Planning Commissioners Say They'll Work to Keep Toyota in Town

Planning commissioners said that because they didn't see a formal application from Toyota to expand its facility in Bishop Ranch, they didn't know how serious the automaker was about those plans.

Carlos Soria, a program development manager for the automaker, said he received a letter from the city's economic development department saying that Toyota's plans to expand don't align with the city's vision to make that part of town a retail-residential district.

The North Camino Ramon Specific Plan is a conceptual blueprint for the future of the northern part of the city, from Executive Parkway to Fostoria Way and Alcosta Boulevard to Interstate 680.

Toyota has had a training site and parts distribution center in that project area since the 1980s. The company employs 200 people in town, 90 at that site.

The specific plan proposes rezoning the land beneath the warehouse from light industrial to mixed-use, which would pave the way for shops and homes. That would prevent expansion for Toyota.

The carmaker has invested $10 million in the last five years to update and expand the warehouse. In 2015, it will no longer be cost efficient for Toyota to stay in town unless it enlarges its facility, Soria said.

For years, Soria has communicated with the city about Toyota's plans. But planning commissioners Tuesday night said they would have worked with Toyota had they seen a formal application to expand the site as Soria described.

"We've always been pro-business," said Planning Commissioner Jeanne Bennedetti. "I'm sure that if an application had been sent, the city would have been willing to work with you."

Soria said he manages projects for the western hemisphere and that, in general, if a city staff does not recommend something, it stands little chance of a commission's approval.

The specific plan that proposes the rezoning is conceptual at this point. The city won't implement the changes until the City Council approves an updated general plan – a blueprint for land use in San Ramon over the next two decades.

So there's still time to change the specific plan, said Planning Commission Chairman Harry Sachs.

"The general plan is a long-term planning document," he said. "It’s a long-term vision of how we want our city to grow in the future ... we’re simply giving ourselves permission to create a specific plan."

Planning commissioners encouraged the public to attend all City Council and other commission meetings to discuss proposed general plan amendments and the specific plan for the northern part of the city.