Danville Votes To Build New Townhomes Despite Concerns From Neighbors

DANVILLE - The town of Danville voted unanimously to build 37 new townhomes near 680 and a lot of neighbors aren't happy about it.

Jeff O'Connell used to live in Oakland and specifically chose to settle in Danville because it's quiet. "We ride our bikes to town... it's like nowhere else, it's hard to describe," O'Connell said.

The 37 Townhomes will be built as close to O'Connell's backyard as you can get, his home abuts the small parcel of land approved for the new build. He and several neighbors went to the Town Council to voice their concerns this week but O'Connell said, "it's like talking to a brick wall, in fact last meeting I said I felt like I was in the twilight zone."

"I think it's great news," CEO of the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce Zae Perrin said.

Perrin says most people who work in the Town of Danville cannot afford to live here and have to commute, which makes it difficult for the restaurants to retain workers.

"Having a portion of this be affordable housing helps our businesses here," Perrin said.

"I can see where neighbors have concerns," Mayor Robert Storer said.

Mayor Robert Storer is trying to keep both sides happy, he's facing increased pressure from lawmakers in Sacramento to build here and help alleviate the statewide housing crisis.

"We need affordable housing for many income levels, so that's the hard part, we're working on that" Storer said.

Danville is one of a handful of East Bay Communities that raised concerns about Senator Scott Weiner's housing bill SB50, which has been tabled until January. SB50 would require more East Bay Communities to build higher density properties near transportation. Storer says he doesn't necessarily oppose the idea, but he worries about losing local control.

Storer says the developer for this site was conservative with his requests, legally he could have asked to build 63 townhomes instead of 37.

O'Connell says he's worried he might not be able to stay in the Bay Area if it keeps getting busier, he says the commute alone is reason enough to consider leaving. "It's two hours there and back. To San Francisco it's two hours there and two hours back, when is enough enough?"