Proposed Masonic Homes Flatlands Project Description

The following is a brief project description as of January 29, 2010:

Project Title:              Proposed Masonic Homes Flatlands project

Project Location:       The proposed Masonic Homes Flatlands project site consists of approximately 67.3 acres located within Union City, Alameda County, California, on the northeast side of Mission Boulevard, between May Road and O’Connell Lane.  The Assessor Parcel numbers are: 87-40-15-3, 87-40-15-7, 87-40-17-2, 87-31-2-5, 87-31-2-6 and 87-31-3-3. 

Project Description:  The applicant and property owner is Masonic Homes of California.  The applicant is proposing 357 multi-family residential townhome units (35 feet maximum height) on 20.5 acres near May Road and 1,000 multi-family residential “podium-type” units (55 feet maximum height) on 34.5 acres near O’Connell Lane.  It is proposed that about 300 of these podium-type units will be for senior citizens.

The applicant is also proposing up to 100,000 square-feet of retail commercial uses on 9.3 acres across from the Decoto Road terminus, and a civic facility use (as yet undefined) on about 2.0 acres and an agricultural use on about 1.0 acres, both at the central part of the project site.

Lastly, the applicant is proposing up to 100,000 square-feet of one or more private institutional uses on a 8.4 acre area central to the site. As an alternative, some or all of this acreage may instead be proposed with up to 200 multi-family "podium-type" units.  

The project site is located within the Union City Hillside Area Plan, which is part of the General Plan.  The project site currently has a General Plan Land Use designation of “Agriculture”.  The project site has an existing Zoning Map designation of “Agriculture”.  Therefore, to accomplish the proposed project, the applicant is seeking to remove the project site from the  boundaries of the Hillside Area Plan (which requires approval by the Union City voters) and to have the City approve: (1) General Plan Land Use Map amendments from the project site’s existing Agriculture designation to Multi-family Residential, Retail Commercial, Civic Facility, and Open Space; (2) Zoning Map amendments from the project site’s existing Agriculture designation to Multi-Family Residential, Neighborhood Commercial, Civic Facility, and Open Space; and (3) various corresponding General Plan and Zoning Code text amendments, to allow a development of the proposed project.