Petition to enact senior housing initiative in Walnut Creek.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CIRCULATE PETITION Notice is hereby given by the persons whose names appear hereon of their intention to circulate a petition within the City of Walnut Creek for the purpose of qualifying and enacting the Walnut Creek Senior Housing Transit Village Initiative. A statement of the reasons of the proposed action as contemplated in the petition is as follows: The purpose of this Initiative is to amend the Walnut Creek General Plan, North Downtown Specific Plan, Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map to replace certain office land use regulations with ones that prioritize senior housing, as described below. This Initiative will pave the way for more than 200 units of much-needed senior housing, along with community-serving retail businesses, in the Initiative Amendment Area, a 2.4-acre site located at the northeast corner of North California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road, across the street from the Walnut Creek BART station. It will also further Walnut Creek Housing Element's goal of providing a range of housing opportunities for seniors. Senior Housing. Walnut Creek is a wonderful place to call home because of our amazing climate, varied retail and dining options, abundant hiking and walking opportunities, acclaimed medical facilities, substantial parks and open space, award-winning schools, and robust transit options. A large share of the population has lived here for years, raising families, and is growing older in that family housing. Walnut Creek needs to do more to meet the special housing needs of our seniors, who now represent about half of our community, with many looking for quality downsizing options. Allowing over 200 new senior housing units downtown, near BART, will create opportunities for these seniors to age in place and stay connected with their families, friends, doctors, communities, and cultural opportunities throughout the Bay Area. Location. The Initiative Amendment Area's location next to the Walnut Creek BART station and downtown area is ideal for senior housing. It enables seniors to take BART to Lamorinda, Pleasant Hill, Rockridge, San Francisco, the SFO and Oakland airports, and beyond. Seniors will benefit from nearby community-based shopping, restaurants, and services, allowing a walkable, mixed� use development that will promote health and wellness for residents. The location also allows easy access to the Downtown Trolley, which provides free hop on, hop off service between various shopping, restaurant and entertainment destinations in downtown Walnut Creek, and other public transit options. The direct connection to public transit and walkability will make it easy for people to get to and from their destinations without driving. Business Uses. This Initiative also allows community-serving businesses, such as an accessible public market, for shopping, dining, entertainment, and other convenient services at future mixed� use residential buildings. The Initiative will provide opportunities for integration among a variety of retail and food-oriented businesses and senior residences in a mixed-use center near BART, which will serve the residents of the senior housing, occupants of the adjacent existing office buildings, and occupants of nearby future development proposed in the City's plans. Existing and future businesses will be bolstered by the evening and weekend activity that accompanies residential development. /s Stephen L. Kostka /s Marlene R. Farrell /s Haley Murphy The city attorney has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure: Walnut Creek Senior Housing Transit Village Initiative for a 2.4-Acre Site Located at the Northeast Corner of North California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road This proposed initiative ("Initiative") states that its purpose is "to amend the Walnut Creek General Plan, North Downtown Specific Plan, Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map to replace certain office land use regulations with ones that prioritize senior housing" for a 2.4-acre site located at the northeast corner of North California Boulevard and Ygnacio Valley Road ("2.4 Acre Amendment Area"). The Initiative would amend the General Plan, including the Land Use and Housing Elements, to replace the current "Office" General Plan land use designation for the 2.4 Acre Amendment Area with the existing "Mixed Use-Residential Emphasis" ("MU-R") General Plan land use designation. The Initiative would also amend the MU-R designation to allow a greater portion of a mixed-use project to be devoted to commercial uses in the 2.4 Acre Amendment Area by increasing the maximum floor area ratio for commercial uses from 0.3 to 0.6. The Initiative would further create a new zoning district called "Mixed Use-Residential Senior & Commercial" ("MU-RSC") and would incorporate these new regulations into the Walnut Creek Municipal Code. The Initiative would rezone the 2.4 Acre Amendment Area to that new zoning district. The MU-RSC zoning district would limit the allowable land uses in the 2.4 Acre Amendment Area to multifamily senior housing and commercial uses compatible with senior housing. Senior housing would be limited to uses serving primarily persons 55 years of age or older. Permitted commercial uses would include but not be limited to certain retail sales, banks, eating and/or drinking establishments, food and beverage sales, health clubs, offices, commercial recreation and entertainment, adult and child day care facilities, emergency medical care, and cultural institutions. The MU-RSC zoning district could translate to a population of approximately 163 persons per net acre in the 2.4 Acre Amendment Area. The Initiative would prohibit the City of Walnut Creek, absent a vote of the people or approval of a landowner application, from reducing the development potential allowed by the Initiative for the 2.4 Acre Amendment Area. The Initiative would also amend the Zoning Code definition of "net lot area" for land zoned MU-RSC. This new definition would exclude only public rights of way associated with existing or future streets and shared use paths along public streets. In addition, the Initiative would make several changes to the North Downtown Specific Plan that would only apply to land zoned MU-RSC, including but not limited to encouraging but not requiring retail in the garage/basement, on the two ground floors and the top floor with residential on other floors. The Initiative would take effect "on the earliest date legally possible," assuming the City has not yet adopted the four amendments of the mandatory elements of the General Plan permitted for the calendar year. Otherwise, the Initiative's General Plan amendments would take effect on January 1 of the next year. CCT 6959029; Apr. 3, 2026