Isabel Crossing Receives Planning Commission Approval

On what may have been the hottest day on record, the Livermore Planning Commission unanimously approved the 45-acre Isabel Crossing!  No joke – while travelling from Oakland into the Tri-Valley, my car’s thermometer hit an eye-popping 128 degrees in the mountain pass before dropping to a balmy 112 in the valley.

The project breaks all records as the largest single project approved in the city with a staff report over 2000 pages — so big, it broke the city’s software!

Isabel Crossing is the product of many years of development on the part of the city, a previous developer, and the successor developer Harridge Development.  It is the core portion of the Isabel Neighborhood Specific Plan (INSP) which encompasses additional surrounding properties.  It is a transit-oriented community focusing on the future Valley Link rail station that will connect to BART in nearby Pleasanton to provide easy access from Tracy/Mountain House to San Francisco and San Jose/Santa Clara.

Over the past 2.5 years, our team has shaped this project to include 1300 residential units of a wide variety of types and sizes ranging from duplexes to townhomes, mid-rise apartments and condominiums, in addition to a commercial main street, a grocery store, a 1.5-acre park and a 0.5-acre private recreation club.  The project was required to provide 20% of the units in various affordable categories – the project bested that at approximately 28%.

Isabel Crossing is envisioned to be highly walkable and bike-friendly, will be an all-electric community, and will provide public art in its several plazas and key intersections.  Two new bus stops will be provided.  It is located just south of Los Positas Community College and adjacent to a major business park.  New Class IV bike lanes, modelled after the city of Fremont’s pioneering work, will line both adjacent arterials, establishing a new standard for Livermore.  The architectural design is influenced by both the historic downtown of Livermore and contemporary Western designs.  Colors and materials are derived from the local setting – especially the use of brick.  Livermore was a major brick manufacturing center in the early 20th century and provided much of the brick for the rebuilding of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.

In the Planning Commission hearing on July 2, 2024 commissioners deliberated on numerous items including an addendum to the INSP EIR, Subdivision Map, Conditional Use Permit, Site Plan Design Review, Affordable Housing Plan, Development Agreement, INSP Amendment, Development Code Amendment, Density Bonus, and more.  There were several people in the audience who provided supportive comments:  this project will provide numerous construction jobs for the many construction workers that live in Livermore and must drive to San Francisco or San Jose for construction jobs; and for the significant contribution to affordable housing this project provides.

In summary comments, one commissioner became very emotional:  she explained that she truly knows what it is to be poor, relaying her experience when she first arrived in California, living in the Tenderloin of San Francisco, not knowing if she could pay rent or buy food, or if your roommate had stolen your belongings.  She lauded the team for taking affordable housing seriously, for providing quality buildings at various economic levels, especially very-low-income housing.  All agreed that Isabel Crossing will be a great place to raise a family and a tremendous asset to the city of Livermore.

Isabel Crossing received unanimous approval from City Council on July 22, 2024! Several residents spoke highly in favor of the project calling it a “model of vibrant placemaking with inclusivity at its core.” The mayor shared that the master plan serves as a “fantastic example of following all of the City’s action plans.”