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Planning commissioner highlights three housing projects and four ordinance updates
Summary
Planning Commissioner Lou Palindrani told the Danville Town Council the Planning Commission advanced three major housing projects—22 single-family homes with 5 ADUs (Martin Hills Ranch), a 105‑bed assisted‑living project at the old Sloat nursery (The Ivy), and 47 townhouses with 2 ADUs at the former bowling alley (The Lanes)—and recommended updates to four local ordinances to align with state law.
Planning Commissioner Lou Palindrani delivered the Planning Commission's semiannual report, outlining three major housing projects and several ordinance updates that shaped the commission's work in 2025.
Palindrani said the Martin Hills Ranch proposal in the town's south—about 22 single‑family homes and five accessory dwelling units—was presented initially as an information session to help scope an environmental impact report and capture community concerns about traffic and neighborhood integration. "The meeting was well attended," Palindrani said, and the EIR team used public input to refine their analysis.
He described The Ivy, a 105‑bed assisted‑living facility planned for the former Sloat nursery site at Diablo Road and El Cerro, as an example of how state density‑bonus rules can alter local development standards. "Because it's senior living, it qualifies under the state's housing bonus density law," Palindrani said, noting those rules can affect height, parking and density requirements while the project team worked to preserve design quality and community input.
Palindrani also reviewed The Lanes project, a redevelopment of the old Danville Bowling Alley into 47 townhouses plus two ADUs, and said the same developer's earlier work had been well received in the area.
On local regulation, Palindrani noted updates to four ordinances that had not been revised since 2009–2014: the Reasonable Accommodation Ordinance (disability access), the accessory dwelling unit ordinance (to align with state requirements), the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (below‑market housing provisions), and the Tree Preservation Ordinance (clarifying administrative authority in hazard cases). "This diversity" of projects, Palindrani said, "meets a lot of the objectives of the housing element."
Council members praised the commission's outreach and design review work, and the mayor asked follow‑up questions about the planning commission's process. No council action was taken directly at the meeting on these projects; Palindrani's report summarized the commission's 2025 activities and noted leadership changes for the coming year.
The Planning Commission's report is intended to inform council and community review as the projects proceed through environmental review, design review and any required discretionary approvals.
