Multifamily housing off the table for Livermore office park

Contra Costa Times

From the article:

LIVERMORE -- After fierce objections from neighbors, the Sunset Development Co. is rethinking housing plans for Sunset Office Plaza, scrapping any designs that incorporate townhouses or apartments.

In a heated meeting with more than 75 locals Thursday, Chris Truebridge, a senior vice president with the company, presented three options for residential development of the Sunset Office Plaza and the Livermore Financial Center in South Livermore. Plans included combinations of single-family detached homes and multifamily buildings.

"The message came through loud and clear," Truebridge said Friday. "I was hopeful to have a plan that everybody would like, but I was surprised by the hostility toward any type of multifamily ... I literally need to go back to the drawing board."

Sunset Development is seeking a zoning change from the city for the two parks, which have been used by medical professionals, insurance companies and other businesses for more than four decades.

The 13-acre Sunset Office Plaza contains 75,000 square feet of space in 10 buildings. The Livermore Financial Center has four office buildings on two acres. The two properties are surrounded by residential neighborhoods, with a Lucky shopping center between them.

Truebridge said a proposal to develop 32 two-story townhomes at the Livermore Financial Center site will move forward, and added that the company has no intention of keeping office suites at Sunset Plaza.

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