The San Ramon Planning Commission voted 5-0 to approve the Canopy (Bishop Ranch 8) project and to recommend the associated development agreement to City Council, actions that together increase the city’s supply of affordable housing through a mix of on‑site affordable rental and off‑site affordable support for related developments.

Staff described Canopy as a roughly 27‑acre redevelopment that would demolish three office buildings and construct 255 for‑sale single‑family homes (with up to 128 optional junior accessory dwelling units) and a five‑story multifamily affordable building of 161 rental units developed by Eden Housing, for 416 total homes. The project’s inclusionary housing calculation meets the city’s 15% requirement and the development agreement would raise the effective affordable contribution for the single‑family portion to 22.5% (supporting other related CityWalk phases). Staff noted the agreement includes a $765,000 payment to the city affordable housing fund, a seven‑year term and a potential five‑year extension; failure to perform could require dedication of the site to the city or a city‑designated nonprofit.

Project designers outlined three residential villages, a central greenbelt of nearly 2.9 acres with a clubhouse and pool, circulation that includes alleys and meandering sidewalks, and landscape buffers along Executive Parkway. Eden Housing described its programmatic supports for deeply affordable residents, including resident services, after‑school space and bike storage. Project technical studies (traffic, acoustical, VMT) were presented; staff said the project tiers off the city general plan EIR and identified no additional CEQA mitigation beyond the EIR measures.

Commissioners extensively questioned the team on pedestrian connectivity to adjacent developments, grade differentials that limit direct connections to City Village, the feasibility and likely uptake of optional JADUs, phasing and construction timing (applicants estimated vertical construction beginning in 2027 for certain components, with affordable construction timing dependent on financing), fire department hose‑pull constraints that informed alley and greenbelt configuration, and potential raised crosswalks or design approaches to maintain pedestrian continuity through the greenbelt while satisfying emergency and sanitation access needs.

After discussion, the commission adopted Resolution No. 16-25 approving the Canopy project with added conditions to memorialize acoustical and air‑quality study recommendations and to explore raised crosswalks or similar pedestrian safety measures during engineering review. The commission then moved and seconded a recommendation to City Council to adopt the development agreement (Resolution No. 17-25) as corrected; staff will update an affordable allocation table (increase extremely low allocation from 7 to 8 units) before transmittal.

The commission’s actions now advance the development agreement to the City Council for final action. Decisions of the commission may be appealed within 10 calendar days.