PG&E Substation Townhouse Development Moves to Next Step: the EIR
The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for a townhouse development project has been prepared and is now available for review. The project is located at the site of the defunct PG&E Substation below the Oakland Avenue Bridge on Linda Avenue. The 5,688-square-foot concrete PG&E structure would be demolished to create a roughly triangular .4 acre site that abuts the bridge, a two-story apartment building and a single-family home on Linda Avenue.
LSA Associates of Point Richmond, contracted to provide the DEIR, is the same firm that produced the CEQA Initial Study, “Piedmont Station LLC,” and the Moraga Canyon DEIR in 2010. LSA finds that “the project site is one of the few available sites in the City that is large enough for redevelopment as multi-family [affordable] housing but it is not planned for such use by the City.” They note that the high cost of land and development will limit the site “to expensive custom homes” and preclude affordable housing. The 1926 P G & E building was vacated in 1991 and was proposed for National Register status but no determination of its eligibility has been determined. The site is Zone C Multiple Density Residential.
The seven townhouses designed by Jarvis Architects consist of four units fronting on Linda Avenue, one at the corner of Linda Avenue and the Oakland Avenue bridge, and two facing the bridge. Three of the units have views of the bridge support structure and roadbed. The four-story (including basement level two-car garage) attached dwellings have four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. One gated and roofed driveway from Linda Avenue would provide access to the seven garages plus one guest parking space for the project. By providing two covered parking spaces for each unit, LSA indicates the parking requirement in the City Code has been satisfied. (See also “Traffic Analysis: Piedmont Station Townhomes” prepared for the City of Piedmont by DKS Associates of Oakland.)
The 45-day public review period starts Tuesday, May 17, 2011. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the DEIR, sending comments to City Planner Kate Black at kblack@ci.piedmont.ca.us or 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, California, 94611.
Below are pictures of the abandoned substation and plans for the new development provided in the EIR:
Views of the Oakland Avenue bridge abutment from townhouse units E, F and G
