City Concerned About Impact of Proposed Tassajara Valley Development

As Contra Costa County is conducting an environmental review for development in the Tassajara Valley, the City Council is asking planners to consider the effect on San Ramon.

San Ramon doesn't have any control over what is built in the unincorporated valley east of town, but development could tap into city services and worsen overcrowding at local schools.

The City Council on Tuesday gave Mayor H. Abram Wilson permission to send a letter to the county that lists some of San Ramon's concerns about the proposed 187-unit New Farm development.

"More specifically, San Ramon residents are concerned that any development that might occur within Tassajara Valley will burden existing city facilities and resources, result in increased maintenance cost to our residents and cause a strain on our natural resources," the letter reads. "Additionally, the city sees this project as an opportunity to re-examine the impacts on school facilities and explore solutions to resolve the current overcrowding issue."

The New Farm project would scatter homes, olive groves and an olive oil processing plant on 777 acres along Camino Tassajara. Developers this year paid the county more than $400,000 for an environmental review.

Wilson said Tuesday there wouldn't be a letter if voters hadn't rejected Measure W, a general plan update that would have extended the city's urban growth boundary 1,600 acres east into the Tassajara Valley.

More than 70 percent of voters opposed the measure. If passed, developers would have had to go through City Council instead of the county.

Now, some residents say they worry that development in the Tassajara Valley will increase fees for city maintenance, overwhelm police services, strain natural resources and ruin the rural nature of the valley, according to a city staff report.