Planning Commission continues debate on lowering DMU North minimum FAR to study impacts on housing and affordable units

The San Ramon Planning Commission continued its public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Downtown Mixed Use North (DMU North) minimum sitewide floor area ratio (FAR), voting to continue the item to March 18, 2025. The proposal from Sunset Development would lower the FAR minimum from 1.25 to 0.5; no final action was taken at the March 4 hearing.

The item was the second public hearing on a set of related applications that include General Plan Amendment GPA 2024-00001, a zoning text amendment (TA 2024-3) and environmental review (ENV 2025-001) that examine whether the DMU North minimum sitewide FAR should be reduced. City staff told the commission the housing-element policies and density ranges would not change; staff also said the proposed amendment is consistent with the General Plan EIR and that the environmental review finds no new or more severe impacts beyond those already analyzed in the General Plan EIR.

Sunset Development’s representative, Stephanie Hill, said the FAR reduction is intended to allow an alternate approach to meeting the city’s inclusionary housing requirements. “The FAR reduction is the first element of our broader plan to deliver affordable housing in Bishop Ranch,” Hill said,…