IS ALREADY CROWDED AND DIFFICULT; the proposed project will make it worse. I drive Town & Country Dr. many times each week to reach restaurants and businesses in downtown Danville and to reach our church. Even so, I now avoid it whenever possible because of the tight traffic conditions, and I use alternate residential streets. My wife refuses to drive it during business hours because of the current conditions. Town & Country Dr. already feels too crowded, narrow and dangerous to drive because of the many big personal and commercial or service vehicles parked on both sides of the street. This project on any scale will overwhelm the already overtaxed capacity of the present Town & Country Dr. MITIGATION: Direct traffic generated by this development to San Ramon Valley Bl. for entry and exit. 5. RESIDENTIAL STREETS REMINGTON DR. AND SHERI LN. WILL BE ADVERSELY IMPACTED BY TRAFFIC FROM THE PROPOSED PROJECT. Also, current work commuters and shoppers to this part of Town & Country Dr. already access it, especially going to and from I-680, via residential streets Remington Dr. and Sheri Ln., seemly for ease of travel. The proposed project likely would greatly increase traffic on these residential streets. MITIGATION: This is another reason to direct traffic generated by this development to San Ramon Valley Bl. for entry and exit. 6. CONSIDER A SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN (OR STUDY ZONE) FOR THIS AND ALL PARCELS ON THE CORNER OF TOWN & COUNTRY DR. AND SAN RAMON VALLEY BLVD. The problem is haphazard development on a parcel-by-parcel basis that doesn't allow for coordinated development and infrastructure planning and the allocation of costs for the whole corner. The carrying capacity (density and its impacts) of the applicant's property must be no more than its pro rata share of what the Town can safely allow (and its public infrastructure can safely support) for the entire corner when fully developed. A specific development plan for all parcels will provide a coordinated plan for all parcels on that highly strategic and visible corner, especially for coordinated traffic patterns for the traffic from all parcels. MITIGATION. The solution is a specific plan for the whole corner of Town and Country Dr. and San Ramon Valley Blvd. that would coordinate the future development that is possible on these parcels and allocate in a fair way the infrastructure upgrade benefits, responsibilities and costs, especially for traffic flow upgrades, among all affected parcels. Thank you for considering my comments. If you have questions or want more information, just ask. Best wishes. Bill Bill Rust wrusjrarb@comcast.net (925) 683-9302 (Cell)