Planning commission approves 200‑unit Camino Ramon affordable housing project with parking and mixed‑use concessions

The San Ramon Planning Commission on June 3 approved a development plan for the Camino Ramon Apartments, a proposed affordable rental development at 2453 Camino Ramon on a 2.2‑acre portion of the Bishop Ranch Service Center, concluding the vote 3‑0 with two commissioners absent.

The project, proposed by Eden Housing, would demolish the existing service center and build rental housing in two buildings, the applicant said. Eden Housing's Dixie Baus told the commission the developer is pursuing the state density bonus to add affordable units and related concessions: "Eden Housing…believes that home is where your start is. That that really is our mission," Baus said.

The commission's action allows two concessions under state density bonus law: a reduced parking requirement and permission for a fully residential development in a zoning district that otherwise expects a mixed‑use component. Staff said the site is in the Downtown Mixed Use (DMU) North zone but is not a designated housing‑opportunity site, so the applicant must request a concession to build a 100% residential project. As city staff member Miss Yi summarized, "This particular site…is not a housing opportunity site. And so it does not have the benefit of using state law…