MORAGA — A plan to build 13 houses on a hillside overlooking Camino Pablo has been rejected by city officials, but the project, which is outside town limits, could still possibly get the go-ahead from the county.
The approximately 8.5-acre site is opposite Tharp Drive and falls under Moraga’s general plan, which would require an amendment for the homes to get built. The town also could annex the site, which the developer supported.
The council, however, said no to the ideas, rejecting an appeal from developer Dobbins Properties to a June 15 decision by the town’s planning commission, also turning down the project.
The developer can still sidestep the council’s action because the property is in unincorporated Contra Costa County, making the town’s decision essentially a recommendation at this point.
Building the homes would mean a loss of open space, Councilwoman Teresa Onoda said.
“As an artist, I sat and sketched how tall that open space was,” Onoda said Aug. 25, when the council rejected the developer’s appeal. “When people say some things are unbuildable, I think (this project is) a good candidate for that.”
Portions of the hillside are up to 650 feet above Tharp Drive, according to an engineering study.
Onoda noted, however, that she was not against development.
“I think we should encourage development,” she said. “I am all right for development in the right places.”
She added: “I will not vote to build on landslides (or due to being built on hillsides). And I will not vote to build big houses on a scenic corridor.”
But Vice Mayor Steve Woehleke, who cast the lone no vote to deny the appeal, said he thought the houses would have little visual impact on nearby residents or people who travel along the road.
“I am not taking a hard decision on this,” Woehleke said, noting that the town can annex the site and have more control as to how it’s developed. “It’s going to be developed by Moraga, or it’s going to be developed by the county.”
Mayor Mike McCluer echoed Onoda.
He was not against development, McCluer said. “But how and where we put these units, that’s really important to us,” he said. “We try to develop Moraga so that it looks like Moraga.”
While the site is outside town limits, Moraga’s general plan considers the property, which overall totals about 24 acres, to be within its “sphere of influence,” according to a city report.
A sphere of influence is a planning boundary that may be outside an agency’s legal boundary — such as the city limit line — but designates it will probably become the agency’s future boundary and service area, according to the state of California.
The town has zoned it for one residence per acre.
The remainder of the site, or about 18 acres, would be designated as open space under the plan.
The developer still might be able to build the homes if Contra Costa County officials approve them since the property is not within Moraga city limits, but rather the unincorporated county.
The proposed residential lots would range in size from 15,129 to 40,027 square feet. Seven of the homes would contain an accessory dwelling unit.
The project has been in the works since March 2014.