Developers present 2,500‑home ‘Orchards’ plan at San Ramon study session; commissioners ask for traffic, park and tree details

Sunset Development gave the San Ramon Planning Commission an overview on July 15 of Orchards, a proposed 92‑acre mixed‑use neighborhood on the former Chevron Park site that would add about 2,500 homes, roughly 125,000 square feet of retail and roughly 15 acres of parks and open space as part of the broader Bishop Ranch buildout.

The presentation said the Orchards plan would include multifamily and mixed‑use blocks along Bollinger Canyon Road and lower‑density townhomes and single‑family housing along the southern edge to protect the character of Inverness Park. “Our land plan is centered around four premier offices…Over the next 25 years our residential plan will introduce an inclusive, walkable, suburban downtown that complements the existing commercial environment,” Stephanie Hill, director for Sunset Development, told the commission.

Commissioners heard the presentation as a study session: staff said the preliminary housing development application had been filed but not yet deemed complete, so the purpose was to receive high‑level feedback before formal review. Staff and the applicant repeatedly stressed the materials are preliminary and that technical studies—including CEQA analyses, vehicle‑miles‑traveled and traffic work—will be required during the formal entitlement process.

Why this matters: Orchards is a major piece of the Bishop Ranch…