Contra Costa Times
From the article:
DUBLIN -- A plan to build up to 1,995 homes plus stores and businesses at the Camp Parks military training base moved a big step forward this week with an agreement by the city and developer on ways to plan and finance the project.
The deal points -- approved by the City Council on Tuesday -- were negotiated with the Irvine-based SunCal company, the master developer for the Dublin Crossings project along Dublin Boulevard and north of the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station.
SunCal is getting some 180 acres of base property in exchange for making millions of dollars of base improvements, including a new main gate already under construction.
"This is an exciting day," Councilman Dave Haubert said of the understanding on "deal points" that will form the basis of a development agreement. "The applicant came back with everything we asked for."
SunCal also wrangled some concessions of its own.
The city agreed to SunCal's request to shift some of the costs for new roads, pipes, utilities and other infrastructure costs onto the backs of future Dublin Crossings homeowners.
Builders typically front these costs and then recover them as part of the new home sales price.
But Dublin Crossings homes would be included in Dublin's first community facilities district and required to pay an estimated extra tax of $2,200 to $3,700 a year to cover about 39 percent of project infrastructure costs, according to a report by from Dublin city officials.
Councilman Kevin Hart objected to the use of the extra taxes and said he was the only council member to do so.
"It will be a big tax burden to homeowners," Hart said Thursday. "It also creates a two-tier system of taxes in Dublin. I think the developer could find another way to finance infrastructure costs."
Hart, however, added that he doesn't consider the special taxes a deal breaker and he supports the overall Dublin Crossings project as good for the city.
SunCal has said it would be forced to consider rewriting the development plan unless it gets assurances homeowners will pay the facilities taxes.
For its part, the city persuaded SunCal to sweeten its contribution toward a new Dublin community park and a new public school.
SunCal agreed to provide 30 acres for the park, less than the developer had proposed.